Can you believe it? We’re only a few hours away from the start of the 2016 Australian Open and anticipation is building to a fever pitch for the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. To further whet your tennis appetite, we’re going to break down the favorites, sleepers and long shot for the Women’s Singles event.
Can Serena Williams continue her dominance in this event? Or will another player spoil her party? Read on below to find out. While you’re at it, you can check out the latest odds update for the Men’s Singles draw.
[sc:TennisArticles ]
2016 Australian Open Women’s Singles Odds Update
Favorites – Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka
Serena Williams may be the top seed in this tournament but the road to the championship ain’t gonna be easy for the world no. 1 this year. The women’s draw features Williams on the top half alongside Agnieszka Radwanska, Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova. As if that wasn’t tough enough, the 34-year-old American will face world no. 35 Camila Giorgi in the first round, the highest-ranked player not to be seeded here.
[sc:AUS15-250 ]Compounding Serena’s problems are her ongoing injury woes. She has not played a meaningful match since losing to Roberta Vinci in the semifinals of the US Open in September. That being said, Williams remains the heavy favorite at +200 to lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup because of her impressive record here. Williams has already won six Australian Open titles with the world no. 1 never losing a final here at Melbourne Park.
If there’s one player, though, who can derail Williams’ Australian Open bid, it’s got to be Victoria Azarenka. She triumphed in Melbourne in both 2012 and 2013, making Azarenka one of only three women in the field — along with Williams and Sharapova — to have won the Australian Open title. She is pegged at +350 to claim her third Australian Open crown.
One player you can’t sleep on in this event is Eugenie Bouchard. She’s starting to regain her old form after dropping down to 48th in the world rankings. She had a successful showing at the Hobart International in Sydney this past week, reaching her first final since the 2014 Wuhan Open. Bouchard has now reached the quarterfinals in each of her last two events. Her odds of winning the Australian Open are currently priced at +2,500.
Another player who can definitely surprise in this tournament is Sloane Stephens. The American showed her true worth at the ASB Classic earlier this month, beating Julia Goerges, 7-5, 6-2, in the final to grab her second career WTA title. That performance will serve her in good stead ahead of this week’s Australian Open, the event where she grabbed a historic semifinal finish back in 2013. She is listed at +3,000 to win the year’s opening Grand Slam.
Long Shot – Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci captured the imagination of tennis fans everywhere with her stunning victory over Serena Williams in the semifinals of the US Open last year. Vinci defeated Williams, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, to deny the world no. 1 a shot at the calendar-year Grand Slam. She will be looking to create more history with a victory here at Melbourne Park. Vinci, the 15th-ranked player in the world, is pegged at +10,000 to win her first Australian Open title this year.
