2021 Australian Open Women’s Odds & Preview: Osaka’s the Favorite

• The 2021 Australian Open will start on Monday, February 8th
• 128 women will be competing in the women’s singles
• Read below for odds to win the tournament and preview of what we expect

It took some time to get here, but the first Grand Slam of 2021 will officially get underway next week. Many of the top tennis stars will be competing, and some fans will be allowed to attend. But due to COVID-19, quarantines, and testing, it’s possible that schedules may change. Nothing is set in stone this year. What is for sure is Serena Williams will continue her bid to make history, searching for her record-tying 24th women’s Grand Slam singles title.

Naomi Osaka leads the odds to win the tournament, followed by hometown favorite Ashleigh Barty. 2020 champion, Sofia Kenin enters the tournament with +1500 to defend her title.

Let’s take a look at who we should watch out for at the Aussie Open.

2021 Australian Open Women’s Singles Odds

Odds taken Feb 5th from DraftKings

The Favorite

The draw has not been all that favorable to Osaka this time around. The three time Grand Slam winner will start her tournament off with a tough match against three-time Australian Open quarter-finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The two have seen each other a few times over the course of their career, and Osaka holds the edge with a 2-1 record. Her possible second round opponent is former World No. 4 Caroline Garcia, and there’s a possibility of seeing former World No. 1 Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round.

Naomi Osaka has seen her @AustralianOpen draw.

"I saw the projected draw of me. And I actually, I'm kind of excited. I like playing tough people, especially in Slams.

"Honestly I've never seen a projected draw come true, so I guess it will be interesting for all of us."

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 5, 2021

The Hometown Favorite

Almost a year ago, Ashleigh Barty made the decision to not play a tournament after the tour shutdown in March. She decided she was going to stay home in Australia. This past week she’s been competing at the Yarra Valley Classic tournament where she’s competing in the finals this weekend, after Serena Williams had withdrawn prior to their semifinal match. Prior to the Yarra Valley Classic she hadn’t competed in a tournament in 11 months.

There’s definitely some pressure there as expectations are always fairly high for a hometown favorite, especially when their ranked World No. 1, but Barty has shown she can find success under pressure. The Australian will open her tournament against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, and if she makes it to the third round she’ll start to see some more familiar faces that are expected to give her a tough go.

2020 Champion

A year ago Sofia Kenin won her first Grand Slam here at the Australian Open, and a lot has changed since then. But despite many expecting Kenin to fall to the pressures after her win last year, she went on to have a successful 2020 season, including winning the WTA title.

Kenin will open her tournament against wild card Maddison Inglis of Australia, and could possibly see some tough competition as early as the second round. Last year at this tournament she had to beat the likes of Ashleigh Barty and Garbine Muguruza. If she can channel that strength and aggression, she could be someone who goes deep in the tournament.

Is Williams Worth the Bet?

Serena Williams is once again going after her record-tying 24th women’s Grand Slam singles title. Will she do it this year at the Aussie Open? The fact that she retired from her semifinal match against Barty in a tune-up tournament is not the best sign. If there was any discomfort, it did make sense to withdraw ahead of the Australian Open, as that is obviously the priority.

Serena Williams & Naomi Osaka both playing it safe. Both withdraw from semifinals in lead-in events in Melbourne, citing injuries, to rest ahead of the Australian Open, which begins Monday

Last time Osaka withdrew from an event to protect an injury, she won the 2020 US Open

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) February 5, 2021

The 10th seed starts her tournament against Germany’s Laura Siegemund, which should be a relatively straightforward win for the American. But she could she her fellow American Alison Riske in the third round, who could give her some trouble. Those two have only faced each other once, back at 2019 Wimbledon, and Williams did win the match.

It’s also worth noting that Williams and Osaka could see each other in the semifinals as they were drawn into the same half. A lot of things would have to go right for Williams to hoist the trophy this year.

Best Bet: Osaka (+500)