Great WTA tennis tournament out in Dubai to be following this week, as the bulk of the top women stars are out in force. The best of the action is not going to start until the second round, as there have been plenty of byes handed out to the top seeds. Defending Champion Venus Williams is not in attendance, as she is still out through injury, but eight of the top ten in the world are in attendance. Plenty of great tennis betting opportunities around for you to enjoy this week, and don’t just look for outrights on matches, really take some time to explore live in play betting, as it works very well for tennis. Bet365 have one of the best live in play betting portals around, and they also show live streams of tennis. You can catch free live streaming from the WTA Dubai this week at Bet365. They are well worth exploring and taking a look at for your betting. When you do, new windows of opportunity open up to you, such as set betting, which is always great for picking up little profits, as well as match points themselves. So, onto the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Champions tournament, it will be an action packed week, almost like a mini Grand Slam really, and there is a lot of importance in terms of Tour points to be picked up here. Here we will take a look at the front runners and assess the tennis betting potential in our preview.
Caroline Wozniacki – 7/2 at BetFred
How will the Danish starlet respond? It hasn’t been a great 2011 so far for her, losing in the semi final of the Australian Open after going in as World Number One, and then losing her Number One ranking to Kim Clijsters on the weekend. Has she got another level in the tank? Another gear to slip into. To be honest, while she is a great percentage, high consistency player, it doesn’t look as if she really has that top gear to be a great Grand Slam champion. She is very good at her game, great defensive work and ability to simply grind opponents down. The odd thing about her, and why there was added criticism of her being World Number One and not having won a Grand Slam, is that she has no big weapon. She has no big shot to call upon, no big favourite area of the court to go to when it is needed. Fantastic all round player, and if she had either of those things she would be better. Tricky quarter for Wozniacki going in here, as the improving Shahar Peer is in the mix in her quarter. A semi final appearance would likely put her up against Sam Stosur or Jelena Jankovic. Still a strong bet for a winner here.
Vera Zvonareva – 5/1 at Stan James
The World Number three, is another player who is much improved. She has much more mental stamina and control about her than she did twelve months or more ago. She is becoming an ever more dangerous player, but like Wozniacki, there is just something lacking from her game. Has a great reach, great movement and is a bit more of a punisher than Wozniacki. However, still hasn’t been able to reach the higher echelons of the WTA by picking up a Slam, despite reaching two finals last year. You wonder if there is that quality to go one better. She could have a good run here, although there is the potential of a massive quarter final clash against Victoria Azarenka. Zvonareva is seed second for the tournament, and is in with a decent chance, however, you look at her and wonder if she really is a winner when it comes to the major tournaments. There’s no Clijsters and no Williams sisters of course here, so this is the next level where she has the potential to shine. Not a bad draw, and will probably be in the semi’s. Lost in the semi in Pattaya to Daniela Hantuchova on Saturday, so will want to bounce back. Probably has the confidence to go all the way, but it won’t be a smooth passage.
Francesca Schiavone – 25/1 at Bet365
You may remember her incredible battling qualities at the Australian Open against Caroline Wozniacki. She won herself a lot of fans there, and last year’s French Open winner is a really scrappy player. Ranked third for the tournament and up to fourth in the world, however, she doesn’t really have the big game here. There are much better players in the draw than here, but what is in her favour, is that she has landed a decent draw by being in the top four seeds. She has a nice quarter of the draw, which should put her in the quarter finals. Likely opponent there will be Agnieszka Radwanska, and in the same half of the draw as Zvonareva. Just do not see her having enough to go all of the way, although realistically you would expect to see her around the quarter final stage. An outsider at best, who can raise her game. Unlikely winner.
Sam Stosur – 33/1 at BetFred
Will make for a good tip here, largely helped along by draw. She disappointed her home fans at the Australian Open when she crashed out to Kvitova, but this is the sort of tournament which you would expect to see her winning. A tenacious player, solid all round the court, and pretty reliable when coming from behind. The draw has been kind to her here as she is in the same quarter as Jelena Jankovic who is struggling for a bit of form. Sam Stosur has a good game, and she should breeze through to the quarter finals. Really makes for one of the better outside shots, as she has a lot to prove to herself. Lost to Schiavone again (as she did in the final of the French Open) at a Federation Cup match over a week ago. Has to get better and remains a strong outside bet.
Na Li – 8/1 at BetFred
Australian Open finalist, who beat Wozniacki in the semi’s but couldn’t take out Clijsters in the final. Li is a massive hitter, and looks to be quite the confidence player. She needs to get her rhythm going to let momentum carry her through matches. Shot selection is not always top drawer, but a great professional to watch, and she has gained a lot of fans and respect from her Grand Slam efforts. Now she has the job of living up to expectations in tournaments like this, and could set up a great rematch against Wozniacki in the quarter finals here. Tough to match what she achieved in Melbourne, and will probably be on the periphery of things, although has had a great start to the year. Can she keep it going?
Jelena Jankovic – 40/1 at Bet365
Too unpredictable at the moment to know what is going to come from her. Fully fit and match sharp, she is a world beater, but her injury last year really knocked her back. Didn’t look herself at the Australian Open and will still be working her way back into the swing of things. It takes just as much time to get back match sharpness as it does to get over injury in the first place. A quarter final appearance would be a solid performance from her here, and she is a great player, but maybe not back to her best just yet. Was a finalist here in 2005, so has history. Risky outside bet until she gets better, still at this far out, worth an each way bet maybe.
Victoria Azarenka – 9/1 at Bet365
It is always hard to ignore the Belarusian when it comes to tournaments. When you are looking for an outside bet, you usually fall upon her. Fantastic player. Tenacious and full of firepower, the one thing she lacks is consistency. Can destroy the best and then fall at the most unlikeliest of moments. Still, this always puts her at a great price, and in the quarter along with Vera Zvonareva, has the ability to win her half of the draw to be honest. Hit and miss whether she will or not, always, always worth a punt.
Best of the rest. Agnieszka Radwanska (25/1 at Bet365) looked to be getting back to top form at the Australian Open and could be a surprise package here. She is in Schiavone’s quarter and is well capable of beating her. Shahar Peer (18/1 at Victor Chandler) is another rising star to take notice of. The Israeli star has great potential and should meet Na Li in the third round, which could be a great battle. Not going to win this, but could go well. Could be a battle of the Russians in the third round, with Alisa Kleybanova (33/1 at Bet365) meeting Zvonareva. That is a great prospect, as Kleybanova can raise her game and cause a threat.
