Jennifer Brady vs Naomi Osaka Odds & Prediction: Australian Open Women’s Singles Final

• The 2021 Australian Open Women’s Singles final will be played Saturday, February 20th at 3:30 AM for us in North America
• This will be the fourth time Jennifer Brady and Naomi Osaka will face each other
• See below for odds and where we think the best betting value is

The 2021 Australian Open Women’s Singles final is set. 22nd seed, Jennifer Brady will take on the third seed, Naomi Osaka in a rematch of what was the exciting 2020 US Open semifinal match.

Osaka is coming off a big win against Serena Williams to earn her spot in this final, and is heading into this match as the heavy favorite. Brady held off Karolina Muchova, who was having an incredible run at the tournament, to earn her spot here. But Osaka will undoubtedly be her toughest opponent of the tournament.

Read below for a breakdown of the match, and how each player got here.

Brady vs Osaka 2021 Australian Open Final Odds

Odds taken Feb 18th from DraftKings

Brady’s Road to the Final

The 25-year old American breezed through her first couple rounds at the tournament, not dropping a set until she found herself down 0-1 against fellow American Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals. But she was able to come from behind and dominant the rest of the match, winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Her semifinal match was a tough three set fight between her and Muchova, where Brady was able to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in just under two hours. The last game of the match lasted 18 points.

Brady saw herself struggling in this semifinal match. She was unable to gain consistency with her match and her serve. But what we did see throughout was how much growth has come in her game. Even though not everything was clicking, she was able to take advantage of what was working for her, or at times, find something that was working for her, and squeeze out a win.

Brady will now compete for her maiden Grand Slam, in her first Grand Slam final appearance, when she takes on Osaka.

Osaka’s Road to the Final

The 23-year continues to be cool, calm and collective as the tournament goes on. She also clearly refuses to lose in the quarterfinals and beyond at a Grand Slam, with her win against Williams improving her record to 11-0 when she reaches the quarterfinals at major events. All she needed was an hour and 15 minutes to defeat Williams, who was playing in her 20th Australian Open. Osaka won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

This semifinal match was an instance of power vs power. Great vs great.

Williams came out of the gate strong, leading the way in the opening game. It wasn’t actually until it was almost 3-0 in favor of Williams, that Osaka got on the board. And from that moment on Osaka was able to start taking control of the match. The Japanese star was able to hold the edge over Williams, recording 20 winners to Williams’ 12, and ultimately recording a few less unforced errors.

Head-to-Head and Best Bet

These two players have seen each other a few times, dating back to 2014, where Brady took their first match they ever played. Since then Osaka has taken control over their head-to-head record. Their most recent match came in one of the matches of the year, last year at the US Open semifinal, where Osaka won 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3.

Brady vs Osaka Head-to-Head Stats

Both players will come out strong with their power and serves. Statistically they both have a strong serve that is usually an asset during their matches. But neither player had impressive first serve percentages in their semifinal match, and they’ll both have to show improvements in that to win, as it gives opportunity to their opponent to capitalize.

Osaka is the favorite for a reason here. She brings the experience and is playing some of her best tennis. I’ve said it again and again, but her approach to her mentality sets her apart every match, beyond the physical matchup. She’s able to stay controlled all match, never getting too high or too low. And in this particular case, it could be quite evident in comparison to Brady, who’s competing in her first Grand Slam final, which is bound to come with some nerves.

There’s nothing really suggesting that Osaka won’t be winning her fourth Grand Slam of her career on Saturday.

The Pick: Osaka in straight sets (-155)