AEGON Classic WTA Tennis Betting Preview: With the thrills and spills of the French Open done and dusted, it is time to step out onto the grass portion of the season, and the top tennis players are heading to the UK for that. Yes, Wimbledon is right around the corner, and starts later in the month, so players will use the time now to find their feet again on grass. No, no-one saw outsider Francesca Schiavone winning the clay court final at Roland Garros, and last year’s winner of the AEGON Classic was just as much of a surprise, with thirteenth seed Magdalena Rybarikova beating Na Li in two sets. But it is back to business now, and this tournament has a couple of outstanding candidates to get behind on your tennis betting for the week. The grass action starts at the AEGON Classic at Birmingham, and here we will provide a guide as the best tennis bets to take for the WTA week.
Maria Sharapova (7/4 at William Hill) is one to watch out for, as she has won the tournament before, most famously back in 2004 when she backed it up with victory at Wimbledon. She has been steadily getting better and more consistent this season, picking up a couple of WTA tour titles along the way. She is probably a degree or two short of being able to really challenge for a Grand Slam this season, but this is the perfect kind of tournament for her. She is ranked 13th in the world, but comes into the tournament as second seed. She reached the semi finals last season, somewhat impressively as she was still recovering from an absence from the game due to a shoulder injury. After looking steadily impressive on the clay court this season, Sharapova, who suffered a major shock at the Australian Open by going out in the first round, is better than that. She has found a new consistency and looks sharper than she has done for a while. This is one of her favourite tournaments, having won here twice, and has the ability to make that quick switch from clay to grass, giving her the leg up over the competition.
Aravane Rezai (8/1 at William Hill) is well worth keeping an eye at Birmingham. She goes as number 4 seed (ranked 19th in the World) as she recently rose to the top of her game after winning the Madrid Open to some surprise. The French star is a feisty one, and makes for a good bet, as her seeding puts her in a nice quarter of the draw. As does third seed Yanina Wick Mayer (10/1 at William Hill), who we were about to enthuse. But she goes up against young British star Laura Robson in the second round, and patriotic tennis betting will want the future British hope to shine and win through. Robson is a sparkling young talent, and continues to prove herself in the climb up the rankings. She was ahead when her first round opponent retired injured, so she should be fresh for the tough challenge of Wickmayer. Belgian Wickmayer is ranked 16th in the world, and will, therefore be no pushover. She has probably the easiest quarter of the draw to navigate, out of the top four tournament seeds (which are kept apart) but if she progresses, then should meet Sharapova in the semi’s. Wickmayer is worth an outside bet here.
What of Britain’s Women’s Number One Elena Baltacha (33/1 at William Hill). She has been seeded 12th for the tournament, as she continues her fine season, and there will be a lot of hopeful eyes on her having a great run at Wimbledon this year. After winning her first grass court tournament of the season, the AEGON Trophy in Nottingham with consummate ease, Baltacha faces a qualifier in the first round, and the first seed she could bump into, is seventh seed Olga Govortsova from Belarus. Hopefully Baltacha will be able to fire herself through to the Quarter Final stage at least, where she will meet Chinese star Na Li. That would be highly interesting, as Baltacha claimed her first ever Top Ten scalp when beating Li at Indian Wells over three sets. That should give Baltacha some great motivation and drive to get her grass season rolling along very well. Baltacha is always a nice bet in these types of tournaments, although she will remain on the outside of the favourites. Tournament favourite is Na Li (7/4 at William Hill), as the World Number 12 looks to rediscover some of the early season form that took her to the semi finals of the Australian Open. Li didn’t get far at the French Open, but prior to that, reached the Quarter Finals at Madrid, and the Semi’s at Warsaw. Has the ability to win it, but better odds can be found for Rezai and Wickmayer.
