Women’s 1st Quarter Favors Ashleigh Barty at 2-1 Odds at Australian Open
- With the first grand slam of the year it’s time to take a look at the favorite’s to win the first quarter
- The first quarter has some huge names associated with it
- Check out who we believe will emerge from the first quarter of the Women’s Australian Open
The first grand slam of the year is finally upon us as the Australian Open is set to take place in just a few more days.
Every section is competitive and deep but let’s focus on one in particular. The first quarter of the bracket has some of the biggest names in all of tennis, but there is one name that rises above the rest, and that is former grand slam winner Ashleigh Barty.
Let’s take a deep look to figure out if she is the best bet to win the first quarter.
Women’s Singles 1st Quarter Australian Open Odds
| Players | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ashleigh Barty | +200 |
| Petra Kvitova | +500 |
| Madison Keys | +500 |
| Elena Rybakina | +800 |
| Ekaterina Alexandrova | +1200 |
| Maria Sakkari | +1800 |
| Alison Riske | +1800 |
| Petra Martic | +1800 |
| Julia Goerges | +2000 |
| Daria Kasatkina | +2500 |
| Aliaksandra Sasnovich | +2800 |
| Magan Linette | +3300 |
| Kaia Kanepi | +3300 |
| Rebecca Peterson | +4000 |
| Shuai Peng | +4000 |
Odds taken Jan. 17.
Keep an Eye on Madison Keys
At 24 years of age, Madison Keys should be right in the middle of her prime. Or at least close to it. She isn’t far away from her career-high ranking of number 8 as she currently comes in at number 11 in the world.
Keys is a constant contender in every grand slam. Her name is plastered amongst the best in the game but she has yet to get over the hump just yet.
It’s safe to say that she is tired of coming up just short, so her motivation heading into the 2020 Australian Open should be at an all-time high.
Elina Svitolina?Madison Keys
?US Open 2019 R4 Highlights #USOpen #ElinaSvitolina #Elina #Svitolina #MadisonKeys #Madison #Keys #Tennis #Highlights #ElinavsMadison #SvitolinaVsKeys #USOpen2019 #USOpenNow#TennisInGenes | #SportInGenes | @TennisInGenespic.twitter.com/aIkRjSWOVb— Sport In Genes (@SportInGenes) September 2, 2019
At last year’s Open, Keys had a solid run making it to the fourth round before getting booted out. In the previous year, she had an even deeper run, making it all the way to the quarterfinals.
There are plenty of reasons to believe why Keys can make it out of this first quarter. For starters, she loves playing on hard courts, with a career record of 138-82. She’s also gotten off to a strong start in 2020, having reached the finals in Brisbane, but coming up just short in a three-set loss to Karolina Pliskova.
If Keys can get on a roll and pile up the aces, she could easily emerge from this bracket.
Ashleigh Barty is #1 for a Reason
Ashleigh Barty has been on an incredible run. Her combination of power, speed and defense is second to none. She put it all together last year in winning the first grand slam of her career.
What’s incredible about Barty, is that she won that aforementioned grand slam on clay, her least favorite surface. With the Australian Open taking place on hard courts where she is a career 107-43, you have to believe that she’ll be an even tougher out.
With Ashleigh Barty winning at the WTA Titles and becoming World No 1, we take a look back at our feature with her in 2015. ?#ashleighbarty #WTA #tennis pic.twitter.com/o0YnDWpT0H
— Trans World Sport (@TransWorldSport) November 7, 2019
If we take another peek into Barty’s 2019 season, she took home four titles in total including two on hard courts. Her rise to the number one ranking in the world was punctuated with her win at the WTA Finals tournament at the end of season.
After an early stumble in Brisbane, Barty recovered quickly and is now in the Adelaide International Final on Saturday morning.
In summary, it will take a special performance by one of the players in her field in order to take her out. At this point, that just doesn’t seem likely.
Petra Kvitova Seems Poised for a Huge Run
Did we all forget that Petra Kvitova is a two-time grand slam champion? Granted, they did come in 2011 and 2014 respectively.
They also took place on the grass surface. Still, Kvitova is only 29 years of age and seems to have plenty left in the tank.
Since suffering a gruesome knife attack at her home back in late 2016. Kvitova has bounced back in a major way. Last year she took home two titles and also advanced to the finals of the Aussie Open.
OUTRAGEOUS POINT today between Kvitova and Gavrilova at the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham! ???
? The defending champion Kvitova was too good on the day as she powered to a 62 62 victory ?#tennis #tenis #petrakvitova
? @WTA ✅ @Petra_Kvitova pic.twitter.com/19zeN70q8V
— tennis news chan 1 (@tennisnewschan1) June 21, 2018
Best Bet: Ashleigh Barty
This quarter is stacked. There is really no other way to put it. It’s going to take a special player in order to make it through this gauntlet. Luckily for Ashleigh Barty, she is a special player.
Barty doesn’t just have the physical tools to get the job done, but she is also mentally strong. Her never give up attitude no matter the scoreboard will be an asset to her.
It won’t be easy, but Barty wouldn’t want it any other way. Expect her to break out of her side of the quarters.
Hans Themistode has worked in sports journalism since attending Queens College, and has worked for several newspapers including the BX Times and Canarsie Courier, as well as writing for publications such as Fansided and The Clever. His work has also been featured on Bleacher Report.
