Australian Open women's singles winner predictions, odds & tennis betting tips

Tennis tips, best bets and player analysis for the Australian Open women's singles at Melbourne Park.

Where to watch

Live on Eurosport 1 & 2 from midnight on Sunday

Best bets

Sofia Kenin
1.5pts each-way 125-1 bet365

Garbine Muguruza
1pt each-way 125-1Betfair, Paddy Power

Cori Gauff to win first quarter
2pts 9-2 Hills

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Preview

Iga Swiatek is the favourite, and a pretty warm one, to win her first Australian Open after bossing the hard courts in the US Open in September.

But while the world number one and top seed clearly merits considerable respect given the way she totally dominated the first half of last season, her recent straight-sets defeat to Jessica Pegula in the United Cup down under raises question marks about her form.

Aryna Sabalenka is the second favourite after winning the first of the two Adelaide International events in fine style. The Belarusian, who has just announced that she is expecting her first child, could go well at Melbourne Park, but Sabalenka is still a maiden at major level and a couple of longshots are preferred at the prices.

Verdict

Sofia Kenin 125-1

Garbine Muguruza 125-1

There are only two past Grand Slam singles champions competing in this year's women's singles - two-time champion Victoria Azarenka and 2020 heroine Sofia Kenin - and, lo and behold, the pair have been drawn to clash in the first round.

It could be close but, tough opener notwithstanding, there are reasons to think Kenin should warrant support at three-figure odds to add to her Melbourne victory of three years ago.

The American, 24, has started the new season on the front foot. She beat Xinyu Wang in Auckland before losing 6-4 6-4 to compatriot Cori Gauff then last week she made the semi-finals in Hobart, which should put her just about spot-on for the first major of the campaign.

It's easy to forget just how good a performer Kenin can be at her best. Not only did she win at Melbourne Park in 2020 but just four months after claiming her first Slam triumph, she reached the final of the French Open on clay, which was a terrific effort.

Kenin was the only player to give Gauff a test in Auckland and it's just possible that form could be reversed were the pair to clash in the semis in Victoria. And with the Australian Open potentially wide open if Swiatek is not performing at her peak, the Russian-born Kenin is definitely good enough and talented enough to be in the mix.

Kenin beat Garbine Muguruza in the 2020 Melbourne final and, while it's something of a wild-card selection, it's just possible that the Spaniard may be better prepared for the new season than some believe.

The fact that Muguruza is a past Aussie Open finalist is a big plus on its own, while the 29-year-old former world number one didn't play badly when losing to 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the first of the two Adelaide prep tournaments and in the second event Olympic singles gold medallist Belinda Bencic, who went on to lift that title.

Muguruza may take some solace from the fact that top players Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep aren't competing in Melbourne this year and if she is playing well she could easily take a hand if she gets through a difficult opener against 26th seed Elise Mertens.

Other selection

Cori Gauff to win first quarter 9-2

With doubts surrounding the wellbeing and form of Swiatek and the fact that Chinese starlet Qinwen Zheng may not be quite on top of her game this early in the season, an interest on Gauff to win the first quarter of the draw could be prudent.

In a nutshell, there has arguably never been a tennis talent quite like Gauff and even though she's still only 18, it's simply a matter of time before she reaches the top of her profession.

And the way she has started this season, by not dropping a set on the way to lifting the Auckland trophy, suggests that Grand Slam singles-winning time may be about to come for the Atlanta native.

Gauff is second-favourite to dominate her quarter but the price in question could prove to be huge.

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