Naomi Osaka ready to further her growing reputation in the east

BT Sport 1, 10am Sunday

Sometimes you just have to accept that the oddsmakers may be right to make a particular player favourite in a potentially open field and that may be the case with Naomi Osaka in the WTA Finals Singapore, which start on Sunday.

Talentwise, there's no question that Osaka deserves to be market leader after her stunning victory in the US Open last month.

But when bookmakers rubber-stamp it by installing the Japanese 21-year-old at the top of an elite group missing only world number one Simona Halep, whose season has been ended by a back injury, and Julia Goerges, then it may be time to take notice.

The early 5-1 and 9-2 about Osaka triumphing in the year-ending championship did not last long with layers who quoted those prices. But punters could still have plenty of fun with slightly shorter odds about a player who served notice when thrashing Serena Williams in the Flushing Meadows final that few will be able to live with her on court when she's on top of her game.

Sloane Stephens, whose US Open crown Osaka took, is adept at stepping up her form when the occasion requires. But against Osaka, the American may not get to do that for much longer.

Stephens won their only previous meeting two years ago, but Osaka has a chance to draw level in their personal series in Singapore.

And even if Stephens defeats Osaka again and pulls two clear, there's still a decent chance that the selection can produce the goods against Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber and Cincinnati heroine Kiki Bertens, a late replacement for Halep.

Kerber could obviously still prove a major contender but the draw has not been kind to the German by asking her to over­come Osaka and Stephens in the red group.

Kerber was playing superbly well in mid-summer, when she upended Serena in the All England Club final, but she looks to have gone off the boil a little since then.

In the white group, Petra Kvitova has a leading head-to-head record against her three rivals Caroline Wozniacki, Karolina Pliskova and Elina Svitolina.

Wozniacki fully deserved to take the honours in Singapore last year, but this looks a tougher assignment for the Dane and others are preferred.

Kvitova looks fit and raring to go in the lead-up to the Singapore extravaganza and the 2011 winner in Istanbul can be backed to win her group and considered as an outright each-way option.

But the sport has moved on since the two-time Wimbledon champion last bossed matters at the top level on an indoor hard court and given the format of a tournament in which two players from the same group can reach the final, there's no great urgency to back Kvitova for the title.

Recommendation
N Osaka
1pt 4-1 188Bet

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