Australian Open Women’s Singles Odds & Preview – Naomi Osaka Looks to Defend her Title

• Main draw play at the Australian Open takes place from January 17-30th
• Australian Ashleigh Barty is the favorite to win
• Continue below for odds, preview, and best bet predictions

The first Grand Slam of the year is here, as the 2022 Australian Open is set to get underway January 17th. A lot of familiar faces are participating in this year’s contest.

The tournament will be headlined by hometown favorite and World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, and defending champion Naomi Osaka. Barty is the heavy favorite with +275 odds to win outright. Osaka is the closest behind her with +700.

Who’s the best bet to win the tournament outright? Continue below for a tournament preview and our best bet analysis heading into the Grand Slam.

2022 Australian Open Women’s Singles Odds

Odds as of January 13 at DraftKings.

2022 Australian Open Women’s Singles Seeding

The Favorite

25-year old Barty already has a title under her belt in 2022, when she took home the title in Adelaide earlier this month. The Aussie has yet to win the Australian Open, and will be looking to add a third Grand Slam to her resume.

Barty will open her tournament up against a qualifier, but the path to the title gets challenging quick. Joining Barty in the first quarter is 2019 champion Naomi Osaka. The two currently stand at a 2-2 head-to-head record, with one of Osaka’s wins happening in the third round of the 2018 Australian Open.

No.1 seed Ashleigh Barty will open against a qualifier in 1R.

No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka will face Storm Sanders.#AusOpen

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 13, 2022

But, Barty is the one to lose here. All eyes will be on the Australian as she tries to navigate her way deep into the tournament.

Defending Champion

After taking about four months off from competing, Osaka returned to tennis earlier this month, competing in Melbourne. The 24-year old made her way to the semifinals, before retiring from her match against Veronika Kudermetova due to an abdominal injury.

It’s well known that Osaka performs well at the Australian Open. The two-time champion in 2019 and 2021 will be looking to make a big splash as she defends her title.

Going for a trio of #AusOpen trophies 🏆🏆🏆

🇯🇵 @naomiosaka starts her title defence against Camila Osorio.#AO2022 pic.twitter.com/ESwvUNe01t

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 13, 2022

The 13th seed opens her tournament up against Camila Osorio, and this will be the first meeting between the two. Things could get tough for the Japanese star as early as the third round, where she could go head-to-head against Tokyo Gold Medalist Belinda Bencic.

From there, it continues to get tough, as Osaka could see Barty in the fourth round. She has a tough task in front of her as she looks for her fifth Grand Slam title.

Dark Horses

There are many great players competing in this year’s tournament once again. And with that comes opportunity for upset, especially early on. Could any of these following players with the tournament outright? Possibly. But look for them to upset some favorites in their early round matchups, which can alter paths to the finals.

Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu are two young stars that could make it interesting early on. Gauff is currently ranked No. 17, climbed from No. 48 after reaching the quarterfinals or better at seven tournaments last year alone. Raducanu is a player that has beaten some of the best as well, and opens her tournament up against a tough opponent in Sloane Stephens.

Best Bet

It’s hard to bet against Barty at the moment, and there’s really no reason to start now. It looking like the 2022 Australian Open title is hers to lose.

She doesn’t have an easy path to the finals, that’s for sure. But she just seems unstoppable right now in her careers. She’s proven herself and then some by holding the World No. 1 spot for 100 consecutive weeks.

People may point out that for the past two years Barty has also entered the Australian Open as the favorite, but lost in the quarterfinals in 2020, and the semifinals in 2021. But no one is performing at her level. Her biggest obstacle might be herself.

Best Bet: Ashleigh Barty (+275)