St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy Odds & Preview: Alexandrova the +400 Favorite

• Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova is the +400 favorite to win the WTA St. Peterburg Open
• Tournament play begins Monday with the Round of 32
• Bettors can access +1800 odds on 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko

Oddsmakers are counting on the home-court advantage coming into play in a big way during this week’s St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. Russian players occupy the top five placings in the tournament outright odds for this WTA 500 event.

Ekaterina Alexandrova is the top-seeded player. She’s also the +400 favorite to win the tournament. Right behind her is Veronika Kudermetova at +500. Kudermetova is the No. 2 seed in the event.

Svetlana Kuznetsova (+900), Daria Kasatkina (+1000) and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (+1000) are next in line. Unseeded Clara Tauson of Denmark is also offered at a betting line of +1000.

Two-time defending champion Kiki Bertens is not playing in this year’s event.

WTA St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy Odds

Odds as of Mar. 14th at Bet365.

Round of 32 action gets underway on Monday at 6 AM ET at the Sibur Arena.

Inconsistent Alexandrova Favored At Home

World No. 34 Alexandrova is the only player ranked among the top 35 entered in this event. She’s proven capable of playing a giant-killing role in the past.

Alexandrova made it all the way to the semi-finals at the Gippsland Trophy. En route, she disposed of World No. 16 Iga Swiatek and World No. 3 Simona Halep, beating both of them in straight sets.

Elise Mertens has withdrawn from St. Petersburg. and Ekaterina Alexandrova is now the top seed. If Mertens had done that a couple of days ago, Tauson would have been in the main draw. So it goes …

— Mark Nixon (@markalannixon) March 14, 2021

Lately, though, Alexandrova can’t beat anybody. She’s lost her last three matches, winning a solitary set in the process.

Alexandrova was defeated by World No. 1 Asleigh Barty in the Round of 32 at the Australian Open. Coco Gauff (Lyon) and Tauson (Dubai) sent the Russian packing via first-round setbacks.

Alexandrova earned her first win on the WTA Tour last year at Shenzhen.

Russian To Judgement

If it’s not Alexandrova, which of the top Russian players in this event should you be considering? Kudermetova, 23, the current World No. 36, hasn’t been faring much better than Alexandrova of late. She’s dropped four of her past five matches.

Veteran Kuznetsova, 35, is still ranked No. 39 in the world. The two-time Australian Open champ has won 18 WTA titles, though none since 2018. In 2007, Kuznetova rose as high as No. 2 in the world. But she’s just 3-4 this season.

Daria Kasatkina has been putting in consistent work with a psychologist the last two years and incredibly thankful for it. Also relocated her base to Barcelona. Both decisions having a positive impact on her life and tennis. Felt she found her fighting spirit this week. pic.twitter.com/8Hpbzvn3Ot

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 19, 2021

The one to watch could be Kasatkina. The World No. 61 is barely a month removed from her first WTA title. She won the Phillip Island Trophy February 19th in Melbourne, Australia.

Kasatkina defeated Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the Round of 16 at that event.

Ostapenko Has Track Record Of Success

Gettiing +1800 odds on a past Grand Slam champion in an event of this size is certainly going to be a tempting play. Latvian Jelena Ostapenko won the French Open women’s singles title in 2017.

.@JelenaOstapenk8 plays for the passion 💗#WTAForTheGame pic.twitter.com/6Ky3OIrdEp

— wta (@WTA) December 10, 2020

She’s won three WTA tournaments in her career, including a victory in this tournament in 2015, but none since 2019. Once No. 7 in the world, Ostapenko has slipped to No. 53 in the WTA rankings.  She hasn’t made it to the quarter-finals of any of her last six events.

Ferro Offers Value

France’s Fiona Ferro is coming off a semi-final appearance in Lyon in her last tournament. She was a winner last August in Palermo, her second career WTA title.

New career-high ranks (WTA top 100)

#36 Jessica Pegula 🇺🇸
#39 Fiona Ferro 🇫🇷
#96 Clara Tauson 🇩🇰 (top 100 debut)

— Alex | Tennis 🎾 (@Alex_Boroch) March 7, 2021

Despite being the three seed in St. Petersburg, bettors can access a betting line of +1100 on Ferro. She’s back in action after withdrawing from Dubai last week, claiming fatigue.

Mladenovic Another Veteran Presence

France’s Kristina Mladenovic was once ranked No. 10 in the WTA. However, she’s currently ranked No. 55 in the world.

Sumptuous from @KikiMladenovic 😎

The No.4 seed breaks back against Buzarnescu in Lyon.#Open6emeSensML pic.twitter.com/7PlYG2RKPx

— wta (@WTA) March 2, 2021

Maldenovic, 27, is a sub-par 5-6 this season. She’s played well in St. Petersburg in the past. Mladenovic won here in 2017 for her lone WTA title and was a finalist in 2018.

And The Winner Is

While the Russians are home, it’s the French who will be cooking. Ferro and Mladenovic are on the same side of the draw and could clash in the semi-finals. The winner of that match would be the one to beat in the final.

WTA500 St. Petersburg singles & doubles draws pic.twitter.com/9gfWSf18do

— Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) March 14, 2021

Teen sensation Tauson, in through qualifiers, is another dark horse to consider. The Dane won in Lyon.

Pick: Kristina Mladenovic (+2200).