in Tennis Articles

If you're thinking about wagering on the women's side of the upcoming Australian Open, there are several things to keep in mind before making your selection. First and foremost, I would venture to say that the majority of Grand Slam upsets usually occurs at the Australian Open, when many of the sport's top competitors are still working to reach their peak conditioning.

Another factor to consider is the fact that the WTA Tour now consists of at least six women who can genuinely win any tournament at any given time, and at least three or four more who are either right on the fringes of greatness or are battling to get back into the upper echelon.

Having said that, here is everything you need to know about the competitors in the field a well as my thoughts on the favorites and my dark horse selection.

Maria Sharapova +200

At +200, the world's number one player doesn't offer great odds, but obviously stands an excellent chance of winning the entire tournament. However, I wouldn't be in a rush to lay my money on Sharapova at least until this spring.

Kim Clijsters +400

Clijsters, one of the hardest workers on the WTA Tour is a threat to win every tournament she enters. Clijsters may also have some added motivation in this tournament since she had to pull out of last year's Australian Open during her semifinal match against Amelie Mauresmo.

Amelie Mauresmo +350

At + 350, Mauresmo, the defending Australian Open champ, is an excellent player to wager on and one that could obviously win this tournament. With her continued maturation, Mauresmo, has finally whittled away the only chink in her nearly impeccable armor - the gray matter between her ears.

Martina Hingis +1800

While it is certainly nice to see Hingis back in the thick of things, she will have her work cut out for her with today's bigger, harder hitting females. However, Hingis' shot-making ability is almost unparalleled, which makes her a legitimate contender in every tournament she enters.

Serena Williams +1600

When Williams is healthy and motivated (which is always a question) she could probably beat most of the men on the ATP Tour. However, when she's not healthy - or interested for that matter - it's an entirely differet story altogether. Unfortunately for the other players on the tour, Williams seems to be in a great frame of mind and appears hungry to regain her title as the best female tennis player on the planet, making her an excellent player to lay a few bucks on.

Svetlana Kuznetsova +1800

At +1800, Kuznetsova is undoubtedly an excellent wager. The only problem with the talented Russian is who won the 2004 U.S. Open, is between her ears. Like Williams, when Kuznetsova is motivated, she can be a handful, but when she's not, she'll just mail it in. 'Buyer beware' with Kuznetsova.

Jelena Jankovic +1200

Not only did Jankovic become one of my favorite players on the tour last year, but one who is ready to crack into the elite class of players in 2007. At +1200, I'd say Jankovic is a more than excellent wager to win it all.

Nadia Petrova +1200

Petrova didn't make it past the quarterfinals in any of the Grand Slams she competed in last year, which tells me she's at least another year or two away from really making an impact.

Nicole Vaidisova +1400

Vaidisova is another player who took huge strides last season and appears ready to step even further into the class of the elite. At +1400, betting on Vaidisova is undeniably a wise selection.

Dark Horse:

Incredibly, I have three darkhorse players who could literally win this thing outright. First up is Serena Williams. If she is really serious about getting back to No. 1, then William could be on a misson here.

My other selections are Jankovic and Vaidisova, two young players with immense potential that they are quickly improving on. If either player gets hot and can raise the level of their confidence, then watch out.

My Pick:

I'm going to predict a Mauresmo/Vaidisova final with Mauresmo winning her second consecutive Australian Open.

Check out the BetUS sportsbook to see all of the Australian Open odds and many more sporting event odds.

Eric Williams is a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun, and Sr. NBA analyst for basketball.com as well as a nationally syndicated freelance writer for both print and online publications.