National Bank Open betting tips: Mpetshi Perricard vs Rune, Ito vs Paolini, Gauff vs Collins

With Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic all absent, the Canadian Open men's draw is wide open, presenting a chance for another surprise winner, as we saw with Alexei Popyrin last year and Pablo Carreno Busta in 2022.

On the women’s side in Montreal, Aryna Sabalenka’s withdrawal has opened the door for several top players to make a deep run and challenge for the title. Jessica Pegula, the two-time defending champion, is among the leading hopefuls this week.

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Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Holger Rune (Tuesday 5:30pm)

After a disappointing first-round exit at Wimbledon, Holger Rune is in need of a bounce-back, and he recently turned to eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi for guidance as he looks to sharpen his game.

Rune reached the final at Indian Wells earlier this year and has made deep runs at various other Masters 1000 events in his career, but his record in Canada has been underwhelming. He faces a tough opener here against the big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

FIRST’s top tip for Mpetshi Perricard vs Rune

Mpetshi Perricard has held 88 per cent of his service games on hard courts this year, while winning fewer than 10 per cent of return games. Breaks of serve are likely to be scarce, making a long opening set an appealing option.

Pick: Over 10.5 Games in set 1 (11/10 with BetMGM)

Aoi Ito vs Jasmine Paolini (Tuesday 7pm)

Japanese youngster Aoi Ito has caused two upsets already in Montreal, defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich in qualifying before knocking off Katie Volynets in round one.

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Facing Jasmine Paolini is a huge step up in class, but there is uncertainty surrounding the Italian’s form and fitness.

FIRST’s top tip for Ito vs Paolini

This will be Paolini’s first match back on a hard court following the grass swing. Ito is attuned to the conditions in Montreal and could catch the seventh seed cold.

Pick: Ito to win (6/1 with Ladbrokes)

Coco Gauff vs Danielle Collins (Wednesday 12am)

Top seed Coco Gauff has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals at this tournament, and perhaps more surprisingly, has not won a match since lifting the French Open title in early June.

Danielle Collins, a quarter-finalist herself the last time this competition was played in Montreal, is a tough assignment for Gauff as she looks to play her way back into form ahead of the US Open.

FIRST’s top tip for Gauff vs Collins

Gauff has admitted to taking a relaxed approach to her results this week. She won just four matches across the four WTA 1000 hard-court events earlier this year. 

This one could prove challenging as she faces Collins, who is looking to climb the rankings again after a stop-start year.

Pick: Collins +5.5 game handicap (22/25 with BetMGM)

Outrights

There are question marks over several players at the top of the men’s singles market. Alexander Zverev has struggled for consistency, while both Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur have had heavy workloads recently and may struggle to go the distance.

Betting on grand slams vs betting on non grand slam events can be vastly different, but its eleventh seed, Karen Khachanov, stands out at an attractive price. With two Canadian Open semi-final appearances to his name and a quarter-final run at Wimbledon still fresh in the memory.

Belinda Bencic also enjoyed a strong fortnight at SW19 and knows what it takes to triumph in Canada, having lifted the title back in 2015. The Swiss player’s stringing together a solid season and looks well capable of making it even better this week.

Pick: Karen Khachanov to win ATP Toronto each-way (40/1 with Ladbrokes)

Pick: Belinda Bencic to win WTA Montreal each-way (50/1 with Ladbrokes)

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Odds correct at the time of writing.