Line Calls, presented by FanDuel Sportsbook: Bernarda Pera vs. Barbora Krejcikova, Cleveland

On Wednesday, world No. 23 Barbora Krejcikova will take on world No. 51 Bernarda Pera in the round of 16 in Cleveland. This is a match-up that many people may gloss over, and the bettors that do opt to play it will almost certainly be on the 2021 French Open champion. While that is understandable, we think the oddsmakers are trying to trick you a bit.

When sportsbooks throw a line like -110 on a former Grand Slam champion against a lesser-known player, they’re generally hoping that you don’t do any digging and just throw your money on the established name. But that’s not how we do things here, and we’re rolling with the American to get the job done. Pera might only be the 51st-ranked player in the world, but she is a lot better than she has shown she can be early in her career. We’re starting to get a glimpse of that right now, as the 27-year-old is 13-6 with a career-high win percentage of 68.4% in 2022.

Pera also comes into this match after having won 17 of her last 18 matches. Some of those came at the Challenger level, but Pera did win a WTA title in Hamburg a few weeks ago, earning a 6-2, 6-4 win over world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit in the final. It was the second title in a row for the American, as she also came away with the trophy in Budapest a week earlier. Simply put, Pera must be feeling incredibly confident at the moment, and it’s hard to say the same about her opponent. Krejcikova is just 2-3 in her last five hard-court matches, with the two wins coming against players outside the Top 100.

Without having seen Krejcikova's best in quite some time, it’s hard not to back Pera in this spot. The lefty also has the type of game that could give her opponent some trouble. Pera is an extremely aggressive all-court player and she packs a lot of punch with her shots. In some ways she’s similar to Petra Kvitova, as the two both possess the ability to hit some powerful, flat forehands. That type of pace on the ball could be hard for a player like Krejcikova to absorb in her current form.

We’re betting Pera—and looking to continue building our bankroll as the US Open approaches.

Line Call: Pera To Win (-110)