Daily Tennis Tips – Wednesday April 2

See below for our daily tennis tips and best bets around the courts for Wednesday April 2 at the US Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston and the WTA Charlestown Open, including the top tips and players to back in our tennis betting markets!

American rivals Ashlyn Krueger and Katie Volynets square off for the second time in less than a month at the Charleston Open.

Krueger took a 2-0 advantage over Volynets courtesy of her comeback 0-6 6-2 6-2 victory in the first round at Indian Wells last week.

The 20-year-old lost to Elina Svitolina in the next round but has climbed to a career-high No.34 after her Round of 16 run at the Miami Masters, defeating Elena Rybakina and Leylah Fernandez.

World No.78 Volynets also lost in the first round in Miami, beaten by shock semi-final bolter Alex Eala in straight sets. But she started the clay swing in style with a 6-0 6-0 rout of Katherine Sebov, dropping just 13 points.

Volynets has some form on clay, winning the 125-level Makarska International last year.

Krueger, meanwhile, made it to the third round of the Madrid Masters in 2024 and should again prove too strong for her compatriot.

Aussie veteran Ajla Tomljanovic meets American Peyton Stearns for the first time in the second round of the WTA Charleston Open.

The injury-hampered Tomljanovic built some momentum with a semi-final run at the ATX Open but exited both Sunshine Double events in the first round, retiring against Caty McNally at one set down in Indian Wells and to Bernarda Pera in straight sets in Miami.

The 31-year-old battled past qualifier Kyoka Okamura 3-6 6-1 6-2 in the first round here.

World No.43 Stearns received a first-up bye here. She lost in the first round at Indian Wells to Magda Linette, and in the second round in Miami to Elise Mertens after accounting for Katie Boulter.

The 23-year-old’s best performances this year came in Dubai, where she defeated Ons Jabeur and Qinwen Zheng.

Meanwhile, Stearns’ two WTA finals to date were both on clay – losing the Copa Colsanitas decider in 2023 and winning the Rabat Grand Prix last year. It’s difficult to make a case for $2.80 outsider Tomljanovic here.

US Men’s Clay Court Championships top seed Tommy Paul has a bogey to overcome in his opening assignment against Chilean clay specialist Cristian Garin.

Garin leads the head-to-had 3-1. Paul’s sole win was at the 2021 Cincinnati Masters, while Garin has chalked up clay-court wins since at the 2022 French Open and 2023 Rome Masters.

World No.13 Paul reached the Round of 16 at Indian Wells and the Round of 32 at the Miami Masters, losing to Daniil Medvedev and Francisco Cerundolo, respectively.

Former top-20 player Garin is ranked 133rd and has had a tough start to the season, winning only three ATP-level matches. But he made the semis of the Merida Challenger last week and put away Alexander Ritschard in the first round here in Houston.

Garin has won five clay-court ATP titles (though none since 2021) and has reached the quarters of the Madrid (2021) and Rome (2022) Masters.

Paul’s record on the red dirt is comparatively modest. They both last appeared here in 2023 – Garin getting to the quarters and Paul losing to qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in the second round.

Third seed Alejandro Tabilo gets his campaign in Houston underway against Jenson Brooksby.

Tabilo, ranked 32nd, made Round of 32 exits at Indian Wells and Miami, losing to top-10 stars Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud, respectively.

The 27-year-old endured a winless South American clay swing – a bitterly disappointing result for the 2024 Chile Open runner-up and Rome Masters semi-finalist.

Brooksby is only a few months back from a 13-month anti-doping rule violation suspension, but the 24-year-old provided a reminder of his ability by upsetting Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the Round of 32 at Indian Wells.

He lost to Roman Safiullin in the first round in Miami but, after winning two qualifiers, defeated Taro Daniel 6-4 6-4 in the first round here.

Nevertheless, Tabilo remains the value option on this surface as the narrowest of favourites.