Tennis betting tips: 100/30 Fritz looks Taylor-made for more Eastbourne glory, plus value picks from Mallorca
Just over a week to go before Wimbledon, and as a result, the ATP Tour throws up a couple of 250 events on the grass this week.
The Lexus Eastbourne Open takes place in the plush surroundings of Devonshire Park, while there is also action on the grass in Mallorca.
Sports News Blitz’s Bookie Basher breaks down this week’s best bets ahead of Wimbledon.
Sinner falls short in Halle after French Open heartbreak
Hopefully, readers of the column swerved Jannik Sinner at 8/11 in Halle last week.
Especially after we alluded that the Italian was too short in the betting and could have some “Roland Garros demons given he blew three championship points off the belt before eventually losing that French Open epic final to Alcaraz.”
His Wimbledon preparations suffered a blow as the World No. 1 lost to 45th-ranked Alexander Bublik in the Halle Open second round.
Despite this, he remains joint favourite with a few firms to lift the Wimbledon title.
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Fritz has form and familiarity on his side at Eastbourne
This week at Eastbourne, Taylor Fritz is the 100/30 betting favourite, and to be fair, it’s easy to make a case for him.
The American World No. 4 has won two of the last three Eastbourne titles and comes here in great nick after winning on grass in Stuttgart recently.
No player has a better record at Eastbourne - he is 13-2 at the venue - but a slight worry is the fact that he lost early at Queen’s last week to Corentin Moutet.
It’s never straightforward to bet on players in the week before a major, with many just wanting to get a few matches under their belt but not necessarily be involved in the business end so they can be rested for the forthcoming Grand Slam.
Fritz is the defending champion here, so one can safely assume he is not just coming to get a bit of match practice and 100/30 looks a fair price given we know he gets the course and distance.
Argentine livewire and 2023 champ Francisco Cerundolo is also in the draw, along with American Tommy Paul, who is another player who is very useful on grass when in the mood.
Opelka the long shot with big upside
However, if you are looking for a good value each-way option at Eastbourne, then Reilly Opelka could be the play.
At 6 feet 11 inches, he cuts an imposing figure on the court and can blast down serves that measure in excess of 140 miles per hour.
That serve should win him plenty of cheap points and while he has never won an event on grass, the American has won twice on fast indoor surfaces (New York - 2019 and Dallas - 2022).
The serve will be key all week as he is not the best defensive player on the Tour but if he clicks this week, 20/1 could end up looking huge.
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Mallorca offers a wide-open field with Griekspoor poised to strike
Elsewhere in Europe, the Mallorca Championships is a relatively new event on the Tour (first played in 2021 in its current guise), and the defending champion is Alejandro Tabilo, who was a surprise winner in 2024.
Ben Shelton is the top seed, but Felix Auger-Aliassime heads the outright betting at 4/1.
The Canadian has two titles to his name already in 2025 (Adelaide and Montpellier). Still, he is making his debut here, and 4/1 looks plenty short when you factor in that Wimbledon is now just a matter of days away and he will presumably have one eye on a deep run at SW19.
Instead, I am going to look further down the betting list and land on Tallon Griekspoor.
Griekspoor has a big game on grass, which was underlined in 2023 when he won six consecutive matches on the surface (including a title at the Libema Open).
The Dutch ace announced an abdominal muscle injury sustained during the warm-up before his French Open match against Alexander Zverev caused his retirement in the second set against the German at Roland Garros.
However, one assumes he is fit here as he wouldn't be risking anything with Wimbledon literally next week.
He has been having plenty of success on the ATP Challenger Tour but would love to get back in the winner’s enclosure for an ATP Tour event, having last tasted success in 2023.
His draw looks OK, and 9/1 is still available if you shop around with some firms going as short as 13/2.
Suggested Bet #1: Taylor Fritz to win the Lexus Eastbourne Open at 100/30 (888 Sport)
Suggested Bet #2: Reilly Opelka to win the Lexus Eastbourne Open at 20/1 (General)
Suggested Bet #3: Tallon Griekspoor to win the Mallorca Championships at 9/1 (bet365/Boylesports)
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