WTA Wuhan Open Final Odds & Pick: Aryna Sabalenka vs Alison Riske
- The 2019 Wuhan Open Finals will take place Saturday, September 28 at 4:30 am EST
- Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Alison Riske of the United States will be facing each other
- Sabalenka will be defending her title
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will be facing Alison Riske of the United States in the finals of the WTA Wuhan Open. The two players dominated their semifinals opponents, beating them in straight sets. And in the early hours of Saturday morning for all us in North America, Sablenka will be attempting to defend her title, as she defeated Anett Kontaveit last year.
2019 WTA Wuhan Open Finals Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alison Riske | +3.5 (-107) | +182 | O 21.5 (-112) |
| Aryna Sabalenka | -3.5 (-113) | -212 | U 21.5 (-107) |
*Odds taken 9/27/19
Sabalenka’s Road to the Finals
Aryna Sabalenka has seen this final before. She’s had great success at this tournament, and as reigning champion, she’s more than ready to win again. China has been quite good to Sabalenka over the course of her career. With her win against Ashleigh Barty, her record becomes 28-6 in the country.
It’s a second straight trip to the @wuhanopentennis final for @SabalenkaA ? The defending champion defeats World No.1 Barty 7-5, 6-4. pic.twitter.com/6e8kquXLBo
— wta (@WTA) September 27, 2019
Sabalenka’s semifinals matchup had everyone going against her, as she was facing World No.1 Ashleigh Barty. Barty had lost to Sabalenka in last year’s semifinals. And in just one hour and 43 minutes, Sabalenka defeated the World No.1 in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, to head back to the finals for the second year in a row.
“I’m so excited to be in the final, especially here. It was an amazing match, it was great level, I’m just happy right now.” – Aryna Sabalenka
In her semifinals match Sabalenka was able to break Barty in the opening set, and she was able to maintain her perfect record in Wuhan, 11 straight wins. If she were to win tomorrow, she will become only the second player to have won the Wuhan Open more than once, and the only player to win back-to-back.
Riske’s Road to the Finals
The American, Alison Riske is having herself quite a tournament in Wuhan, beating the only two-time Wuhan champion Petra Kvitova in straight sets in the semifinals, 7-5, 7-5. In her semifinals match against Kvitova, Riske won 83% of her service games, four return games, and 43% of her receiving points.
.@Riske4rewards is into the @wuhanopentennis final, defeating two-time champion Kvitova, 7-5, 7-5. ? pic.twitter.com/A86KtW4D6S
— wta (@WTA) September 27, 2019
Riske, who came into this tournament unseeded, has beaten three seeded players this week, including No. 5 Kvitova. And she beat all three seeded players in straight sets.
Another Top-10 win for Alison Riske!
The ?? defeats Petra Kvitova to make the final in Wuhan. Riske will play Aryna Sabalenka for the ?#TeamUSATennis pic.twitter.com/9vBx9X2O6O
— USTA (@usta) September 27, 2019
The American has had herself quite a 2019 season so far. She reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, ultimately losing to Serena Williams. And she reached the finals of Shenzhen, where she lost to her 2019 Wuhan Open Finals opponent, Aryna Sabalenka.
Head-to-Head
We have a rematch of the Shenzhen Finals that happened at the beginning of the year. This will be the third time that Aryna Sabalenka and Alison Riske has played each other in their careers.
Sabalenka vs Riske
| 2 | Wins | 0 |
| 14 | Rank | 34 |
| 5-5 | Last 10 Matches | 3-7 |
They have seen each other at the Rome Masters in 2018 and of course, Shenzhen just earlier this year.
Flashback to Week 1: Aryna Sabalenka and Alison Riske dueled in the Shenzhen final.
"This backhand down the line, this makes me so angry at you. You have to teach me how to do this. It's unbelievable!"
They'll face off in China again, this time for the @wuhanopentennis title. https://t.co/KyVgqyIuBf
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) September 27, 2019
Best Bet
Both players have had an unbelievable tournament beating higher-seeded players. But due to the familiarity that Sabalenka brings for herself to the court, and the huge win she’s coming off of, it’s hard to bet against her right now. Alison Riske’s odds to win the tournament are +182, and Sabalenka’s are -212. There’s not much saying that Riske should beat Sabalenka in this instance.
Despite Riske playing a great tournament, Sabalenka seems to have a bit of an edge in this match considering with their previous matchups. Riske will put up a fight, and it should be a good match to watch, but at the end of the day, there’s too much on Sabalenka’s side to not take her.
Pick: Sabalenka (-212)
A graduate of Sport Media at Ryerson University, Hayley is the ultimate student of sports. Whether she is playing it, watching it, debating it, or writing it, it's safe to assume sport consumes the majority of her life. She has worked both internationally and with the NBA.
