2021 Australian Open Women’s Singles Odds & Predictions to Win Every Quarter

• The 2021 Australian Open will start Monday, February 8th
• Ashleigh Barty, Sofia Kenin, Naomi Osaka, and Serena Williams all lead their quarter
• See below for the Top 10 players odds in each quarter and a preview

The first Grand Slam of the year is finally here, and all the best players are in Australia participating. 128 players are here competing for the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, but due to COVID testing, quaratines, and other factors, last minute schedule changes are more possible than ever this year.

Take a look below for the Top 10 players in each quarter and a preview of what we should expect.

1st Quarter Odds

All odds taken Feb. 6th from Bet365

Ashleigh Barty is the home country favorite this tournament. She has just made her return to the tennis stage this month after not competing in any tournament since everything shut down last March. She’s competing in the Finals of the Yarra Valley Classic tonight, and has shown no signs of her break impeding her play.

With +200 odds, and no one that close behind her, I would expect Barty to win this quarter in her home country.

Two other players to watch out for in this quarter would be Karolina Pliskova and Elise Mertens. Pliskova could potentially see Barty in the quarterfinals if they both win.

Pick: Barty (+200)

2nd Quarter Odds

2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin will be looking to defend her title, and leads the 2nd quarter odds with +400, but this is a tough quarter to come out on top of. The top five players in this quarter all pose a legitimate threat to each other.

Kenin is coming off an impressive quarter final appearance in both Abu Dhabi and the Melbourne tune-up tournament this past week ahead of the Aussie Open. There was concern about a leg injury, but has assured everyone that it will be just fine, and is looking beyond even the first few rounds of the Australian Open.

A player that could potentially upset some players is youngster Coco Gauff. She’s not expected to win the quarter, but it’s possible she meets Svitolina in just the second round. Despite never playing against each other, Gauff has the ability to upset almost anyone she plays.

Pick: Kenin (+400)

3rd Quarter Odds

Another tough quarter with the possibility of upsets right out of the gate. Naomi Osaka leads the odds to win the third quarter, but a lot of eyes will be on the Canadian, Andreescu. The 20-year old hasn’t competed in over a year withdrawing from tournaments due to injury.

Osaka didn’t draw the easiest opponents, and she’s well aware of that. She’ll open her tournament against three-time Australian Open quarter-finalist, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Their head-to-head is split 1-1, with Osaka taking their last meeting in 2019 in straight sets.

Naomi Osaka has seen her @AustralianOpen draw.

"I saw the projected draw of me. And I actually, I'm kind of excited. I like playing tough people, especially in Slams.

"Honestly I've never seen a projected draw come true, so I guess it will be interesting for all of us."

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 5, 2021

It’ll be interesting to see how Andreescu plays. It’s possible she sees Osaka in the quarters, but with the amount of time off she’s taken, nothing is certain.

The majority of players in this quarter have won at least one Grand Slam in their careers. This might be the toughest quarter drawn.

Pick: Osaka (+210)

4th Quarter Odds

Despite Serena Williams leading the odds in the 4th quarter, Halep is one that might be the one to watch.

Williams will be seeking her record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. She’ll be opening her 20th Australian Open up against Germany’s Laura Siegemund. She hasn’t dropped a set in her two previous matches against Siegemund, so it should be a fairly straightforward win. The first seed Williams could possibly see is Alison Riske.

Halep will open her tournament up with a match against wildcard Lizette Cabrera, and the first possible seeded player she could see is Veronika Kudermetova.

Halep recently lost in the quarterfinals of the Gippsland Trophy to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-1, and Williams didn’t play her semifinal match against Barty this week, citing a shoulder injury. With storylines like that, it’s possible a dark horse could come up and steal this quarter. Not necessarily a dark horse, but Aryna Sabalenka is worth keeping an eye on. But the dark horse of this quarter could be 18-year old Marta Kostyuk.

Pick: Halep (+350)