While the men’s singles winner in Melbourne is likely to come from a select band of four players, the ladies event looks like being much more open. That’s if the latest odds are to be believed, with the first half dozen in the betting priced at 10/1 or less.
It’s no surprise to see Serena Williams as favourite, with Coral (10/3) the only firm to offer bigger than 3/1 about the three-time Aussie Open champion. The American’s game is well-suited to the hard courts down under, and she seems to thrive during odd-numbered years, having triumphed in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Others would argue that the 27-year-old shouldn’t be such a short price, especially considering she only reached the quarter-finals last year. Her sister Venus (7/2 bet direct) also seems short in the betting when you consider she has never won this competition. Indeed, while she might be queen at Wimbledon, just one finalist appearance in this first Grand Slam of the year makes me think the older sibling is worth swerving.
Instead, I’m more drawn to the 10/1 (Coral) currently available about Ana Ivanovic. The 21-year-old has improved immeasurably over the past twelve months, meaning she could easily go one better than her runner-up performance of 2007. However, a surprise defeat to Amelie Mauresmo in last week’s Brisbane Open means that a question mark remains over her form.
Jelena Jankovic has been the bridesmaid in Grand Slam events to date, with the Serb having attained four semi-final appearances and one runner-up placing in her majors career to date. Therefore, it’s unsurprising to see firms pricing her up (7/1 Centrebet) to feature at the business end of proceedings once again, although there are doubts over whether she yet possesses the killer instinct to go all the way.
Finally, Dinara Safina (10/1 Betfred) is surely destined to win major titles, with the sister of Marat Safin already the number three in the world. The Russian’s semi-final placing in last autumn’s US Open illustrated her hard court ability, while her recent performances in Sydney indicate that she’s one of the form players going into the competition.