Match Winner
The match winner is the front-door tennis bet on Scorebet: pick the player you think wins the match and you collect if they do. Because tennis can’t end level, there are only two outcomes and no draw to dodge — the bet settles the moment the last point is played.
The honest catch is the price. On a heavy mismatch the favourite drifts toward 1.40 or shorter, so you’re risking a lot to win a little, while the underdog’s long price reflects a real chance of an early exit. When two players are genuinely matched the market shows it — both near 1.85 — and the edge comes from your read on form, surface and the head-to-head, not the odds. When the gap is wider, sharper punters step across to the handicap, which hangs a games line on the favourite for a better price.
If you only want a faster result than a full best-of-three, the set winner market settles after a single set. New to it all? Start with the bet-types page and follow the steps above on a live match.
Place it on Scorebet, step by step
- 1Open Sports and pick Tennis
Tap SPORTS, then choose Tennis. Browse matches from the ATP, WTA or Challenger tournaments.
- 2Open a match
Tap a fixture to open its full markets page. The Winner market appears first.
- 3Pick your player
Tap your chosen player's odds — the button turns yellow and the selection lands in your Betting Slip.
- 4Stake and place
Enter your stake, check the possible returns, then tap Place a Bet.
Example: Wimbledon men's singles winner prices
| Selection | Odds | R100 returns | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travaglia, Stefano | 1.85 | R185.00 | Even match — coin-flip |
| Zhou, Yi | 1.85 | R185.00 | Even match — coin-flip |
| Gentzsch, Tom | 1.46 | R146.00 | Clear favourite |
| Basing, Max | 2.55 | R255.00 | Underdog |
Even odds (1.85 / 1.85) signal a very close match. Check the head-to-head record and recent form before you back either side.
A short favourite at 1.46 ties up a lot of stake for a thin return. On a clear mismatch the value often lives on the handicap, not the straight winner.
Frequently asked
Is there a draw option in tennis match winner betting?
No. Tennis always produces a winner, so the match winner market has only two outcomes — Player 1 or Player 2. There is no draw and no stake refund, which is why even a tight match prices both players close together.
What do even odds like 1.85 and 1.85 mean?
Matched prices on both players signal a genuine coin-flip — the bookmaker rates them as near-equals. On those, the head-to-head record, recent form and the surface usually decide where the real value sits.
If two players are truly 50/50, why aren't both priced at 2.00?
Because a fair coin-flip would be 2.00 each, but the book shades both to around 1.85 so the implied probabilities add up to more than 100 percent — that gap is the overround, the margin it takes whichever side wins. On a two-outcome market there's no draw to hide it in, so the cut sits right there in plain sight on both prices.
Why are women's matches sometimes seen as riskier for backing short favourites?
Women's singles is best-of-three at every event including the Slams, so there's no extra set for a stronger player to recover from a bad start the way the men get in best-of-five. Fewer sets means more variance, so a heavily-backed favourite has a thinner safety net and an upset is a shorter road — worth weighing before you tie up stake on a short price.