WTA Dubai Tennis betting Info
It is yet another Premier Tier event on the WTA Tour this week, and that means after the thrills of Doha last week, we get another look at an incredibly strong field for our tennis betting. This is an outdoors hard court event, and the heat is going to be a factor out in Dubai for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. This is the 12th edition of this event and the big story is surrounding new world number one Victoria Azarenka who is doing a bit of a Novak Djokovic by going on an unbeaten streak since the start of the season. There is a very strong field in attendance in Dubai, providing some fantastic tennis betting opportunities. Who can stop the rise and rise of Vika?
WTA Dubai Tennis betting Defending Champion
It is Caroline Wozniacki who is the defending champion of this Premier event on the WTA Tour, but she has almost become a bit of a forgotten name. The young Dane, who was deposed as world number one by Victoria Azarenka, has not made it past the quarter final stage of any event this season. She was magnificent here last year though, not dropping a set on the way to lifting the title, but she truthfully looks a bit of a shadow of her former self. The defence, upon which her game is built, is not as fluid or a sturdy as it was when she was at her peak, and perhaps the burden of not winning a Major is telling on her. She is not at her strongest right now and after another disappointing week last week where she lost to Lucie Safarova in the second round in Qatar, she does need some kind of response. Does she have it in her. The bookies are paying less and less attention to her threat in tournaments at the moment, meaning that she is drifting out in the odds to where she would have been last season. She has the talent, has the class, and she just needs to break out of her slump in form and turn her game around. Trading at 7/1 with BetFred in Dubai Duty Free Championships Tennis betting, she is decent value, but still a bit of a long shot when you weigh up the status of the women’s game at the moment.
WTA Dubai Tennis betting Favourite
Little surprise that Belarusian Victoria Azarenka is the outright favourite here and by a long stretch. She is trading at 7/4 with Paddy Power to lift the title, and after going 17-0 for the season, capturing three titles including the Australian Open of course, she is the woman to beat at the moment. Make no mistake, Vika has worked hard to get where she is, finally focusing her young, exuberant enthusiasms into a complete player. She strikes the ball harder than most. Has great variety in her serve, and just is able to put her foot down now with consistency and produce her power tennis. Consistency is the big key here for Azarenka (for example, not dropping a set last week on the way to the title), as it was her big downfall before as she climbing the ranks. Now she is putting it together match after match and is just on a red hot streak at the moment, so is worth backing. Tiredness may catch up with her at some point, but right now she is the hot thing of the WTA. A look ahead at the draw for Victoria Azarenka, she is on a collision course with Caroline Wozniacki and that meeting would come at the quarter final stage. France’s Marion Bartoli is also in Azarenka’s quarter of the draw.
Other Contenders
Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska keeps knocking on the door and she is playing so well this season. She keeps running into Victoria Azarenka, like she did at the Australian Open and last week in Qatar, though. She, like everyone else, hasn’t been able to match Vika, but Radwanska will avoid the Belarusian until the final in this tournament though, so she makes a decent punt from the bottom half of the draw. Last weekend’s Doha finalist Sam Stosur goes again this week, and she will be looking to push ahead from her good form last week. She is one of those players though who is hard to back with a lot of confidence, because she either goes on great runs or just fades away against lesser opposition all too often. The Aussie star should be in a good frame of mind though, and its not too tough of a draw ahead for her. Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from this event, so Azarenka, Radwanska, Stosur and Wozniacki are the main focus here, but there is such an evenly matched chasing pack behind them. France’s Marion Bartoli has a rough draw, or else would have been a decent bet, but she would run into Azarenka early. She also pulled out of the semi final in Doha last week because of a calf strain that she didn’t want to push any harder for fear of a bigger injury. Shame, as she is really on her game at the moment. The top half is all about Wozniacki and Azarenka, so the best alternative is to look from the bottom half. Germany’s Sabine Lisicki, always popular, hasn’t ignited her season yet, while the likes of Dominika Cibulkova and Shahar Peer could be dangerous outside floaters from the bottom half. All in all though, expect Wozniacki and Azarenka to battle it out from the top half and then Radwanska to make a bit move in the bottom half of the draw.
Latest WTA Dubai Tennis betting Prices
Victoria Azarenka: 7/4 at Paddy Power
Agnieszka Radwanska: 11/2 at Bet Victor
[Caroline Wozniacki: 7/1 at BetFred
Sam Stosur: 9/1 at Bet Victor
Jelena Jankovic: 20/1 at SkyBet
Sabine Lisicki: 25/1 at Bet365
Marion Bartoli: 25/1 at BetFred
Online Bookmaker Promotion
Online bookmaker Bet Victor run a great tennis betting promotion which is worth dipping into throughout the 2012 season. Place a match bet on any match from the main draw of an ATP or WTA event, and if your selection loses the match in a final set tie break, then you will get your lost stake back as a free bet. So this gives you some nice coverage on your tennis betting throughout the season, should your match selection lose in a cruel way in a final set tie break. Online bookmaker Bet Victor offer a free £25 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account, up to the maximum value of £25, with a free bet.
