While the Men’s draw will be our key focus for the Australian Open, WTA Ace takes a look over the Women’s draw giving his Day 1 predictions and betting options including predicted quarter winners.
Suggested Plays for Day 1
J Goerges -3.5 vs V Dushevina at $1.67 at Sportsbet (Confidence 70%)
A Kerber under 12.5 games vs E Svitolina at $1.47 at Sportsbet (Confidence 75%)
M Bartoli -1.5 vs A Medina Garrigues at $1.83 at Sportsbet (Confidence 70%)
Venus Williams -1.5 vs G Voskoboeva at $1.53 at Sportsbet (Confidence 85%)
WOMEN’S DRAW PREVIEW
Quarter 1
Predicted Winner: Victoria Azarenka ($1.49 at Sportsbet)
Seeds Involved:
– V. Azarenka (1)
– S. Errani (7)
– C. Wozniacki (10)
– R. Vinci (16)
– V. Lepchenko (21)
– A. Pavlyuchenkova (24)
– S. Hsieh (26)
– U. Radwanska (31)
Azarenka – Has a nice draw that should see her through to yet another semi final in the Australian Open. Azarenka has a very smooth run through until the 4th round where she would likely meet Vinci which will probably be her toughest match of the 2013 tournament up until that point.
Vinci – An easy first few rounds. I can’t see Roberta doing any worse than the 3rd round.
Wozniacki – Has not been playing great tennis as a whole lately and has a few tough opponents in rounds 1 and 2. I would imagine Wozniacki would not make the quarter finals in 2013. An exit in or before the third round would not surprise.
Pavlyuchenkova – Showed some promising form in Brisbane taking down some big names such as Kvitova and Kerber. Takes on qualifiers in the early rounds which should not be a problem. All going well, Pavlyuchenkova should see her way through to a quarter final match.
Quarter 2
Predicted Winner: Serena Williams ($1.18)
Seeds Involved:
– S. Williams (3)
– P. Kvitova (8)
– N. Petrova (12)
– M. Kirilenko (14)
– L. Safarova (17)
– Y. Wickmayer (20)
– Y. Shvedova (28)
– S. Stephens (29)
Serena Williams – Similar to Azarenka, Serena has a great draw and there doesn’t appear to be anything in the way of stopping Serena winning her quarter. An easy enough run straight through to the quarter finals match should see Serena win this quarter comfortably.
Kvitova – The 6ft tall Czech powerhouse has a few challenges in the early stages with Shiavone and (likely) Robson to tackle. While Kvitova should dispose of these opponents with ease, her run to the quarter final is not as easy as it might first appear. 4th round or quarter final contender.
Shuai Peng – Keep an eye on Peng in the first few rounds While I expect she wouldn’t go further than the 3rd or 4th round, the initial few rounds might present some value.
Sloane Stephens – Has a tough match in the first round vs Halep however Sloane showed impressive signs in both Brisbane and Hobart so this is one player to watch. Should not progress past the 3rd round though due to a tough draw.
Quarter 3
Predicted Winner: Agnieszka Radwańska ($ 2.77 at Sportsbet)
Seeds Involved:
– A. Radwanska (4)
– N. Li (6)
– S. Stosur (9)
– A. Ivanovic (13)
– J. Goerges (18)
– J. Jankovic (22)
– S. Cirstea (27)
– M. Barthel (32)
A. Radwanska – Initially faces some easy looking matches however will need to be careful as her road to the quarter finals is filled with potential pitfalls. Along the way to the quarters, Radwanska could potentially meet Heather Watson, Mona Barthel and Ana Ivanovic. Has shown more than impressive form in 2013 (currently on a 9-0 run) and should progress into the semi’s if this stunning recent form continues.
Li – The 2011 Australian Open runner up has a favourable draw and should reach the quarter finals without too many problems.Progressing further than that is unlikely as recent form has not been convincing.
Stosur – Media have been pushing Stosur’s draw as “favourable” however this is not 100% correct. Stosur draws Chen Chang in the 1st round. Stosur lost to Chen Chang in the Semi Finals in Osaka in October 2012. More recently, losing in the first round of both Brisbane and Sydney haven’t convinced me that Stosur is ready to do well in an Australian Open. While Stosur may get through the first 2 rounds, at best a 3rd of 4th round exit looks on the cards.
Quarter 4
Predicted Winner: Maria Sharapova ($1.77 at Sportsbet)
Seeds Involved:
– M. Sharapova (3)
– A. Kerber (4)
– M. Bartoli (11)
– D. Cibulkova (15)
– E. Makarova (19)
– K. Zakopalova (23)
– V. Williams (25)
– T. Paszek (30)
Sharapova – Sharapova has the easiest of the bottom half draws with her only test potentially coming in the 3rd round in the form of Venus Williams however I do not see Venus being a problem for 2012 Australian Open runner up. Question marks are still around if the collarbone injury that kept Sharapova out of Brisbane has recovered 100% however recent reports showing Sharapova involved in intense training sessions shows promising signs.
Kerber – An easy first few rounds, but will be tested in the third and fourth rounds. A potential third round meeting against the impressive wild card entry Madison Keys is a very exciting prospect.
Bartoli – On paper Bartoli appears to have a fairly easy run into the 4th round. I see Bartoli being in the quarter final match vs Sharapova.
Kirsten Flipkens – A talented player who should put up a good fight in all of her matches. Unfortunately for Flipkens even if she does do well she will meet Sharapova in the 4th round and while a talented played, cannot match Sharapova’s skillsets.
Madison Keys – Earned a wild card entry into the Australian Open and done nothing but impress in Sydney. Faces an Aussie first up in Casey Dellacqua which should be a great match. While I don’t expect Keys to go any further than the 2nd or 3rd round she is worth a mention as she has the makings of a future star.
Please Note:
All of the above are the opinions of the author and are not recommendations or advice. The author may not be taking every bet listed above. Bet at your own risk.
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Photo By ataelw (VictoriaAzarenka_0015 Uploaded by flickrworker) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
