Bianca Andreescu is back home and competing at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
The pregame narrative: One of Canada's top tennis talents is competing in her backyard. Andreescu battles Lesia Tsurenko in the first round of the tournament. I expect her to win convincingly and advance to the second round.
Check out our Andreescu vs. Tsurenko odds and best bet for their National Bank Open match on Aug. 6.
Andreescu vs. Tsurenko National Bank Open odds
Go to full Andreescu vs. Tsurenko betting markets.
Best bet: Andreescu -1.5 sets (-130)
This is a big match for Andreescu for several reasons.
Firstly, it's on home soil in front of a Canadian crowd that will be cheering her on. It's the first time Andreescu has played in Toronto since 2022.
Secondly, this is her first hard-court match of 2024. Andreescu missed all of the hardcourt season earlier this year as she battled back from a back injury.
Her track record suggests she'll be just fine on the outdoor hardcourt. Her 122-45 record is her best on any surface and her lone Grand Slam title (US Open) came on an outdoor hardcourt.
There should be a chip on Andreescu's shoulder in this contest as the Canadian lost her lone match at this tourney a year ago.
Her opponent, Tsurenko, isn't having a banner year by any stretch. She's an unimpressive 7-7 on outdoor hardcourts and 9-13 overall.
Her serve is a major liability. The Ukrainian has fired off just four aces to 86 double faults in 20 matches this year, according to WTAtennis.com.
For comparison, Andreescu has 25 aces and 24 doubles faults in 12 matches this year.
Tsurenko is a solid returner (40% return games won percentage), but that won't be enough to beat a solid hardcourt player in Andreescu. I'm betting on the Canadian to win comfortably.
Key stat: Tsurenko has lost four consecutive matches, losing three of those contests in straight sets.
Picks made at 12:05 p.m. ET on 08/06/2024.
