There has been some superb tennis action around the country and this continues this week in Eastbourne with the WTA Aegon International. The home fans got a real treat in watching Heather Watson pull out a surprise second round win over defending champion Dominika Cibulkova but the Brit remains a long way down the pecking order in betting, because well, she’s not carrying any form, certainly not enough to suggest that she can go and take the title.
The tournament has attracted some big names once again as it is an important Wimbledon grass preparation of course and heading up the market at bet365 is Karolina Pliskova, who makes her first appearance on grass this season and she is a price of 7/2 at bet365. She is probably going to take some stopping in this one up in the top half of the draw. But as we said, there are some big names floating around and in the top half, there is Angelique Kerber, Jelena Ostapenko, Johanna Konta, Timea Bacsinsky and Kristina Mladenovic all knocking around.
That is stacked and it makes picking a winner out of that a really tough thing. Young Ostapenko, who shocked everyone with her French title win has been well backed this week by punters at a price of 8/1, in stark contrast to Johanna Konta who is 7/1 second favourite, who hasn’t taken anywhere near a number of bets to win Eastbourne as Ostapenko has. Konta missed out in the final of Nottingham recently to Donna Vekic before failing to make progress of note in Birmingham last week.
Player are really looking for form at this point now ahead of Wimbledon and you have Kerber, Ostapenko and Konta in the same quarter, with the latter two potentially meeting in the third round. It leaves Pliskova with slight the easier route to the semi final in the top half of the draw and she is decent enough value to win her quarter and indeed her half of the draw with bet365. But that’s just the top half of the draw, the depth of quality goes on.
World number two Simona Halep headlines the bottom half of the draw and there’s no reason why she can’t win her quarter with only Caroline Wozniacki really opposing her there. Garbine Muguruza, who lost out in the semifinals of Birmingham to Ashleigh Barty last weekend will benefit from Watson’s win over Cibulkova in her quarter and she is our value to win her quarter over Agnieszka Radwanska. The Spaniard will make some decent value on the grass to battle her way through to the final, likley at the expense of Halep in the semis.
Aegon International WTA Tennis Odds
Karolina Pliskova 7/2, Johanna Konta 7/1, Jelena Ostapenko 8/1, Garbine Muguruza 10/1, Angelique Kerber 12/1, Kristina Mladenovic 14/1, Caroline Wozniacki 18/1, Agnieszka Radwanska 20/1, bar 25/1
Prediction: In a stacked field, last year’s runner up Karolina Pliskova gets our nod to go all of the way this year. She has been timing her Wimbledon warm up and has the track record to carve her way through the opposition to get the title in her hands. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see her face Halep in the final.
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