Naomi Osaka is the current reigning champion of Australian Open Women’s Singles tournament, winning the title last February losing only a single set in the whole event. But is she capable of winning her 3rd title? Oddsmakers highly believe so, and most are rooting for the Japanese player as the #1 favorite.
However, the history of the Women’s Singles teaches us that in this competition, anything can happen. In fact, 8 different participants have won the Women’s Singles since 2010. The best example of this is Emma Raducanu, who at the age of 18 won the 2021 US Open. But can she win it this time? Early odds suggest that she might, at +750. Talking of the Australian odds, let’s see the prices of bookies 3 months before the event starts.
Early 2022 Australian Open Odds
| Player | Odds |
| Naomi Osaka | +500 |
| Ashleigh Barty | +550 |
| Emma Raducanu | +800 |
| Aryna Sabalenka | +1100 |
| Iga Swiatek | +1200 |
| Bianca Andreescu | +1400 |
| Garbine Muguruza | +1400 |
| Simona Halep | +1400 |
| Coco Gauff | +1800 |
| Karolina Pliskova | +1800 |
You should pick a favorite from this list and place a bet on these odds while they’re still hot. As clearly indicated from the table above, a majority of tennis bookmakers believe that the 2022 Australian Open tournament for the Women’s Singles to be a tough battle. Bookies believe that it will be a battle between the reigning champion and the current WTA number 1.
Naomi Osaka managed to win the 2021 tournament winner, which was her 2nd title. Osaka’s first Australian Open victory was two years earlier. Looking at Barty, she remains the highest-ranked female player on the globe, another big reason as to why you may want to consider her as a strong candidate too.
Emma Raducanu is another player that you shouldn’t ignore, with the Brit being on a majority of bettors’ radar, especially after managing to title in New York in August. Naomi, Barty, and Emma are currently the only players with odds of under +1000, something that suggests that they the competition’s most serious candidates.
Will Naomi Osaka Manage Back-to-Back Australian Open Titles?
The last time that a player managed to win back-to-back titles in Australian Open Women’s Singles was back in 2012/13. It was when Victoria Azarenka managed to win 2 straight titles. 9 years later, Naomi Osaka stands a chance to do the same. But is she capable?
The problem is that at the moment, Naomi Osaka’s form doesn’t seem that impressive. While there are more than 100 days left before the tournament commences, her record doesn’t give many people any solid confidence. Since emerging the winner of the 2021 Australian Open, Naomi hasn’t won any other single tournament.
In fact, she was knocked out of early in a number of subsequent tournaments some of the most notable being:
- Round 2 loss at WTA Miami to Karolina Muchova
- Round 1 loss at the WTA Rome to Jennifer Pegula
- Her withdrawal in round 2 of the French Open
- Round 16 loss to Leylah Annie Fernandez at the US Open
- Round 2 loss to Jil Belen Tiechmann at WTA in Cincinnati
On the brighter side, though, it appears as if Osaka loves to play in Melbourne. Osaka is in fact one of the only three active WTA players who’ve won this Grand Slam on several occasions. So far, she’s won it twice. The other two are Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka.
Ash Barty Making Her 1st AO Title
For all but four weeks since 2019, Ash Barty has managed to be at the top of the WTA Rankings. Furthermore, Barty has been appearing in the top 20 since 2017, managing to win 3 Grand Slams along the way that include the 2019 French Open and 2021 Wimbledon.
Something that has surprised many is that Barty hasn’t impressed in her homeland. In fact, one of her best achievement in the Australian Open is when managed to reach the semis in 2020. In 2021, Ash Barty was knocked out of the quarterfinal, something that came as a huge surprise, considering the fact that the Australian came into the tournament as the #1 seed.
Barty will also be the top seed in the upcoming AO 2022 tournament, but this time, there’s going to be one primary advantage to her. This time round, there will be more fans in the stands, most likely without limitations where matters to do with capacity is a big concern. This wasn’t the case the last time in February when the capacity was kept at 50% -at the most-, with some matches taking place behind closed doors to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
One such match that took place behind closed doors was the one between Barty and Muchova. This match was played just a day before the fans were allowed back in. With a lack of fans to cheer her on, along with a controversial 10-minute medical timeout requested by Muchova, Ash Barty ended up dropping her 1-0 lead, something that saw her finishing her AO story soon.
A new chance awaits Barty in January, and there are claims that she’ll do better this time round. Bookies are pricing her at odds of under +550.
Will Emma Radacanu Continue with her Grand Slam Wins?
Many oddmakers believe that there’s a good chance of Emma Radacanu winning the Australian Open, but it’s not going to be the upcoming one. Emma Radacanu turned 19 four days ago on 13 November 2021, so she will have plenty of opportunities to win the title in future. However, in 2022, winning the title might be huge task for here. Of importance to remember, though, is that Emma Radacanu managed to pull off one of her biggest feats by going ahead and winning the US Open. But many believe that Radacanu hasn’t reached the level required to triumph in majors.
The same goes for all the other rising tennis players of the WTA that include Coco Gauff (17 years), Iga Swiatek (20 years), and Bianca Andreescu (21 years). But do the veterans stand any chance at the upcoming Australian Open Women’s Singles?
Are We Set to Witness Serena Williams’ Last Dance in Melbourne?
At the time of writing, Serena Williams stands at #41 player in terms of rankings, her worst position since 2018. A primary contributing factor to her massive drop is that she didn’t take part in too many tournaments in 2021. On September 26, she turned 40, making her the 2nd oldest-player in the rankings of WTA. It’s funny enough that the oldest player on that list is her sister, Venus, who happens to be a year older.
The Australian Open appears to be Serena’s favorite tournament as she’s a 7-times AO titleholder, which happens to be more than any other tennis player is in the Open era. The last time was in 2017, when she was 8 weeks pregnant and in September the same year, she went into labor, a move that saw her taking a hiatus for several months.
Having not been in tennis for a while, many are waiting to see if 2022 will be her comeback year. Serena remains to be one of the most decorated players in the history of tennis, and there’s no doubt that she has the skills to emerge the winner of the Australian Open. A major question here is whether she still possesses the strength and endurance needed to win a major.
Wagering on the Upcoming 2022 AO Women’s Singles
When it comes to wagering on the upcoming Australian Open Women’s Singles, early odds do suggest that Naomi Osaka will most definitely retain her Australian Open title. But such won’t be easy as Ash Barty is expected to bring in tight competition.
In case you are wondering why Barty is a solid competitor, among other things, as things stand, she’s the best female tennis player in the world. She topping the WTA Eankings and better yet, she will be playing in her native Australia.
To sum it up, the fact that Ash Barty hasn’t won the Australian Open is another huge reason as to why you may want to back her up. In fact, as time goes by, the odds on her are bound to get shorter. Now, they are seeming very attractive, and stand at +550.
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