The WTA is back in China with the WTA Hong Kong Open. We have now hit the other side of the round of 16. The backside has some quality matches, and we’ve covered three of them for your betting pleasure. Please share your thoughts in the comments.  

WTA Hong Kong Open 
Kalinskaya – Zhang: Time 07:00

H2H: 0-0

Anna Kalinskaya will now face Shuai Zhang for the chance to reach a quarterfinal for the second time in two tournaments and the third time in six tournaments. Kalinskaya had a somewhat rough start to the year, but stuff seems to be coming together for her in the back half of the year. Zhang is having an impressive year herself. She’s 31-13 overall and has two ITF titles in 2025. She’s coming off a semifinal appearance at WTA Guangzhou and a round of 16 showing in WTA Wuhan. This will be the first meeting between the two.

Best Bet to Make

Kalinskaya is the favorite here, but whether you want to take that is up to you. Kalinskaya has not done well this year on hardcourt, but Zhang has crushed it. She’s 23-7 on a hardcourt in 2025 and was a semifinalist here in 2018. I remain bearish on Kalinskaya because of her struggles this year. She’s just 15-13 on a hardcourt, and 24-20 overall. When you can get Zhang for 2.3 on William Hill, I think it’s worth an upset pick.

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

Value bet/ the best odds: Zhang winning @2.3 @WilliamHill

Eala – Mboko: Time 11:30

H2H: 0-0

Alexandra Eala vs Victoria Mboko is probably my favorite match of the day. Not only are these two women the future of tennis, but they are playing well now. Both women have been outstanding this year, and there’s still so much left for them to accomplish. Eala is 24-12 on a hardcourt in ’25, and Mboko is 22-7. Eala is 40-25 overall, and Mboko is 56-14 overall. Eala has one title this year, and Mboko has six. Needless to say, there will be a lot of eyeballs on this match for the spectacle alone.

Best Bet to Make

Mboko is a 2-1 favorite in this match. I find that rather surprising. I’m not against Mboko being the favorite, I’m just surprised that it’s 2-1. Both women are having issues right now, and they’re both 5-5 in their last ten. If you ask me, the only difference between the two of them right now is that Eala is doing better in her losses. She’s taken four of her five latest losses to a third set. Mboko has only managed to take one of her five recent losses to a third set. I think Mboko is the better player, but I think Eala is better right now.

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

Value bet/ the best odds: Eala winning @2.95 @Betfair

Bencic – Wang: Time 08:30

H2H: 0-0

Belinda Bencic vs Yafan Wang rounds out our coverage. My last bet on Bencic cashed out for those who took my advice. She’s 8-2 in her last ten matches with a tournament title at WTA Tokyo. Wang is fresh off a three-round match with Maddison Inglis. That match was a back-and-forth war, with a second-round tiebreak that went six rounds. Bencic has won her last two matches in straight sets and has two titles this year. Wang is 8-10 on hardcourt and overall. She hasn’t won a WTA title since 2019, when she won the WTA Acapulco tournament.

Best Bet to Make

Give me Bencic winning 2:0 for 1.57 on 1xBet. As I said last time, Bencic is having her moment. She’s had a phenomenal year, and a third title would be deserved if she manages to win it. This is her 11th tournament this year, where she has made it to the round of 16 or later. This is only Wang’s third trip to the round of 16 this year. I just don’t think she’s playing at the level necessary for her to upset Bencic when she’s playing well. The acronym K.I.S.S. is a saying here in the U.S. for Keep It Simple Stupid. In other words, it’s a reminder to yourself to keep things simple when things can look complicated. K.I.S.S. applies here, and Bencic is simply better than Wang.      

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

Value bet/ the best odds:  Bencic winning 2:0 @1.57 @Bet365

Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports