It’s time for WTA Tokyo first-round action. There’s plenty of top talent in this tournament and the one in Guangzhou, China. For now, we’re focusing on the action in Japan. These are my best bets. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.  

WTA Tokyo
Uchijima – Kenin: Time 10:00

H2H: 0-1

Moyuka Uchijima vs Sofia Kenin kicks off our coverage. The only previous meeting between the two was in 2023. Kenin won that qualifying round match in straight sets. Both women entered this match struggling in 2025. Kenin is almost certain to drop out of the Top 25 when the next rankings come out. She’s 28-24 this year, and she hasn’t won a tournament since 2020. Uchijima is having an off year, though much of that could be because she’s been playing more WTA matches as opposed to ITF tournaments, where she seemed to win a lot. She has yet to win a WTA event, but she has made two quarterfinal appearances at WTA events this year.

Best Bet to Make

The books are rolling with Kenin, even though she’s 3-7 in her last ten matches. At least Uchijima has five wins in her last ten matches, and they were all WTA-level events. The average is 2.31 to 1.60 in favor of Kenin. Honestly, taking one or the other straight up is going to be your best bet here. Both women have matches where they’ve been bulldozed and matches where they’ve managed to put up a strong fight. Trying to nail down a correct score or games total is a fool’s errand when you’re dealing with this level of play.

That being said, Kenin winning is a value bet for sure.

Value bet/the best odds: Kenin winning @1.63 @Betfair

Charaeva – Cristian: Time 05:00

H2H: 0-1

Alina Charaeva vs Jaqueline Cristian is a meeting of two players who prefer hardcourt and clay tournaments. They have had one previous meeting at WTA Saint Petersburg in 2021. Cristian took the qualifying round match in three sets. Cristian has one title this year, and she’s coming off a semifinal loss to Tereza Valentova at WTA Osaka. She also made the final at WTA Rabat, which is a clay tournament. Charaeva is also having a solid year at 41-24 overall, but only 7-6 on a hardcourt. Much of her success has been on clay.

Best Bet to Make

The books favor Cristian by almost 4-1, and I don’t disagree. Cristian has been playing really well this year, and while Charaeva has also been playing well, she’s not quite at the level of Cristian. While both are 31-24 on the year, Cristian has been able to get a lot more out of her wins than Charaeva. I’m also not moved by her semifinal appearance at Huzhou, as Veronika Erjavic was the highest-ranked player she faced. The average rankings of her opponents in that tournament were about 254, meaning she wasn’t beating anyone of note.

That being said, Cristian winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.

Value bet/the best odds: Cristian winning 2:0 @1.73 @Bet365

Shnaider – Yastremska: Time 03:30

H2H: 1-1

Diana Shnaider takes on Dayana Yastremska in our featured match. Both women are ranked in the Top 30s of the World rankings. They’re also knotted at one apiece in their rivalry. Yastremska took their match earlier this year in the second round of the French Open, and Shnaider took their round of 16 match last year at WTA Bad Homburg. Shnaider is 5-5 in her last ten matches, but Yastremska is 4-6. Both had solid runs at WTA Ningbo. Shnaider made the semifinals, Yastremska made the round of 16.

Best Bet to Make

The books have Shnaider winning, but they’re nowhere near as confident in her as they are in some of the other women we’ve covered here today. The average is 1.58 to 2.33 in favor of Shnaider. Taking her straight up on Betfair at 1.64 would net you a decent chunk of change, and would be my recommended course of action. One match had 24 games, and the other had 16, so there’s a decent window of possibilities when it comes to overall games. If they were offering the over/under on 16 games, I would do that, but the closest we come to that is 17.5, and I’m not as big on that. Just go straight in this one. 

That being said, Shnaider winning is a value bet for sure.

Value bet/ the best odds: Shnaider winning @1.64 @Betfair

Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports