David Ferrer’s on a rough stretch right now. He’s lost in either the first or second round in his last three events, which includes a shocking setback to Evgeny Donskoy, who currently ranks No. 84 in the ATP rankings, in the Rio Olympics. But even so, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to cash in on the Spaniard at Cincinnati.
Ferrer, for those who are unaware, was just a victory away from bringing home the Rookwood Cup back in 2014. It was really unfortunate that he couldn’t get past the more-talented Roger Federer. This time though, the three-time Davis Cup champion has a relatively clearer road towards the aforementioned trophy especially with both the Swiss and Novak Djokovic not participating in this week’s tournament.
Ferrer is favored (-320) to move past the first round against Julien Benneteau.
John Isner
John Isner is another intriguing sleeper worth betting on. He heads into Cincinnati coming off a tough loss, 7-6(3), 7-6(4), to Nick Kyrgios in the final of the 2016 Atlanta Open. A win for the American could have given him his first title of the year, and more importantly his fourth-consecutive title in that tournament.
However, it was simply not meant to be and Isner is likely feeling a bit more desperate and pressured to end his title-drought. He should have a good chance of doing so again at this year’s edition of the Western & Southern Open. Isner, who is the -360 favorite to beat Fagio Fognini in the first round, finished as the runner-up there in 2014.
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlovic continues to defy Father Time. The 37-year-old veteran has made it to the final in three of his last four tournaments. That stretch includes a pair of titles at Newport and at Los Cabos, which happened just last week. In particular, the latter victory proved to be sweetest as the big-serving Croatian overcame the odds by defeating the top-seeded Feliciano Lopez in straight sets and becoming the inaugural winner of the event.
Karlovic will certainly use that momentum to help him go on another deep run this week at Cincinnati. He is priced at -260 to win over Juan Monaco in the first round.
And there you have them—the top sleepers for the 2016 Western & Southern Open. Create a betting account now and get in on all of the upcoming tennis action.
