Professional tennis matches are all over Asia as the WTA Osaka Open is running at the same time as WTA Ningbo, with both tournaments entering the quarterfinals. Whether you’re betting on the matches in Japan or in China, Last Word on Tennis has you covered. For now, we’re looking at the action in Osaka. Here are my picks for the quarterfinal matches. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.   

WTA Osaka Open
Osaka – Cristian: Time 08:30

H2H: 3-2

It doesn’t get much more hometown favorite than the Osaka-born Naomi Osaka taking on Jaqueline Cristian in Osaka, Japan. Osaka will enjoy whatever advantages come with being a hometown tennis star playing in her hometown’s premier sporting event. Add to that the fact that she’s already the top-seeded player in this tournament, and you have a recipe for incredible pressure. Osaka is also 7-3 in her last ten matches, while Cristian is only 5-5 in hers.

Best Bet to Make

These two have never met before, but Cristian is a pretty sizable underdog at 3-1. The books are being fair, as Osaka is 24-9 on a hardcourt in 2025, but Cristian is 19-13 on a hardcourt. Osaka is 35-16 this year, and she also has one tournament title, as well. We need to be fair to Cristian, and she also has a title, and hers was on a hardcourt while Osaka’s was on clay. That said, Cristian has been in two finals in ’25, Osaka has been in three, and she was also just in the semifinal of the US Open. Cristian’s last time past the round of 16 was in July at WTA Iasa. Give me Osaka in two sets.

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

Value bet/the best odds: Osaka winning 2:0 @2.00 @1xBet

Valentova – Danilovic: Time 09:00

H2H: 0-0

Tereza Valentova and Olga Danilovic will meet for the first time in the quarterfinals of the WTA Osaka. Tereza Valentova is having a solid year. In fact, even though she’s ranked lower than Danilovic in the World rankings, she’s having a much, much better year than Danilovic. At 16-3 on a hardcourt this year and 48-11 overall, along with four tournament titles, Valentova can expect to move up in the rankings. Of the 16 tournaments in which Valentova has participated, she’s only been one-and-done three times. Danilovic is 23-16 overall, 6-8 on a hardcourt, and she has won one tournament in 2025.

Best Bet to Make

There’s a reason the books have Valentova as the favorite, and I agree with them wholeheartedly. Not only is Valentova the better hardcourt player in 2025, but Danilovic seems generally lost this year. Outside of a handful of tournaments, she’s losing incredibly early and rarely makes a push for the later rounds of the tournament. In fact, outside of the one month in March-April where she made back-to-back finals, she hasn’t made it past the round of 16 in any other tournaments. I’m so confident in Valentova that I think 2:0 correct score is the way to go in the match.

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

Value bet/the best odds: Valentova winning 2:0 @1.89 @1xBet

Main Photo Credit: Taya Gray-USA TODAY Sports

 

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