There are two big tennis tournaments to open the new year in 2023. In the first Grand Slams of 2023, the ATP and WTA Australian Open are just about to begin. TheSportsGeek is looking at the women’s Australian Open odds and providing our best Australian Open predictions.
We are splitting the blogs between the ATP and WTA Grand Slam. If you are interested in our thoughts and picks for the men’s Australian Open, check out the link. This analysis is for the women’s Australian Open odds.
Top seeds, assemble 🙌
Who is your tip for the #AO2023 women’s singles title? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/bnb9PAkqFT
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 12, 2023
via@AustralianOpen
There was not nearly as much controversy at the WTA Australian Open last year. On the men’s side, all of the attention was on Novak Djokovic instead of the action on the court. His vaccination status and eligibility for the Australian Open took prominence over tennis.
The women’s tournament went off without a hitch or asterisk. What happened after the 2022 WTA Australian Open was a shocker, though. Three months after the tournament, the winner of the 2022 WTA Australian Open retired unexpectedly.
Native of Australia, Ashleigh Barty, decided to retire a few months later in March. She won the Australian Open for her third Grand Slam of tennis in her career. That was enough for the top-rated women’s player in the world.
It was nice to see Barty go out as a champion in her home tournament at the Australian Open. The 26-year-old felt that she had accomplished everything in tennis and moved on to other endeavors. However, it sure would have been nice to have a Swiatek vs Barty rivalry over the next decade.
Upon the retirement of Barty, Swiatek immediately stepped into the spotlight as the best women’s tennis player in the world. Barty and Swiatek were well ahead of their foes that the Aussie retiring gave Swiatek the clear leading claims on the WTA Tour.
Swiatek is the woman to beat at the Australian Open and beyond in 2023. Unfortunately, we will not have a title defense opportunity with Barty in retirement, as she watches like the rest of us as a viewer.
Are you looking to bet on the 2023 women’s Australian Open? Check out our Australian Open Betting Sites page for the best online tennis sportsbooks.
Women’s Australian Open Past Winners
Barty will be in Australia this month, but not for playing in the Australian Open. Her 2022 Australian Open title was the first time she won this tournament. Barty was the first Australian woman to win the title in 44 years.
I’m so proud to be an Aussie 💙 pic.twitter.com/ELbsqR4Vv8
— Ash Barty (@ashbarty) January 29, 2022
via@ashbarty
That was the final accomplishment she needed to feel satisfied with her tennis career at 26 years old. Finishing on top is never a bad way to go out, but it would have been nice to see Barty duel with Swiatek at the 2023 Australian Open.
Swiatek has not been successful in her young career in Australia. Naomi Osaka won the tournament in 2019 and 2021, though she will not be active at the 2023 Australian Open. That leaves the 2021 and 2022 winners absent on the women’s side this year.
Serena Williams has the record for the most WTA Australian Open titles. She won seven of the eight final matches at the Australian Open in her career. Margaret Court won seven Australian Champions from 1960 to 1966.
Sofia Kenin, who won the Australian Open in 2020, will be playing in the 2023 Australian Open. However, she is not regarded as a serious threat of winning this year.
| YEAR | PLAYER | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Ashleigh Barty | Australia |
| 2021 | Naomi Osaka | Japan |
| 2020 | Sofia Kenin | USA |
| 2019 | Naomi Osaka | Japan |
| 2018 | Caroline Wozniacki | Denmark |
| 2017 | Serena Williams | USA |
| 2016 | Angelique Kerber | Germany |
| 2015 | Serena Williams | USA |
| 2014 | Li Na | China |
| 2013 | Victoria Arazenka | Belarus |
| 2012 | Victoria Arazenka | Belarus |
| 2011 | Kim Clijsters | Belarus |
| 2010 | Serena Williams | USA |
2023 WTA Australian Open Betting Odds
Without Barty in the mix, there is only one logical woman to have as the favorite in Australia. Swiatek is the favorite to win the 2023 Australian Open on the women’s side. The Pole is coming off a memorable campaign, but she did slow down toward the end of the season.
Sustaining the pace she was going at was going to be next to impossible. She was a machine destroying everyone in her path. That being said, Swiatek is looking for much more this season.
🪃Hi @AustralianOpen! I missed you.
🪃Hej @AustralianOpen! Tęskniłam. pic.twitter.com/86i24e5u3T
— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) January 11, 2023
via@iga_swiatek
Much more as in winning more than two Grand Slams in 2023. She is interested as the women’s Australian Open odds favorite at +225. Swiatek is not as big of a favorite to win as her male counterpart, Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic is the favorite in the men’s Australian Open at -125. You are not going to find the Joker at better-than-even odds to win this year. However, going with Swiatek yields a decent payout at +225.
Belarusian, Aryna Sabalenka, is the next likeliest winner according to the oddsmakers at +700. She was banned from playing at Wimbledon, but is well-positioned to win the first Grand Slam of her career this year.
Are Jessica Pegula, Caroline Garcia, and Ons Jabeur getting enough respect in this one? Their Australian Open odds surpass +1000, with potentially some good value there.
| PLAYER | ATP RANKING | ODDS |
|---|---|---|
| Iga Swiatek | 1 | +225 |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 5 | +700 |
| Caroline Garcia | 4 | +1100 |
| Jessica Pegula | 3 | +1100 |
| Cori (Coco) Gauff | 7 | +1200 |
| Ons Jabuer | 2 | +1400 |
| Belinda Bencic | 13 | +2000 |
| Barbora Krejcikova | 21 | +2200 |
| Elena Rybakina | 23 | +2200 |
| Veronika Kudermetova | 9 | +2500 |
| Danielle Collins | 14 | +3300 |
| Maria Sakkari | 6 | +4000 |
| Sebastian Korda | 31 | +3300 |
| Qinwen Zheng | 30 | +3300 |
| Liudmila Samsonova | 19 | +4000 |
| Paula Badosa | 11 | +4000 |
| Beatriz Haddid Maia | 25 | +5000 |
| Madison Keys | 10 | +5000 |
| Marketa Vondrousova | 78 | +5000 |
| Petra Kvitova | 16 | +5000 |
| Amanda Anismova | 29 | +6600 |
| Daria Kasatkina | 8 | +6600 |
| Leyla Fernandez | 39 | +6600 |
| Victoria Azarenka | 25 | +6600 |
| Anett Kontaveit | 17 | +7500 |
| Bianca Andreescu | 42 | +7500 |
| Ajla Tomljanovic | 35 | +10000 |
| Emma Raducanu | 73 | +10000 |
Australian Open Predictions
There are three Australian Open women on our Australian Open predictions shortlist to win. Our top Australian Open pick looks like a strong value selection at Melbourne Park.
Swiatek should be involved in the later rounds in the women’s Australian Open, though does she have the best value to open the year with a win? There might be better value on the Australian Open odds board.
As good of a chance as Swiatek has to win her first Australian Open, she will face a tough challenge this year. It is unlikely to be a clear path for the native of Poland. Let’s get into our top women’s Australian Open predictions.
Iga Swiatek (+225)
Swiatek is the obvious choice as the favorite to win the Australian Open. She is coming off a historic campaign despite not being able to win Wimbledon.
Swiatek won the French Open and US Open in convincing fashion. This included a season that saw Swiatek win 37 straight matches. Her winning streak came to a halt at Wimbledon in a 4-6, 2-6 loss to Alize Cornet.
The stunning upset ended the longest winning streak since Stefanie Graf won 66 straight matches from 1989 to 1990. Swiatek cooled off, but managed to grab a win at the US Open for her third career Grand Slam.
The Pole has a win in one of her previous three tournaments since then. Swiatek won the San Diego Open over Donna Vekic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, but losses in the Ostrava Open final and WTA Finals.
Swiatek came up short in the Ostrava Open against unseeded Barbora Krejcikova, 7-5, 6-7, 3-6. In her latest outing, Sabalenka came out on top in the semifinals over Swiatek, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 in November.
She is the best woman on the WTA Tour, but well off from the top form she had during her 37-win streak. Swiatek looked unstoppable back then. However, more players have learned how to beat her game.
Jessica Pegula (+1100)
The daughter of Terry Pegula, the owner of the Buffalo Bills, should have a say in the 2023 Australian Open. She has steadily improved over the last year and might be ready for a Grand Slam title.
Pegula has yet to win a Grand Slam in her career. That being said, the 28-year-old is on the right path. Some players peak later in their careers, with Pegula a good example of this in her late 20s.
She is up to No. 3 in the WTA rankings after picking up some valuable points in 2022. Pegula is not a player that will win multiple Grand Slams, but one or two is not that farfetched.
Pegula has two recent attempts against Swiatek. They met in the quarterfinals at the US Open in September. Swiatek won in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6.
At the San Diego Open, Pegula and Swiatek went to three sets in the semifinals. Swiatek pulled away for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win. Following the loss, Pegula won five straight matches to win the Guadalajara Open.
For the third time since September, Pegula and Swiatek had another match at the United Cup in the semifinals. Pegula won in quick fashion, with a 6-2, 6-2 win in just over an hour. That was one of the best performances from Pegula over the last year.
Iga Swiatek gives insight on her loss to Jessica Pegula yesterday. @iga_swiatek | #UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/GLpcMePdxc
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 6, 2023
via@TennisChannel
She is probably going to need to catch a break along the way. Perhaps Pegula catches a player or two out of form at Melbourne Park. If Pegula is at the top of her game, this should be a competitive tournament for her.
Women’s Australian Open Pick – Aryna Sabalenka
The best value in the 2023 WTA Australian Open might be the top-ranked player in the world from Belarus. Swiatek might be the most talented, but is Aryna Sabalenka really that far off?
The way we see it at TheSportsGeek, the spread from +225 to +700 is too much. Sabalenka is not that far behind Swiatek. The 24-year-old from Minsk has been in good form through the end of 2022.
She reached the WTA Finals against Caroline Garcia following a win over Swiatek on November 6. Sabalenka beat the No. 1 seed by a final of 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 for the right to face Garcia.
Back in the winner’s circle.
World No.5 Aryna Sabalenka opens her season with a perfect week in Adelaide to capture her 11th title and 1st since 2021 Madrid.
Sabalenka defeats Linda Noskova 63 76 to go 8-0 in sets for the week. #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/PWYxYDQ1XN
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 8, 2023
via@WTA_insider
Despite losing to Garcia, Sabalenka responded with a win in her prep work in Adelaide last week. Sabalenka won four straight matches in straight sets to win the final of her group at the Adelaide International.
Sabalenka has an opportunity to beat Swiatek in a major tournament this time. She fell to Swiatek in the semifinals of the US Open in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6. Sabalenka was not intimidated in a meeting against Swiatek two months later.
Sabalenka at +700 is worth a second look in the Australian Open. These Australian Open odds make Sabalenka a player to bet on to win her first career Grand Slam. Our own WTA Australian Open betting odds have Sabalenka at +500, so this is a good value pick.
