Tennis Betting Tips: Sabalenka and Swiatek star in 20/1 Friday treble

The quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open women's singles start on Friday, with two of the WTA's top-three-ranked stars in action.

In my Friday Tennis Betting Tips, I've picked out three selections for your consideration, which can be combined in a treble at 20.66/1.

Set Betting - Iga Swiatek (POL) 2-1 vs Anna Kalinskaya (Wrl) @ 3/1

Iga Swiatek hasn't had to overextend herself to reach the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open, securing straight-set victories over Anastasia Potapova (6-1, 6-4) and Sorana Cirstea (6-4, 6-3), either side of being handed a walkover against an injured Marta Kostyuk.

Still, the 24-year-old's win against Cirstea in the last 16 wasn't as routine as I expected. She had to fend off two break points in the first set, and in the second, she was broken in two of her first three service games.

For most other players, that would have been regarded as a very solid success, but I, and many others, including herself, hold Swiatek to higher standards. That match did highlight that there are at least a few vulnerabilities present in her game at the moment.

Anna Kalinskaya, meanwhile, has had to overcome Peyton Stearns (7-6, 4-6, 6-1) and Ekaterina Alexandrova (3-6, 7-6, 6-1) in three sets, either side of a more straightforward win against Amanda Anisimova (7-5, 6-4) in the third round.

After the scheduling of her match against Swiatek, the 26-year-old hit out at the WTA and Cincinnati Open, calling it "unfair". She said: "How does the tournament and WTA expect me to recover and continuously adjust my sleep pattern, which is one of the most important aspects of recovery? Seems a bit one-sided.”

Kalinskaya's open letter perhaps hints at a tired player; Swiatek, on the other hand, finished her last-16 match around 10 hours before the Russian started hers.

Backing Swiatek feels like the obvious play here, and a straight-sets win is definitely achievable for the Pole, who hasn't dropped a set in her last eight victories.

But there's also a part of me that believes Kalinskaya can nick a set on Friday, with Swiatek not on her absolute A-game, in my opinion.

The two have met once previously, in the semi-finals of the Dubai Open - played on a hard court - in February 2024, and there, Kalinskaya triumphed 6-4, 6-4.

Yes, she may arrive at this contest slightly tired, but also confident, having won nine of her last 11 contests. Therefore, I don't think it will be a walk in the park for her opponent. At 3/1, a 2-1 Swiatek victory is more than tempting.

Set Betting - Aryna Sabalenka (Wrl) 2-1 vs Elena Rybakina (KAZ) @ 11/4

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka may have only dropped one set so far at this year's Cincinnati Open, but the World No. 1 has been put to work in five of the seven she has played.

Sabalenka beat Marketa Vondrousova (7-5, 6-1) in the second round before being pushed to the limit by Emma Raducanu (7-6, 4-6, 7-6) in the third, and after a comfortable start to her last-16 tie with Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (6-1, 7-5), she was forced to dig in during the second set.

On Thursday, the 27-year-old takes on Elena Rybakina, who has won all three of her matches so far by a 2-1 scoreline. She knocked out Renata Zarazua (4-6, 6-0, 7-5) in the second round before overcoming Elise Mertens (4-6, 6-3, 7-5) and Madison Keys (6-7, 6-4, 6-2).

In all three matches, the Kazakhstani has lost the first set, indicating that while she may be a slow starter, she possesses the mental and physical fortitude to stage a recovery, which will be vital against Sabalenka.

The Belarusian leads 7-4 in the head-to-head record, winning three of the last four, including their only meeting so far this calendar year, in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on June 20. Eight of the 11 matches between the two have gone to the deciding set, and it feels right to back such an eventuality again on Friday, with Sabalenka coming out on top once more.

Remember, the number one seed is 18-1 in tiebreakers this calendar year, winning her last 16 - two against Rybakina at Wimbledon in June.

Match Betting - Veronika Kudermetova (Wrl) to beat Varvara Gracheva (FRA) @ 4/9

Varvara Gracheva has gone from qualifier to quarter-finalist at the Cincinnati Open, reaching the final eight of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.

After a couple of wins in qualifying, the 25-year-old beat a couple of Americans, Katie Volynets (6-5, 3-6, 6-3) and Sofia Kenin (6-7, 6-3, 6-3) in the first two rounds, before victories over Karoline Muchova (6-2, 6-4) and Ella Seidel (2-6, 6-1, 6-1).

The Frenchwoman's next opponent, Veronika Kudermetova, has won three of her four matches, against Suzan Lamens (6-1, 6-3), Belinda Bencic (6-4, 7-6) and Magda Linette (6-4, 6-3), in straight sets, only being taken into a decider in the third round by Clara Tauson (3-6, 7-6, 6-4).

The Russian is 2-0 in the head-to-head with Gracheva, winning 2-1 (5-7, 6-2, 6-2) at the Australian Open in February 2021, and 2-0 (6-1, 6-0) at the Jasmin Open in Monastir in October 2022.

World No. 36 Kudermetova is fancied to move past Gracheva for a third time on Friday, although I wouldn't rule out the World No. 103 taking a set, so I'll just stick with the match betting market here.

Click the link for all the latest Tennis Odds

Find more Tennis Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights