2019 WTA Silicon Valley Classic Open Odds & Picks: Svitolina Favored In Hard Court Event

• The Silicon Valley Classic will take place from July 27-August 4 with the main draw beginning July 29
• Elina Svitolina is the top seed at the San Jose tournament
• Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka are in the field

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) visits Silicon Valley this week for the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. Elina Svitolina is the top seed and Aryna Sabalenka is No. 2, but are they the best bets at this event? Let’s take a closer look at this tournament and see where the value is on the board.

2019 Silicon Valley Classic Odds

*Odds taken July 29, 2019

Svitolina Is the Player to Beat

Svitolina is the player to beat at this event. She’s the No. 1 seed and the No. 7 ranked player in the world. Although she hasn’t won a title this year, she’s played very well. She’s fresh off an appearance in the semifinals at Wimbledon, becoming the first Ukrainian woman to ever get that far in a grand slam.

What will also help is that Svitolina has a winning record against all of the top seeds in this tournament. She’s 1-0 against Amanda Anisimova, 2-1 against Elise Mertens and 1-0 against Aryna Sabalenka. It’s not a dominant history in each case but it’s definitely a leg up, which is important.

I also like her path to the finals as she’ll take on an unranked player or a wild card in her first match, probably No. 7 seed Maria Sakkari in her second match and Anisimova in her third. If Svitolina gets to the final, she’s 13-2 in tournament finals, which shows that she’s a closer.

Mertens a Solid Choice

If you’re not up for Svitolina, Mertens is who I’d go with next. She’s a player in the Top 20 that tends to do well on the hard courts. She was 25-13 on the surface last year. She even won the Doha event where she knocked off Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber and Kiki Bertens in the process. That’s impressive.

Remember that she made it to the semis of this event last year and also it made to the quarters in Montreal and Cincinnati last year. She’ll have to take care of No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka to get to the finals but she’s 2-1 against her, winning on the hard courts and on clay, but losing on grass.

Pass on Sabalenka

Speaking of Sabalenka, I’d avoid betting on her because she just hasn’t fared so well recently. Yes, she’s the No. 2 seed at this event but I don’t have much confidence in her. She was knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon. She also failed to notch a single win at Birmingham or Rosmalen.

Taking a look at her entire 2019 calendar, she hasn’t won more than two matches at an event in 16 of her 17 tournaments. The only time she managed to do so was in Strasbourg when she won three matches. I’d avoid better her here.

Past 5 Winners at Gander RV 400

Svitolina Is the Best Bet

When you take a look at the draw, the track record and the players who are performing the best right now, I’d go with Svitolina to win this event. It’s a bit of a tricky field but I’d be surprised if she isn’t able to navigate it given how strong she has showed recently.