Leylah Fernandez is a commanding favourite in her first match at the National Bank Open.
The pregame narrative: This match is lopsided on paper. A very capable Fernandez battles Shuai Zhang who's anything but at this stage of her career. The former should convincingly dispose of the latter in Toronto.
Check out our Zhang vs. Fernandez odds and best bet for their National Bank Open match on Aug. 7.
Zhang vs. Fernandez National Bank Open odds
Go to full Zhang vs. Fernandez betting markets.
Best bet: Under 17.5 games (-112)
Fernandez shouldn't struggle very much in this contest.
She's an overwhelming -2,000 favourite in this match and for good reason. Her opponent, Zhang, is severely overmatched.
Zhang is still searching for her first win of 2024. She's 0-5 across all surfaces with three losses on the outdoor hardcourts.
| Betting markets | Betting odds |
| Fernandez to win | -2,000 |
| Zhang to win | +1,000 |
| Fernandez -6.5 games | -150 |
| Zhang +6.5 games | +116 |
| Over 17.5 games | -114 |
| Under 17.5 games | -112 |
Women's tennis odds as of 1:50 p.m. on 08/07/2024.
Her last couple of matches have been especially troublesome. The Chinese tennis veteran has won three and five games in outings against Daria Kasatkina and Shelby Rogers, respectively.
She hasn't been playing a whole lot of tennis recently, either, as her last match was at Wimbledon in July and at the Madrid Open in April before that.
Zhang was the No. 22 player in the world at one point, but that time has long since passed.
Fernandez, meanwhile, has been playing plenty and playing well. She advanced to the third round at the Olympics and has won seven of her last 10 matches overall.
The lowest-ranked player she has competed against during this stretch is world No. 212, veteran Angelique Kerber. For comparison, Zhang is ranked 685th in the world.
This is a major step down in class for the Canadian star. Anything less than a convincing, lopsided victory that comes in 17 games or less will offer reason for concern as she begins her run at this tournament.
I'm expecting a rout.
Key stat: Zhang has averaged 16 games in her last two matches.
Picks made at 1:42 p.m. ET on 08/06/2024.
