Elina Svitolina & Karolina Pliskova 4-1 Favorites to Win 2019 Zhengzhou Open
- With the US Open over the WTA descends on China for the 2019 the Zhengzhou Open
- Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova are early favorites to win the tournament at +400
- Which player has the best betting value in the Zhengzhou Open odds?
There are about 7,000 miles between New York City and Zhengzhou, China, but since the tennis season never really ends, the far east is the next stop for the WTA Tour after the US Open.
With prize money of $1 million, some top names have opted to play this year. The tournament, which has been in existence since 2014, has been won by a Chinese player in four of five seasons. But this is its first season as a WTA Premier event, so there’s a step up in terms of quality of competition.
2019 Zhengzhou Open Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Elina Svitolina | +400 |
| Karolina Pliskova | +400 |
| Kiki Bertens | +600 |
| Sofia Kenin | +600 |
| Angelique Kerber | +800 |
| Aryna Sabalenka | +800 |
| Petra Martic | +1200 |
| Caroline Garcia | +2000 |
| Yulia Putintseva | +2500 |
| Alison Riske | +2800 |
| Jelena Ostapenko | +2800 |
| Kristina Mladenovic | +2800 |
*Odds taken 09/09/19.
The Favorites Make Sense But Are Flawed
It is totally reasonable that Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova are tepid co-favorites.
Svitolina has reached the semifinals of back-to-back majors. There is no shame in falling to Serena Williams in the US Open semis. She beat three ranked foes including Madison Keys and Johanna Konta in New York.
As much as we like Svitolina because she consistently wins matches, and advances in tournaments, she is without a singles title in 2019. Her last win was in Singapore last October. She will get to the quarters or semis or finals, but 4/1 is a short price when confidence is low that she’ll hoist the trophy.
As for Pliskova, she has three titles this year, 13 in her career, and even was ranked number one briefly in 2017. She has earned her way to three major semifinals and lost the final match at the US Open in 2016 to Angelique Kerber.
Since beating Kerber to win the title in Eastbourne just prior to Wimbledon, Pliskova hasn’t advanced overly deep in tournaments. She fell to eventual US Open champ Bianca Andreescu in the third round in Toronto, lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarters in Cincinnati, and fell to Konta in three sets in the fourth round at the US Open.
Is the Future Here?
The future is very bright for Sofia Kenin. Born in Moscow and now living in Florida, the 20-year-old has two WTA titles and has shown she belongs with the heavyweights.
Recently, Kenin beat Coco Vandeweghe and Laura Siegemund before falling to Madison Keys at the US Open. She got by Svitolina and Naomi Osaka before Keys derailed her in Cincinnati. Kenin fell to Andreescu in Toronto after impressive wins over Ashleigh Barty and Svitolina.
What About a True Longshot?
The recent resume for Alison Riske is a little bit light, but she received several really tough draws in a row.
In addition to significant doubles success, Riske had a really strong grass court singles season including a career best quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon.
Recently at the U.S. Open she lost to Ostapenko after beating Garbine Muguruza. She fell to Maria Sharapova in her lone match in Cincinnati. Pliskova beat her in three sets in the second round in Toronto.
The Pick
While she doesn’t have the name recognition of Svitolina and Pliskova, Kenin fits the profile we are looking for. She is young, hungry, and playing well. She has beaten several of her competitors in this event, and the price at +600 is fair.
Kenin (+600)
Dave Friedman has covered professional and college sports for two decades. From ESPN to the Associated Press, Regional Sports Networks, Metro Networks, and many local outlets, he has written about and broadcast major and minor events throughout the country.
