WTA Qatar Open Odds & Preview: Kontaveit the Favorite – Again
- The field for this week’s WTA 1000 in Doha is similar to that of last week’s WTA 500 in Dubai
- Added are St. Petersburg finalists Anett Kontaveit and Maria Sakkari, who pulled out late from Doha
- St. Petersburg champ Anett Kontaveit is the favorite; we break down her chances of winning
Anett Kontaveit, the queen of the indoor circuit over the last fall and winter, is the favorite to win the WTA 1000 Qatar Open in Doha this week.
And that, even though the Doha event is held outdoors, not indoors.
Qatar Open Singles Odds
| Seed | Player | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| [4] | Anett Kontaveit (EST) | +700 |
| [7] | Iga Swiatek (POL) | +800 |
| [1] | Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) | +1000 |
| [7] | Simona Halep (ROU) | +1000 |
| [2] | Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) | +1200 |
| [3] | Paula Badosa (ESP) | +1200 |
| [6] | Maria Sakkari (GRE) | +1400 |
| [5] | Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) | +1600 |
| [8] | Ons Jabeur (TUN) | +1600 |
| [12] | Victoria Azarenka (BLR) | +1800 |
| [9] | Jessica Pegula (USA) | +2200 |
| [11] | Elena Rybakina (KAZ) | +2200 |
| – | Belinda Bencic (SUI) | +2200 |
| [15] | Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) | +2500 |
| – | Petra Kvitova (CZE) | +2500 |
| [14] | Coco Gauff (USA) | +3300 |
| – | Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) | +3300 |
| [16] | Elise Mertens (BEL) | +4000 |
| [10] | Elina Svitolina (UKR) | +4000 |
| – | Daria Kasatkina (RUS) | +5000 |
Odds as of Feb. 18 at BetMGM.
It’s definitely an indication people feel the 26-year-old Estonian is a legitimate title contender every tournament she plays going forward.
That feels somewhat premature for the No. 4 seed, No. 6 ranked player in the world. Time will tell. Notably, she was the favorite in St. Petersburg – and won the whole thing.
Eight former Champions & Finalists in Field
Petra Kvitova, the defending Doha champion (and 2020 finalist), is way down the odds list at +2500.
It reflects the fact that she has had an indifferent 2022 season so far. Although to be fair, she probably should have won her quarterfinal match over Jelena Ostapenko in Dubai earlier this week. And after that, who knows?
Kvitova led Ostapenko by a set and a break. She served for the match twice. And she was up 4-2 in the final tiebreak. And yet, she lost. Perhaps that loss might awaken the reigning champion.
Aryna Sabalenka, the 2020 champion, is wrestling with some serious serving woes. And those are really difficult to shake off, because the issues are both mental and technical. Her making a run would be a shocker.
Ostapenko, a semifinalist in St. Petersburg and in the Dubai final Saturday, won’t have the energy.
Beyond that, given how tough some of the matches were in Dubai, it’s logical to look at Kontaveit or Sakkari (who is way down the list at +1400) to go deep. The two had a week off; they will be rested and refreshed.
At +800, Iga Swiatek is a wild card, although we like her draw. So is world No. 3 Barbora Krejcikova (+1200); we don’t like her draw.
Doha Open Winners and Finalists
| Year | Champion | Finalist |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | [4] Petra Kvitova (CZE) | Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) |
| 2020** | [9] Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) | [8] Petra Kvitova (CZE) |
| 2019 | Elise Mertens | [1] Simona Halep (ROU) |
| 2018** | [16] Petra Kvitova (CZE) | [4] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) |
| 2017 | [2] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) | Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) |
| 2016** | [8] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) | Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) |
| 2015 | Lucie Safarova (CZE) | Victoria Azarenka (BLR) |
| 2014** | [7] Simona Halep (ROU) | [6] Angelique Kerber (GER) |
**In even years (like 2022), Doha is the WTA 1000-level tournament, which has more points, exponential prize money and, typically ,a top field. In odd years, Doha is a 500 and Dubai is the 1000).
First-round Doha Matches to Watch
Shelby Rogers (+155) vs Coco Gauff (-205)
Last week we called for another fellow American, Jessica Pegula, to pull the upset over the favored Gauff. And she did, in straight sets.
Gauff and Rogers have met just once, with Gauff coming back for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Rogers at a tournament right after the 2021 Australian Open in Adelaide.
Rogers was shocked in the first round at the Australian Open, and hasn’t played since. She must be raring to go to turn that around. Meanwhile, Gauff didn’t even do that well in the doubles last week in Dubai, after the early singles loss. There isn’t a ton of positive going on in Team Coco so far in 2022.
Betting on her opponents is a much more attractive prop than it was a year ago.
Belinda Bencic (-135) vs Clara Tauson (+105)
Bencic has lost to good players, but she’s still losing fairly early on in tournaments in 2022.
Meanwhile, Tauson, who rather anonymously has risen to her career high of No. 33 at age 19, has become a tough out.
She shocked Kontaveit in the second round of the Australian Open, and then nearly upset eventual finalist Danielle Collins before succumbing 7-5 in the third set.
The final set went for 67 minutes 😤
🇩🇰 Clara Tauson saved two match points at 4-5 before 🇺🇸 Danielle Collins eventually marched to victory.#AusOpen • #AOTennis • #AOplayers pic.twitter.com/REzeeRGl18
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 14, 2022
The two are meeting for the time, and Bencic might be in for a rude surprise.
Best Bet: Kontaveit (+700)
Good Longshot: Sakkari (+1400)
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Stephanie gets the straight dope from the tennis insiders. On court, she has represented her country internationally. A BA in journalism led to years on the MLB beat and a decade covering tennis globally. She's written for Postmedia, the Guardian, the New York Times and also publishes OpenCourt.ca.
