2018 Australian Open: Women’s Final Betting Tips
Any tournament where the top two seeds reach the final is a hit! On that count, the 2018 Australia Open Women’s competition would have kept the organisers happy. The final will be played between the number one seed Simona Halep and the second seed Caroline Wozniacki.
In the absence of Serena Williams and the early departures of warhorses Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova, these two have kept the hopes of a first-time Champions at Melbourne Park alive. Who will it be?
Simona Halep
Halep needed a thriller to defeat Angelique Kerber in the semi-final. After a breezy start to the match, Halep was pegged back by a stubborn Kerber. Halep has had to save match points in the final set to eventually come through.
The Romanian had to do the same against Lauren Davis in the third-round where her win was accentuated by saving three match points in an epic final set that went to 28 games. Even her first-round win was full of drama, as she had to come back from 2-5 down in the opening set.
The 26-year-old’s run to the final is commendable as she advanced to her third Grand Slam final. The first two have ended in disappointment – 2014 and 2017 French Open. Will it be third time lucky for the world number one?
Caroline Wozniacki
It won’t be easy for Halep, though, as she faces the former world number one Wozniacki in the Championship match.
It has been a renaissance of sorts for the hard-hitting Dane who found herself as low as 74th following an ankle injury in 2016. She now stands on the cusp of breaking the tag of ‘the best player to have not won a Slam’ and also reclaim the World number one ranking!
Surprisingly, even Wozniacki had to dig deep in the tournament to reach this far. She had to save match points against Jana Fett in the second round and was stretched to three sets by Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinals. She is looking to be third-time lucky too, as the Dane is a beaten finalist in the 2009 and 2014 US open.
Stats
Wozniacki leads the head-to-head 4-2 although this is their first meeting at a major! This is the first Australian Open final for both the players and there will be a brand new Australian Open Women’s Champion for the first time since 2014.
This will also be the first Grand Slam final featuring two players who have saved match points on their way to the final. If Halep wins, she will become the first woman to win a Grand Slam after saving match points in two separate matches.
Picks
It is tough to pick a winner here, but Wozniacki should triumph at odds of $2.25 (Sportsbet). Another pick would be to back over 2.5 sets in the match at odds of $2.37 (Sportsbet).
TIP: Over 2.5 sets – $2.37 at Sportsbet
