The Cincinnati Open begins Thursday, Aug. 13. This 96-player, hard-court WTA 1000 event will have byes into the second round for each of the top 32 seeds. The usual suspects sit atop the pre-tournament favorites list, led by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Americans Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova are all seeded in the top 10. Like all WTA Tour events, Cincinnati Open matches are best-of-three sets.
Before we get to the favorites, contenders and sleepers at the Cincinnati Open, let's acknowledge some notable injuries and absences. Top-15 players Karolina Muchova (undisclosed), Victoria Mboko (knee) and Jasmine Paolini (foot) are all sidelined due to injuries, as is 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu (foot).
Sabalenka headlines a list of five players with odds +900 or shorter to win the Cincinnati Open, with another six players boasting title odds no worse than +3000. After each player's name below, you will see their title odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Other best sports betting sites for betting both tennis futures and individual matches include FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook. Tennis Odds & Lines can vary quite substantially, especially for long shots, so you are encouraged to shop around for the best lines if you have access to multiple sports betting apps. We offer exclusive sportsbook promos in states where sports betting has gone live.
Cincinnati Open WTA Picks
The Favorite for the 2026 Cincinnati Open
Aryna Sabalenka (+220) - Sabalenka's a tough out in any conditions, but her powerful game fits especially well on fast hard courts like the ones in Cincinnati, where the top-ranked Belarusian took home the title in 2024. She boasts a 38-7 overall record in 2026, including a 25-2 mark on hard courts, with titles in Brisbane, Indian Wells and Miami. Her second hard-court loss of the year came last week against Ekaterina Alexandrova, whom Sabalenka could rematch in the Cincinnati Open Round of 16. Elina Svitolina is the chalk quarterfinal opponent for Sabalenka, followed by Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva in the semis, while Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Linda Noskova and Iga Swiatek landed in the other half of the draw.
In the Mix for the 2026 Cincinnati Open
Elena Rybakina (+650) - Rybakina has been at her best at this year's biggest hard-court events, making the semifinals or better at Indian Wells, the Miami Open and the Canadian Open after capturing the Australian Open title on this surface. The world No. 2 has a tricky draw in Cincinnati, as Rybakina could face Jelena Ostapenko in the third round, Diana Shnaider in the Round of 16 and Swiatek in the quarterfinals. If Rybakina is timing the ball well, her powerful game and aggressive approach can take the racquet out of her opponents' hands, especially in fast conditions.
Coco Gauff (+650) - Gauff has made it past the second round only twice in six tries at the Cincinnati Open, but one of those resulted in a surprising title run in 2023. The 22-year-old American generally prefers slower conditions, but Gauff can't be counted out on any surface. After building some momentum with a semifinal run at the Canadian Open, Gauff will look to keep rolling as the No. 4 seed in Cincinnati. Prior to a potential semifinal against Sabalenka, Gauff could face American compatriot Iva Jovic in the Round of 16 and Andreeva or Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals.
Iga Swiatek (+800) - Swiatek is the defending champion here, and the former world No. 1 is finding her game again after underperforming throughout 2026. The No. 7 seed in Cincinnati will look to build on a strong performance at the Canadian Open, where Swiatek will play the championship match Thursday against Rybakina. Swiatek's chalk Round of 16 opponent, Belinda Bencic, just withdrew prior to Canadian Open quarterfinals due to a hip injury, and Swiatek is 6-6 in her career against Rybakina, whom Iga could face in the quarterfinals.
Mirra Andreeva (+900) - Andreeva will look to join Gauff and Swiatek as players to win both the French Open and Cincinnati Open within the last few years. The 19-year-old Russian is trying to achieve that feat in the same season, and she won a pair of hard-court WTA 1000 events last year to showcase her skills on this surface. The No. 5 seed is 1-2 in her career against Kostyuk and 0-5 against Gauff, whom Andreeva could face in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively.
Jessica Pegula (+1100) - Pegula reached the Cincinnati Open final in 2024 and has won four hard-court WTA 1000 events in her career, including this year's Dubai Championships. In order for the third-seeded daughter of the Bills' owners will look to find success in Bengals country, she'll likely have to get through fellow American billionaire heiress Emma Navarro in the third round, Sorana Cirstea in the Round of 16, and Linda Noskova or Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal against Rybakina or Swiatek. It isn't an impossible task for Pegula on her favorite surface, but her history of falling short against top players suggests a Cincinnati Open title is unlikely unless the draw opens up substantially.
Other Cincinnati Open title contenders with odds of +3000 or better are Amanda Anisimova (+1600), Marta Kostyuk (+2000), Linda Noskova (+2800), Elina Svitolina (+3000) and Madison Keys (+3000). Noskova is the most intriguing name in this group since the 21-year-old Czech plays her best tennis in fast conditions, as evidenced by her breakthrough for the Wimbledon title a month ago. Svitolina has been rock-solid all season, with a 40-12 record. Kostyuk has been much more beatable on hard courts compared to other surfaces, and Anisimova's just 17-10 in 2026 following a breakout 2025 season. Keys won the Cincinnati Open back in 2019, but the 2025 Australian Open champion has dipped back down to 23rd in the rankings with an up-and-down season this year.
Sleepers for the 2026 Cincinnati Open
Diana Shnaider (+6500) - Shnaider has posted some impressive results over the past few months, reaching the French Open semifinals and beating Pegula en route to the Canadian Open quarterfinals. The 22-year-old lefty has a clear path to a Round of 16 showdown against Rybakina, and the 14th-seeded Shnaider is playing a confident brand of tennis at the moment, which should help her meet the moment against the big-hitting Rybakina.
Alexandra Eala (+8000) - Eala is quickly ascending to stardom on and off the court, and her on-court play has certainly played a major part in the 21-year-old Filipina's rise. After defeating the defending champion Swiatek at Wimbledon, Eala added a WTA 500 title in Washington, beating Svitolina, Naomi Osaka and Pegula along the way. She lost to Bencic in Toronto, but the 17-seeded Eala's arrow is pointing up heading into Cincinnati, where she has a chance to add another marquee win in the third round against the slumping Anisimova.
Sorana Cirstea (+10000) - Cirstea has gone 34-12 in what she has said will be her final season on the WTA Tour. The 15th-seeded Romanian has a chance to make the most of her last Cincinnati Open appearance with a deep run in Pegula's section of the draw. Cirstea has played well on all surfaces this year but her lone title in 2026 came on hard courts.
Cincinnati Open Prediction
Look for Aryna Sabalenka to bounce back after her rare early exit in Canada. The best hard-court player on the WTA Tour is my pick to add a 12th career WTA 1000 title to her ledger, beating Noskova in a battle of big hitters for the title. Rybakina and Swiatek both look like good values on paper but could be held back by fatigue coming off their deep runs in Toronto.
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