2020 Australian Open Women’s Singles Odds & Preview: Williams Favored But Value With Osaka?

• Naomi Osaka is the defending champion at the Australian Open
• Ashleigh Barty hasn’t made it past the quarterfinals at the Australian Open since 2013
• Serena Williams is arguably the most consistent player in grand slams as she’s been to the final in four of the last six events

The 2020 Australian Open is about to get underway. While the men’s side of things seems fairly clear-cut, the women’s tournament is wide open. Serena Williams is favored but with eight players at 20/1 or shorter, this draw is expected to be a free-for-all. Let’s take a closer look at the field and see if we can narrow down a good bet.

2020 Australian Open Odds

Odds taken Jan 16. 

Williams Favored But Is She a Good Bet?

Williams is the chalk and it’s clear to see why. Out of all of the players on the women’s side, she’s arguably been the most consistent in grand slams over the last couple of years – even if she hasn’t earned a win. She has four finals appearances in the last six grand slams along with a quarters appearance too.

A lot of various women have won grand slams but typically, they haven’t shown as well or as consistently as Williams across the board. The challenge for Serena is that she doesn’t have the wins. She hasn’t won a grand slam since the 2017 Australian Open, which was three years ago.

A good sign for Serena is that she’s coming off a win at ASB Classic 2020. It’s a warmup for the Aussie Open but it’s mostly a cupcake. To put it in perspective, Amanda Anisimova was the No. 3 seed and the only seeded player she had to beat. She only dropped one set at the event but it’s hard to tell if she’s in great form or not.

Barty Worth a Bet?

Ashleigh Barty is going to get lots of love from bettors because she’s the No. 1 player in the world right now, she’s in her home country of Australia and she’s third in line in terms of the odds. However, I’m not stoked about backing her.

In terms of her current form, Barty just lost in her first match at Brisbane International as she fell in straight sets to Jennifer Brady. She’s doing better at the Adelaide International, which is ongoing but also needed three sets to get by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

She also had a terrible track record at the Aussie Open as she hasn’t been to the final since 2013. The best she’s done in her last three appearances has been a quarters appearance. I’ll pass on her in this spot.

Last 5 Australian Open Winners

What’s the Best Bet?

As with all women’s grand slams, they’re mostly a crapshoot, so keep that in mind when you’re betting this. However, I’m going to back Naomi Osaka in this spot. Osaka is the defending champion at the Australian Open but after she won last year’s event, her season somewhat nosedived.

Osaka was bounced in the first round at Wimbledon and didn’t do great at the US Open. However, by the end of the year, her father was again coaching her and in the stands, and she regained her form. She won the Toray Pan Pacific Open and then the China Open to close out the year.

So far this season, she ground it out at Brisbane as all four of her matches were three-setters. She eventually lost the fourth one to Karolina Pliskova, who was the No. 2 seed. However, I feel like those types of matches will have her ready and in good form for the Australian Open. She’s my bet to win it.

Best Bet: Osaka (+650)