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Fantasy Tennis Picks: Top DraftKings DFS ATP, WTA Tour Targets, Values for October 22

Kenny Ducey gives his picks for Thursday morning’s DraftKings fantasy tennis slate, which locks at 7:15 a.m. ET.

TENNIS: OCT 16 St Petersburg Open Photo by Anatoliy Medved/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

We continue on with the Round of 16 across three tournaments on Thursday, with the women in action at the Ostrava Open and the men split between the indoor hardcourts in Antwerp and Cologne. Coco Gauff ($7,500) will hit the court again, along with fan favorites Denis Shapovalov ($10,000) and Diego Schwartzman ($9,400). Without further ado, let’s take a look at options to consider for your fantasy tennis rosters on DraftKings.

Set your DraftKings fantasy tennis lineups here: TEN $40K Line Painter [$10K to 1st]


High-priced Options

Karen Khachanov ($10,700)

The Russian’s opponent on Thursday, 21-year-old Zizou Bergs ($4,500), came out of nowhere to upset Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Round 1. He is the World No. 528, and hasn’t even competed on the ATP’s second-tier tour, the Challenger Tour, since 2018. He plays mainly ITF events, with players way down in the rankings. Bergs is a nice story, but he is in over his head. Khachanov is one of the world’s most skilled players, and is a lock to take this one in two. Bergs isn’t on the radar of even the diehard tennis fans, he is an unknown.

Denis Shapovalov ($10,000)

Since joining forces with his new coach Mikhail Youzhny, Shapovalov hasn’t taken any tournaments off. The Canadian, once prone to lapses in play and confidence, has not taken his foot off the pedal all year, and is coming off a terrific swing on the clay. He was dominant on the indoor hardcourts in Russia last week, winning three impressive matches in straight sets before losing a tight semifinal match to Andrey Rublev. Gilles Simon ($4,900) is a tricky opponent, taking a set off him at the French Open last month, but I expect Shapovalov to continue his run against the over-the-hill Frenchman.

Also consider: Diego Schwartzman ($9,400)


Value FLEX Options

Jan-Lennard Struff ($8,900)

For my money, Struff should be a much more expensive player. The German showed off how dominating his serve and forehand can be on the fastest surface in tennis on Wednesday, and now runs into Yoshihito Nishioka ($6,000), who is nothing more than a backboard at the baseline. He is a good player, and even worth a DFS dart at times, but this is not the matchup for him. Struff’s power can blow Nishioka off the court, and the German even holds a 1-0 record lifetime against the native of Japan. Struff is a very good player — peaking in his career right now — and is on the upswing once again after a rough couple of weeks. This is a great buy low spot.

Lloyd Harris ($6,900)

It’s a real struggle to find someone super appealing down in this range, but American Taylor Fritz ($8,200) is always worth a speculative fade with his extreme volatility. Harris has been on a nice run on the indoor hardcourts over the past two weeks, winning six of his last eight matches, and is one of the young players you hardly hear anything about. He’s got a big game and generally protects his serve — winning 78.2% of his service games — which ranks 47th on tour. He may not win, but at this price, he’s worth a look due to the amount of games he should win, and aces he may serve.

Others to consider: Jen Brady ($8,800)

Set your DraftKings fantasy tennis lineups here: TEN $40K Line Painter [$10K to 1st]


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