Ashleigh Barty Now Favored to Win French Open Women’s Singles After Top Seeds Continue to Fall
By Hayley Graham in Tennis
Updated: April 9, 2020 at 6:20 am EDTPublished:
- Ashleigh Barty has become the favorite to win the French Open after an impressive win over Madison Keys
- Barty will now participate in her first Grand Slam semi-final
- 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova has earned her way to the semi-finals after sweeping former champ Simona Halep
The 2019 French Open has been anything but predictable. Top seeds are continuing to drop like flies, and the young generation is taking over. Three of the four semi-finalist are 23 years old or younger.
Ashleigh Barty’s French Open odds have shortened significantly, going from +600 leading into the quarter-finals to +164 after the match. With her semi-finals win, Barty has become the favorite to capture her first French Open title.
2019 French Open Women’s Singles Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ashleigh Barty | +165 |
| Johanna Konta | +225 |
| Marketa Vondrousova | +350 |
| Amanda Anisimova | +400 |
*Odds taken 06/06/19
The New Favorite
Barty has settled into her own at the French Open and she isn’t finished yet. The top-ranked Australian will be taking on another young phenom in Amanda Anisimova on Thursday. These two young players beat their ranked opponents in the quarters in straight sets, so don’t be surprised if the winner of this match will be the one who wins it all.
Ashleigh Barty's rise is nothing short of extraordinary.
Here's a quick refresher. #RG19 pic.twitter.com/Qivt4u9ZWh
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2019
Barty’s match against Keys was arguably her best match yet. The 23-year old was able to take care of the American in just over an hour, beating her in straight sets, as she played the most controlled tennis of her career.
Anyone’s Game?
With no top seeds left in the tournament, and no one being an absolute slam dunk, could it really be anyone’s game? The only player that has significant experience in this type of playoff environment is Johanna Konta, who also has years of experience on the other three semi-finalists.
She's done it!
Johanna Konta is a #FrenchOpen SEMI-FINALIST 🙌
She beats 2018 runner-up Sloane Stephens 6-1 6-4
Reaction: https://t.co/gFzQ8FH6oR #bbctennis pic.twitter.com/zoMVS2rfdh
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 4, 2019
Marketa Vondrousova and Amanda Anisimova, 19 and 17-years-old respectively, have proven all tournament that they are here to stay in the tennis world. Anisimova has the difficult task of facing 2018 French Open champion Simona Halep, and beat her in straight sets.
Vondrousova didn’t quite have to beat the former champ in her quarter-final match, but still had to prove her way to the semi-finals and will be having to face the most experienced player left in the tournament in Konta.
Who’s Your Best Bet?
At this point it can be anyone’s tournament on the women’s side. All four semi-finalists have faced adversity and upset higher seeds in order to make it this far.
The majority of the players don’t have much, if any, Grand Slam semi-final play to go off of, so whoever digs deep and gets in the zone is the one who will come out on top. The odds show that it could go any way, and as I said earlier, don’t be surprised if whoever wins the Barty vs Anisimova match is the last one standing.
Pick: Ashleigh Barty (+165)
Sports Writer
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.
