National Bank Open predictions, odds and tennis betting tips: Gauff can show her class

Where to watch National Bank Open

Sky Sports Tennis from 4pm Tuesday

Best bet

Coco Gauff to win WTA National Bank Open
1pt 4-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Sebastian Korda to win fourth quarter in ATP National Bank Open
1pt 7-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

National Bank Open previews

The North American hard-court season continues this week with the National Bank Open, a combined ATP and WTA 1000 event in Canada, and there are some big names missing from both draws.

There is a lengthy list of withdrawals in the women's competition in particular, with Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Barbora Krejcikova, Jasmine Paolini and Maria Sakkari among those absent from the tournament in Toronto.

And one player who will be looking to capitalise on the weakened field is top seed Coco Gauff.

Gauff has exited the National Bank Open at the quarter-final stage in each of the last three seasons but she goes into this year's edition with a hard-court Grand Slam under her belt, having won the US Open in 2023.

She followed that with a run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open on the harder surface at the start of the year.

And while her form has fluctuated throughout 2024, it is worth remembering that her biggest career achievements have come on hard courts.

She has won 18 of her 23 matches on the surface this campaign and she looks a smarter wager than market leader Aryna Sabalenka, whose playing time has been seriously limited by injury.

Jannik Sinner is defending champion, favourite and top seed in the men's competition and he will be looking to make the most of neither Carlos Alcaraz nor Novak Djokovic taking part in Montreal.

Sinner should shake off competition from Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev but the smarter play in the men's event could be Sebastian Korda to win his quarter.

Korda is fresh from winning the Washington Citi Open and moved into the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time as a result.

He can go further than Zverev, who is stronger on clay, and Taylor Fritz, who is yet to win a title in 2024.

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