Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
When it comes to the US Open Women betting suggests this is one of the most difficult to call Grand Slams for some time.
You can check the very latest Betfair odds here – they offer £25 in free bets to new customers too. US visitors should head to BetUS.Com for the best odds for American readers.
7/2 Kim Clijsters (Betfred), 9/2 Maria Sharapova (Stan James), 8 Caroline Wozniacki (VC Bet), 9 Victoria Azarenka (VC Bet), 12 Venus Williams (Betfred), 18 Svetlana Kuznetsova (VC Bet)
When Kim Clijsters and daughter Jada celebrated mum’s US Open win together last year it was one of the sporting images of the year. A year on, and having not played that much, even Clijsters might be surprised to be favourite to retain her crown. The withdrawal of Serena Williams means that Caroline Wozniacki is the top seed. The Dane reached the final last year and warmed up for the event with victory in New Haven. The main question about Wozniacki (pictured) is does she have the ability to beat the top players in the big matches. History suggests not, but she is entitled to be confident.
Clijsters and Maria Sharapova met in the Cincinnati final, which the Belgian won, but Sharapova has hope she can improve as that was her first tournament for some time. She does though, look set to collide with Caroline Wozniacki in the last 16.
Victoria Azarenka is the official dark horse – a consistent player with a good serve and booming groundstokes. She’s likely to find Venus Williams as her main obstacle towards making the final. Williams has a good looking draw apart from that but she hasn’t won a Grand Slam for two years.
In short there are enough doubts about all the main contenders to make this compelling. The women’s game feels stronger and more open, and it’s time for a new face to break through.
Sportnewsbase.com recommends: Go for Victoria Azarenka at 9/1 with VC Bet to lift the title – they offer up to £50 of free bets