The WTA Madrid first round continues on Wednesday. The opening round began on Tuesday with former Major champion Venus Williams losing. Many of the matches on the order of play were straight-set wipeouts. Some players looked fully prepared for this tournament, while others were rusty or simply caught off guard. Let’s see if there are more three-set matches and more overall competitive balance as the tournament continues in Spain. We will look at three matches on the Wednesday card. 

WTA Madrid
Galfi – Tomljanovic: Time 7:00

H2H: 1-0

Dalma Galfi had lost five straight matches. She was really struggling. Then she won three of her next four matches, two of them in the qualifying rounds, to make the Madrid main draw. Galfi is not beating elite players, but she is winning and showing she can withstand a bad series of matches. She can reverse course and make adjustments. Ajla Tomljanovic hasn’t played a match in April. Her last match was March 30th at WTA Charleston, so she hasn’t played a match in Europe this month, either. She decided to take three weeks off before starting at WTA Madrid.

Best Bet to Make

Galfi is on a run of good form, but not against elite players. Tomljanovic could be rusty after three weeks off. She hasn’t won many matches recently, but she has played high-quality opponents: Amanda Anisimova in Miami and Jasmine Paolini in Indian Wells. She is ranked No 85, and she is losing to players ranked above her, not below her. Galfi is ranked 117. Don’t overthink this. Take Tomljanovic to win the match. 

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

Value bet/ the best odds: Tomljanovic winning @1.85 @1xBet

Parks – Cocciaretto: Time 7:30 EST

H2H: 0-1

Alycia Parks looked very good in her Madrid qualifying round matches. She won each of her two matches in straight sets and was able to save energy for this first-round match. Parks has been able to improve in terms of winning the most important points of a match so that she doesn’t get extended into a third set. She hopes that having a little extra energy will help her in this battle against Elisabetta Cocciaretto, a top-50 player ranked over 40 spots higher than Parks. Cocciaretto lost in the Round of 16 in Rouen to Veronika Podrez, a teenager who made a run to the final of that tournament.

Best Bet to Make

Cocciaretto was injured in the loss to Podrez in Rouen, so if she is healthy and has fully recovered, she will probably win. We don’t know how fit Cocciaretto truly is. If she is anything less than 100 percent, Parks should at least be able to take one set off her or play the match close in general. Either way, the play is to bet on Parks staying close and making the match competitive.

That being said, Parks +1.5 sets is a value bet for sure.

Value bet/ the best odds: Parks +1.5 sets @1.76 @Unibet

Tjen – Charaeva: Time 8:30 EST

H2H: 0-0

Janice Tjen is ranked No. 39. Alina Charaeva is ranked 129. Yet, this match is being priced in the markets as a virtual toss-up. Why is this the case? Charaeva has won eight clay matches so far in 2026, while Tjen has won none on this surface. The large gap in the WTA world rankings doesn’t seem to mean much in light of Charaeva’s comfort level on her preferred surface. Tjen did not play last week. Charaeva is coming into this match having won two qualifying-round matches earlier in the week.

Best Bet to Make

This match offers very good odds to anyone who correctly picks the winner. A moneyline bet is all you need to worry about here, not spreads or totals. Tjen might not be a brilliant clay-court player, but a gap of 90 spots in the rankings would seem to override that. Tjen is a top-40 player, and that doesn’t happen by accident. She is the pick to win, partly because Charaeva hasn’t been beating elite competition. 

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

Value bet/ the best odds: Tjen winning @1.98 @1xBet

Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports   

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