The WTA Washington tournament finishes the Round of 16 on Thursday. The top seed at this tournament is Jessica Pegula, who is beginning what has historically been her best time of year as a WTA Tour professional. Pegula is from Buffalo, so playing tournaments in the Eastern time zone of the United States has been a comfortable and often enjoyable experience for her. This is the part of the calendar when she shines. Can she maintain that reputation this year? Elina Svitolina also gets into the fun as the WTA Washington tournament will decide its last four quarterfinalists. Let’s see if the high seeds will proceed smoothly into Friday, or if they won’t get that far. LWOS has our best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA Washington
Pegula – Frech: 15:00 EST
H2H: 3-0
Jessica Pegula enters this WTA Washington event as the No. 1 seed. She hasn’t played since Wimbledon, so she has had three full weeks off. As I said above in the introduction, this is the time of year when she earns her money and has historically played her best. Her opponent in this match, Magdalena Frech, had lost four matches in a row going into Washington, but she scored a solid win over Ann Li, a top-35 player. Frech is now in the top 50 in the live WTA rankings. A win over Pegula wouldn’t get her into the top 40, but it would enable her to reach the top 40 with a subsequent win in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Best Bet to Make
Pegula winning in straight sets isn’t worth all that much, so the game spread is where the standalone wager needs to be made. Pegula should win the match in straight sets, but after three weeks off, she might not be fully dialed in. She could win 6-4 6-2 and still not cover the spread. Frech has played a WTA Washington match and is used to the conditions. Pegula will win, but Frech is the best bet to cover the spread.
That being said, betting on Frech +6.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Frech +6.5 games at 1.83 @Betway
Shnaider – Potapova: 18:00 EST
H2H: 1-1
Diana Shnaider and Anastasia Potapova both had strong clay seasons. Shnaider made the semifinals of Roland-Garros. Potapova reached the Round of 16 at Roland-Garros after making the same stage in Rome and reaching the semifinals in Madrid, plus the final in Linz. Potapova collected a lot of wins, enabling her to crack the WTA top 30. Shnaider’s Roland-Garros run marked her first Major semifinal appearance. Neither player did well on grass. So now that the two players are transitioning to hardcourts, it will be very interesting to see how they both respond.
Jan 22, 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Elina Svitolina of Ukraine hits a forehand during her match against Madison Keys of United States of America in the quarterfinals of the women’s singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Mandatory … | Source: Lastwordonsports.com – Jim Smith
Best Bet to Make
This is a very, very hard match to predict, so be warned. If you do want to bet, it’s worth noting that Potapova, in her WTA Washington win over Venus Williams, had some taping near her shoulder. That doesn’t seem especially encouraging or promising for her. If she is not entirely healthy after a few weeks off, that can’t be good news against Shnaider, who should be fit and ready to play. Be cautious about betting this match, but Shnaider winning is the right standalone wager to make.
That being said, betting on Shnaider winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Shnaider winning at 1.84 @Betfair
Kudermetova – Svitolina: 20:00 EST
H2H: 0-0
Elina Svitolina remains a top-10 player. She didn’t have a very good Wimbledon but was still able to retain a top-10 ranking heading into the summer hardcourt season. Hardcourts are where she does well, and her 2026 record reflects that. She is 20-5 on hardcourts this year. She takes on Polina Kudermetova, who began this WTA Washington tournament outside the top 100 and has a 9-4 hardcourt record this year.
Best Bet to Make
Svitolina in straight sets is just below our minimum threshold for an acceptable value bet, so you have to look elsewhere, which means the game spread. Svitolina’s excellence on hardcourts plus Kudermetova’s comparatively low ranking gives us enough belief in Svitolina on the game spread. That’s our recommended standalone wager. I simply cannot see this match going any other way.
That being said, betting on Svitolina -5.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Svitolina -5.5 games at 2.00 @10Bet
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
