Very interesting WTA tennis betting starting on Monday, July 25th, with the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford USA. Four of the world’s top ten women are in action, including Maria Sharapova, as she starts her preparations for next month’s US Open. Along with Victoria Azarenka, two of the best players on the WTA over the past three or four months, the duo will start as favourites to duke it out. Starting as first and second seeds for the event (with Azarenka first seed), the two big hitters will be kept separate until the final. Right from the off that will be the expected final at Stanford in your WTA Bank of the West Classic this week. They are the class acts in the field and with them trading pretty evenly across the board at bookies, you can swing either way. So let’s take a look at the draw to start with. As top seed, Victoria Azarenka, the defending champion of the Bank of the West Classic, who keeps knocking on the door of Major success, has a very comfortable looking quarter of the draw. The top seed she can meet is young rising star Dominika Cibulkova at the quarter final stage. Really do not see any kind of an upset happening here if Azarenka is on top of her game. As for her half of the draw, well Marion Bartoli, who has been enjoying a successful couple of months and Ana Ivanovic are in the mix from the second quarter. It really should be one of those two who would come through and meet Azarenka in the semi finals. If you have to pick a preference there, then it would be France’s Bartoli, who has carried some pretty good form of late. So Azarenka, ranked 4th in the world, dominates the top half of the draw.
In the bottom half, world number five Maria Sharapova, losing finalist at Wimbledon, starts as second seed for the Bank of the West Classic. Now, right from the off, the fourth quarter of the draw, which Sharapova is in, is way tougher than anything Azarenka will have to face. In fact, the bottom half of the draw is much more competitive as a whole than the top. Sharapova, who has played some incredible tennis this year, powering her way through tournaments, could meet Daniel Hantuchova in the second round, Serena Williams in the quarter finals, and then Sam Stosur in the semi’s. So definitely not an easy path for her. However, Sharapova is still worth a bet here, because no-one else has really been able to match her consistency and power for the best part of the season, and she really has to be considered. Looking at the draw, you would fancy Azarenka just a little bit more, as she has a safer passage to the final. But Sharapova can beat the best, and while there are tough competitors in her half of the draw, she is fully capable of beating all of them at the moment. As for Serena Williams, well she is still looking for match sharpness and fitness, and therefore remains vulnerable. The young German Julia Goerges, who has come on leaps and bounds this year, will probably be the biggest danger in Sharapova’s quarter. While Sam Stosur (who has been in the semi finals in the last two running’s of this tournament) and Agnieszka Radwanska are the seeded players in the third quarter of the draw, watch out for Sabine Lisicki, who is really starting to fulfil her potential after a long injury.
WTA Bank of the West Tennis Betting Odds
Victoria Azarenka: 4/1 at SkyBet
Maria Sharapova: 4/1 at Victor Chandler
Serena Williams: 4/1 at Bet365
Marion Bartoli: 9/1 at Boylesports
Sabine Lisicki: 10/1 at Victor Chandler
Sam Stosur: 10/1 at Boylesports
Agnieszka Radwanska: 22/1 at Victor Chandler
Julia Goerges: 33/1 at Victor Chandler
WTA Bank of the West Classic betting tip: Well, we are going to stick with one of our favourites, Victoria Azarenka here. The draw has been kind from her. From the other half of the draw, we are going to go Marion Bartoli, who keeps doing things right at the moment, but always flies under the radar. Bartoli also won this tournament back in 2009.
