The new year of women’s tennis kicks off with a big week of action. The start of the Australian Open is less than two weeks away, and so there’s not much time to get into competitive form. There’s an exciting field lining up at the ASB Classic in Auckland this week, with Serena Williams leading the charge as favourite.
WTA Auckland 2020 Winner Odds
Serena Williams 5/2
Petra Martic 5/1
Amanda Anisimova 8/1
Cori Gauff 10/1
Julia Goerges 12/1
Caroline Wozniacki 14/1
Caroline Garcia 16/1
Daria Kasatkina 16/1
20/1 bar
* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on January 6th, 2019 at 12:29 pm)
Will Serena Williams take the Auckland title?
It’s a little early to be calling form of course for the new year, but Serena Williams is the big name in the Auckland field at the one to beat. She is the top seed at the top of the draw and is her first return to the event for a couple of years. She lost that 2017 effort in the second round but went on to win the Australian Open that year. This is the first official tournament back for Williams since giving birth last September. It is only the fifth time since 2010 that she has played a warm-up event before an Australian Open campaign. She is the 5/2 outright favourite
Defending Champions Julia Goerges back for more
Germany’s Julia Goerges has won the last two editions of the Auckland event, so there’s some affinity there. She is a returning 12/1 shot * (betting odds taken from Bet365 on January 6th, 2019 at 12:29 pm) to pull off what would be a wonderful hattrick at the tournament. She finished last season in a bit of form, reaching the final of the Luxembourg Open. Georges goes in the opposite half of the draw to Williams, and is in the third quarter where Caroline Wozniacki is the other big seed of the section.
Cori Gauff makes positive 2020 start
Young American Cori Gauff powered her way to an opening-round victory on Monday to start the new year off in style. Big things will be expected of her this year after exploding onto the scene in 2019, claiming her first WTA title at the age of 15. There could be a big quarter-final showdown against tournament favourite Serena Williams waiting for her, however.
Another of the big rising stars of the game, America’s Amanda Anisimova is in action in the second quarter. She is the third seed for the event and could make a decent run of things with some early-season energy. Also lining up in the second quarter are Caroline Garcia and Eugenie Bouchard who will meet in the second round. France’s Garcia at 16/1 odds makes for a decent dark horse wagering option in the outright market* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on January 6th, 2019 at 12:29 pm).
Can Petra Martic make inroads?
Croatia’s Petra Martic is ranked 15th in the world goes as the second favourite in the outright market at 5/1 odds* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on January 6th, 2019 at 12:29 pm). She has certainly landed a nice draw. She heads up the fourth quarter, which is lacking the overall quality in it, compared to the others. Will that help Martic’s cause, who lost in the first round of Auckland twelve months ago.
Predictions
The winner of this tournament is likely to come from the top half where Williams, Gauff, Anisimova etc are lingering. Williams usually doesn’t get pre-Australian Open action in, so she is likely to mean extra business this year because of it being her first official tournament back after her pregnancy last year. She may be worth opposing on her first tournament back at that price.
The two picks to perhaps spring a surprise would be Caroline Garcia who was in Shenzhen twelve months ago, so is taking on a change, and Anisimova who was a quarter-finalist in Auckland last year. They have appeal, but it is the Williams factor that keeps them a long price and that could mean value for punters in backing either. Of them it is Garcia who is the more seasoned and a decent 16/1 each way poke* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on January 6th, 2019 at 12:29 pm)
An obvious pick from the bottom half would be Goerges who has clear tournament form. A nice outsider option from the lower half of the draw is Lauren Davis who was the 2017 winner out of nowhere and ended last season with a positive hard court record.
