The last big hard-court tune-up before the US Open has already delivered its share of upsets. Both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz withdrew before the tournament through injury, and this weekend the draw thinned out further: third seed Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the second round by Argentina's Thiago Tirante, visibly struggling with the Ohio heat and humidity before falling in three sets. Eighth seed Ben Shelton — fresh off winning the National Bank Open title in Montreal just days earlier — suffered an even bigger shock, losing his opener to qualifier Jaime Faria.

That leaves top seed Alexander Zverev as the highest-profile survivor and the man DACH bettors will be following most closely, having ground past Cameron Norrie in three sets to reach the third round. He's joined in the draw by Félix Auger-Aliassime, back from a back injury and looking sharp in beating Stefanos Tsitsipas, along with Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, all through to the next round.

On the women's side, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and second seed Elena Rybakina are both still alive and jostling for the WTA's top ranking, while Iga Świątek returns as the defending champion. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula carry the home hopes. With the draw already down to the third round, expect match-odds and set-betting markets to sharpen fast as the week moves toward the quarterfinals.

When: Third Round Onward from Monday, August 17 · Final Sunday, August 23 · Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, Ohio

With the Third Qualifying Round done and dusted, this week brings the Champions League play-off round — the last hurdle before the 36-team league phase, with seven places still up for grabs. Celtic were paired with Austrian side LASK in the Champions Path back at the August 3 draw, a tie the Scottish champions will be expected to see through, though European away trips have burned favourites before.

The standout League Path tie pits Fenerbahçe against Lyon, after the Turkish side saw off Sturm Graz and Lyon fought back from a first-leg deficit in Prague to eliminate Sparta. Two clubs with genuinely European pedigree meeting this early in the calendar makes it the tie of the round for outright and both-teams-to-score markets alike. Elsewhere in the Champions Path, Dinamo Zagreb — who put five goals past their Lithuanian opponents in the previous round — take on Norway's Viking FK.

What makes this round particularly interesting from a markets perspective is the safety net built into UEFA's format: every one of the seven losing sides drops straight into the Europa League's league phase rather than exiting Europe altogether, softening the downside for backers of the smaller clubs and keeping value on both outcomes of every tie.

When: First Legs Tuesday, August 18 & Wednesday, August 19 · Second Legs Tuesday, August 25 & Wednesday, August 26

Chicago takes center stage Monday to Wednesday as the White Sox visit the Cubs in a Crosstown Classic with unusual stakes on both sides. The Cubs sit at 72-53 and hold the top NL Wild Card spot, while the White Sox, at 65-58, lead the AL Central — a rare stretch with both franchises playing meaningful baseball at the same time. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been one of the sport's standout performers this season and is squarely in the NL MVP conversation, giving the series an extra layer of betting interest around his props.

Also running Monday through Wednesday, the Diamondbacks travel to Boston to face a Red Sox side that has been red-hot, having won 27 of its last 30 games. Both clubs are jostling for Wild Card position, making this a genuine measuring-stick series, with Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno — enjoying a career year at the plate — one to watch.

The weekend brings the marquee series of the week: Braves at Brewers, Friday through Sunday, pitting the two best records in the National League against each other with the Dodgers close behind in the standings. Milwaukee starter Jacob Misiorowski has been one of the most dominant arms in baseball this year and is a must-watch whenever he takes the mound. The series finale doubles as the 2026 Little League Classic at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania — a lighter setting for a series that carries real playoff-seeding weight.

When: White Sox at Cubs & D-backs at Red Sox — Monday, August 17 – Wednesday, August 19 · Braves at Brewers — Friday, August 21 – Sunday, August 23