WTA Cincinnati Best Bets Including Kostyuk vs Kenin

The WTA Cincinnati tournament continues with the second round on Sunday. WTA Cincinnati is the 1,000-point tournament that flows into the U.S. Open. We saw Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina make the final in Toronto. Will other top players be able to rise up this coming week and make their own statement heading into the final Major tournament of 2026? People who follow women’s tennis know there is a lot of quality depth in the sport. Over the past few years, it was generally assumed that Aryna Sabalenka would go deep in nearly every important tournament, but now that assumption doesn’t hold up as well. It’s a very interesting time in the sport because old patterns are not remaining intact. Let’s see what happens next. LWOS has our best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.

WTA Cincinnati

Kostyuk – Kenin: 14:00 EST

H2H: 0-1

This WTA Cincinnati second-round match includes a former Major champion. Still, Sofia Kenin is nowhere near the player she was when she won a Major title in Australia and reached a final in a separate major tournament at Roland-Garros. Marta Kostyuk is the player who has competed for big titles this year, going to the semifinals in France and then again at the All-England Club. Kostyuk is naturally a massive betting-market favorite. 

Best Bet to Make

Kostyuk winning this WTA Cincinnati match in straight sets is priced at only 1.35, which is not worth your time, so you have to look at the game spread to find value. Kenin plus 6.5 games is at 1.74. It’s very uncomfortable to back a favorite at anything more than 5.5 games. Kostyuk would need to win 6-3, 6-2 to cover. That’s asking a lot of a player who is just trying to win, not cover a spread. As wide as the gap is between these players, it feels more comfortable to take the underdog plus the game spread. That’s our standalone wager.

That being said, betting on Kenin +6.5 games is a value bet for sure.

Value bet/ the best odds: Kenin +6.5 games at 1.74 @1xBet

Stephens – Potapova: 17:00 EST

H2H: 0-1

Sloane Stephens is ranked outside the WTA top 250. She didn’t play at all during the grass season. She resurfaces here and there but doesn’t play many matches. She does some TV work and is not competing for titles. She’s basically playing for love of the game at this point. Anastasia Potapova has risen into the top 30 on the strength of a big clay season. Can she win on hardcourt at WTA Cincinnati? Stephens is 9-8 on hardcourt this year, Potapova 7-9.

Best Bet to Make

Potapova is clearly a better overall player than Stephens. Is the fact that Potapova isn’t playing on clay enough of a reason to bet on Stephens winning this WTA Cincinnati match? The gap between the two players on hardcourt is not that dramatic, so taking Potapova is the right standalone wager to make. The moneyline isn’t priced high enough, so make it a small game spread instead.

That being said, betting on Potapova -1.5 games is a value bet for sure.

Value bet/ the best odds: Potapova -1.5 games at 1.60 @Betway

Gauff – Samsonova: 19:00 EST

H2H: 4-0

Coco Gauff has won all four times she has played Liudmila Samsonova. Gauff made the WTA Toronto semifinals, a good lead-in to her WTA Cincinnati tournament. She is 20-7 on hardcourt this year while Samsonova is only 10-10.

Best Bet to Make

All the data and statistics point to Gauff winning convincingly. You don’t need to spend a lot of time thinking about this particular wager. Gauff in straight sets is the bet you should make.

That being said, betting on Gauff winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.

Value bet/ the best odds: Gauff winning 2:0 at 1.84 @1xBet

Main Photo Credit: Sam Greene-USA TODAY Sports