Tennis betting tips: National Bank Open

1pt Jaume Munar to beat Francisco Cerundolo at 11/10 (General)

1pt Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to beat Holger Rune at 33/20 (Unibet, BetMGM, Virgin Bet)

0.5pt James Duckworth to beat Lorenzo Musetti at 18/5 (Unibet, BetMGM, Virgin Bet)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Jaume Munar v Francisco Cerundolo (Tue)

I’ve mentioned Munar on these pages in recent times, highlighting his decent season, particularly on the hardcourts.

The Spaniard made the semis in Hong Kong and Dallas in the early part of the campaign and last week in Washington he beat Marcos Giron before running into eventual finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

He started this week with a crushing 6-3 6-0 win over qualifier Dan Martin so looks bedded in on the surface.

The same cannot be said of Cerundolo, who will be playing his first hardcourt match since Miami in March.

The Argentine is more than capable on this surface but he’s more of a clay man and it may take him time to readjust. This is not the sort of opponent who will give you a great deal of leeway to do that.

Munar is 2-1 down in previous meetings (all on clay), although I think it’s significant that he won the most recent contest which was played at altitude in Cordoba. The quicker conditions up there will be more like those found in Toronto than down at sea level where Cerundolo’s two wins came.

Essentially, I’m happy to back Munar at odds-against here.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard v Holger Rune (Tue)

This looks an awkward opener for Rune, who was forced out of Washington with a back problem last week.

This will therefore be his first hardcourt match since the spring and, notably, that Miami contest saw him beaten by the big-serving Reilly Opelka.

Mpetshi Perricard will be slamming down bombs of his own in this one and that serve – one which topped out at 153mph during Wimbledon – has baffled Rune before.

The pair met last autumn in Basel where the Frenchman won in straight sets and didn’t face a break point all match.

He eased past Shintaro Mochizuki in round one and could spring an upset here.

Lorenzo Musetti v James Duckworth (Tue)

Musetti had been enjoying a fine season until picking up an injury in the French Open semi-finals.

His two matches since have both been lost, including last week in Washington where Cam Norrie beat the top-10 star.

Possibly lacking trust in his own body, Musetti could be vulnerable here against a player whose confidence, in contrast, will be up.

Duckworth kicked off his summer hardcourt season by reaching the quarter-finals in Los Cabos, where Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – last week’s runner-up in Washington – was among his victims.

In Toronto, he’s already come through qualifying and beaten Juncheng Shang, all without losing a set.

In addition, Duckworth won the pair’s only previous meeting, albeit that came back in 2021 (on indoor hard in Paris).

There are several options for punters here, including backing Duckworth on the handicap where he gets a 4.5-game start.

Duckworth to win a set at 13/10 is another but I’m going to shoot for the stars and side with him to win the match at what looks a big price of 18/5.

Posted at 0900 BST on 29/07/25

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