It’s time to tune in to the women’s draw of the Australian Open. The first major of the year has been filled with high-quality action, promising an exciting slate of play for the women’s side in 2022. The WTA had no clear cut No. 1 – or even solidified top 10, really. The field is deep with hungry, young talent poised to become stars.
So it wasn’t a surprise when favorites fell early – yeah, we’re looking at you, Aussie defending champion Naomi Osaka, No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, Simona Halep, Iga Swiatek, Victoria Azarenka… the list goes on. The quarterfinals feature names we weren’t expecting, including a few unranked foes, too.
We love that for the sport, but it also means that the No. 1 seed, Ash Barty, is now the overwhelming favorite. She began the tournament at +250 (bet $100 → $250) to win and now a bet on Barty is a pretty price of -140 (bet $140 → win $100). Barty’s coming off a huge victory at Wimbledon last summer, and lives for big moments.
However, she’s closed the season at No. 1 for the last three years, while only making four Grand Slam semifinals in her career. This is setting up for the best shot she has at finally hoisting the Daphne Akhurst trophy at home.
But she’ll have to get through American star Madison Keys, who’s won one of three matches in her career against Barty, to get there first. It won’t be easy.
Tip of the day
Sometimes you just don’t know who to bet on and that’s okay. If you think the favorite will roll and capture her hometown crown, maybe siding with Barty is the wager for you. If you’re looking to ride with the Americans, you have a few choices with Madison Keys at +1200 (bet $100 → win $1200) and Danielle Collins, who’s set to play her quarterfinals match tonight, at +1100 (bet $100 → win $1100). We do warn you that none of them are seeded, so it’s a bit of a longshot. But we’ve seen wilder.
