The Australian Open is less than a couple of weeks away and the favorite in the tournament, Serena Williams, looks like she could have her hands full. Notably there are a couple of Belgian players in the field that are more than just dangerous – they are both threats to win. Here are the odds for the key players at the Australian Open for the women’s side as well as our ‘dark horse’ recommendation.
1. Serena Williams, +200 (2/1)
2. Kim Clijsters, +400 (4/1)
3. Justine Henin, +400 (4/1)
4. Venus Williams, +600 (6/1)
5. Maria Sharapova, +800 (8/1)
6. Dinara Safina, +1000 (10/1)
7. Victoria Azarenka, +1000 (10/1)
8. Caroline Wozniacki, +1000 (10/1)
Out of the players above I recommend pounding both Clijsters and Henin.
They both have enough length in their odds to permit multibetting the field, although you may want to pound Clijsters a little harder than Henin, depending on who wins the final in Brisbane this weekend.
Besides those two players, others not in the list above that might warrant a sprinkle are Svetlana Kuznetsova and Yanina Wickmayer.
Kuznetsova is a proven winner at the Grand Slam level but her price is long at +1500 because she simply has not done well in previous years at the Aussie. She’s never threatened to win the tournament so if you are interested in betting her based on the fact that she is such a great player then be really cautious with your betting.
Wickmayer may be the most controversial player in the field at the Australian Open. Victim of the far too punitive ‘whereabouts’ rule Wickmayer, in a way, is fortunate to be playing in Melbourne as she had to have her suspension lifted to clear the way to qualify. In a more accurate way however Wickmayer shouldn’t have to thank anyone for the privilege of playing down under as she’s clearly worthy.
She’s priced as a longshot at +5000 (50/1) but she is clearly better than that based on her US Open result and her subsequent success. She might be something more like a 20 to 1 longshot, maybe better.
Our recommended bets are as follows:
50% of your bet on Clijsters
45% of your bet on Henin
5% of your bet on Wickmayer
Based on odds you would be pulling for Wickmayer to win the tournament, even with only a tiny bet on her.
Go to Players Only to bet on Australian Open futures.
