Kremlin Cup Odds & Betting Preview: Svitolina Favored in Russia

• The 2019 WTA Kremlin Cup will take place October 14-20 with qualifiers happening today and tomorrow
• The tournament is played on indoor hard courts in Moscow Russia
• Read below for our preview of this Premier Tournament stop on the WTA Tour

The WTA Kremlin Cup was founded in 1996, and is Russia’s first international tennis tournament. The tournament is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour, meaning it will offer up 470 points to the winner.

With points in the WTA extremely important and critical right now, it makes this tournament even more exciting. There are only two spots remaining in Shiseido for the WTA Tour Finals, with four players still competing to qualify, so for Elina Svitolina and Kiki Bertens, those points are important.

2019 WTA Kremlin Cup Odds

*Odds taken 10/12/19

Defending Champion

Historically, the Russian tournament has been dominated by Russian players. Last year, Russian Daria Kasatkina was the champion, and will be looking to defend her title in front of a home crowd. Daria Kasatkina defeated Ons Jabeur in three sets, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4. This year she comes into the tournament with +2500 odds, making her the 12th most likely to win the event.

Some notable participants like Svitolina, Belinda Bencic and Bertens will all be looking to take home the trophy. This year, countrywoman and two-time champion of the the tournament, Svetlana Kuznetsova has been given the wildcard and +2000 odds going into the tournament.

The Favorite

Svitolina is the favorite coming into the tournament with +350 odds. She hasn’t played Moscow since 2016, when she was a semifinalist. But the next player behind her is Bencic with +800, not close to Svitolina whatsoever. The Ukrainian player has never won the Kremlin Cup, but has had a fairly consistent and impressive 2019 season.

The final two spots for the WTA Finals will be decided at the #KremlinCup in Moscow this week, with Elina #Svitolina, Belinda #Bencic and Kiki #Bertens all vying for the 🏆

Draw preview > https://t.co/ADS98a56De pic.twitter.com/SI3u9u6BIj

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) October 13, 2019

This year she made it to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, the semifinals at Wimbledon, the semifinals at the US Open, and most recently, the quarterfinals of the China Open. But she is someone who is still fighting for a spot at the WTA Finals. Her winning the Kremlin Cup would be huge for her 2019 season.

Possible Winners

A few big names are participating in Moscow, in hopes to qualify for the WTA Finals. It allows for an interesting tournament. With players like Bertens, Bencic and Svitolina in the draw, it should pressure other players to step up their game in order to compete.

“This is one of the strongest representations at the tournament in recent years, with five players from the Top-20 and four from the Top-10” – Russian Coach Shamil Tarpishchev

And with something on the line for some of these players, playing with the pressure and stresses of that also can change the outcome of things.

Best Bet

Because of how significantly shorter her odds are compared to everyone else, Svitolina seems to be the best bet to win the Kremlin Cup. She’s had herself quite the season so far, and it’s time for her to be able to capitalize on it all and win a tournament. The competition isn’t going to be like the US Open or Wimbledon, making the win extremely feasible for her.

She did end her Asian swing a bit early by retiring in Guangzhou and deciding to take some rest. But the world No. 3 is still playing some of the strongest tennis she has played to date.

Best Bet: Svitolina (+350)