- Karolina Pliskova defends her title at this year’s Italian Open, which was moved from May to September this year.
- There will be no fans on site, and reduced prize money
- Simona Halep – who has never won the title but has a good record in Rome – is a strong favorite. Who else has a shot? Read on.
The Internazionali BNL d’Italia, normally held in May, is in September this year.
It’s a tight squeeze; it begins the day after the US Open men’s final. And there’s less than a week between the end and the start of Roland Garros.
On the plus side, many of the top players who skipped the trip to New York are back in action on the red clay.
WTA Italian Open Women’s Singles Odds
| Player | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Simona Halep (ROU) | +275 |
| Kiki Bertens (NED) | +600 |
| Elina Svitolina (UKR) | +900 |
| Anett Kontaveit (EST) | +1100 |
| Karolina Pliskova (CZE) | +1300 |
| Victoria Azarenka (BLR) | +1300 |
| Sofia Kenin (USA) | +1700 |
| Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) | +1700 |
| Elise Mertens (BEL) | +2000 |
| Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) | +2000 |
| Angelique Kerber (GER) | +2500 |
| Petra Martic (CRO) | +2500 |
| Iga Swiatek (POL) | +2500 |
| Elena Rybakina (KAZ) | +3300 |
| Belinda Bencic (SUI) | +4000 |
| Cori Gauff (USA) | +4000 |
| Ons Jabeur (TUN) | +4000 |
| Julia Görges (GER) | +6000 |
| Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) | +8000 |
| Venus Williams (USA) | +10000 |
More Top Players in Action
Six of the top 10 women in the WTA singles rankings decided not to make the trip to the US Open – for safety, health and scheduling reasons.
But many of them are back.
That includes pre-tournament favorite Simona Halep, who won the Prague WTA event on red clay last month.
🇷🇴@Simona_Halep in azione sul Centrale del Foro Italico! 😍
È una delle favorite di questi @InteBNLdItalia?#tennis #ibi20 pic.twitter.com/Z0QYnV8a4k
— SuperTennis TV (@SuperTennisTv) September 11, 2020
Also back in action are 2018 Rome champion Elina Svitolina, No. 8 Kiki Bertens and No. 10 Belinda Bencic.
In all, six of the current top 10 are playing, which is better than the US Open.
Italian Open Recent Women’s Singles Champions
| Year | Champion | 2020 Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Karolina Pliskova | +1300 |
| 2018 | Elina Svitolina | +900 |
| 2017 | Elina Svitolina | +900 |
| 2016 | Serena Williams | Not Playing |
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty has turned the page on her season.
Also absent is injured 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu. And according to her coach, is unlikely to make the trip to Paris, either.
Naomi Osaka, who won the US Open women’s singles Saturday, is rightly sitting this one out even if she’s an early favorite at the French Open.
Halep has never won in Rome. But she has made the final twice. And this year, she doesn’t have have the big Premier Mandatory tournament in Madrid right ahead of it.
Madrid, owned by her countryman and supporter Ion Tiriac, is a focal point of her season. She has won it twice and made two other finals, typically leaving her a little short of legs coming into Rome – usually.
So it’s no surprise that the best clay-courter on the WTA Tour would be the strong favorite in Rome this year.
Defending Champ Pliskova Down the List
There is no amore at all for Pliskova, the defending champion.
She is at +1300. And Johanna Konta, who reached the final a year ago, is even further down the list at +4000.
If they seem undervalued, it’s probably because neither had a particularly lustrous record in Rome before getting to the final a year ago.
This year, Konta is in a quarter with no fewer than … six players who’ve won Grand Slam titles.
For Pliskova, the path to at least the quarterfinals seems fairly clear. Svitolina and Bertens stand in the way after that.
The Champions’ Section
Victoria Azarenka received a special exemption into Rome after reaching the US Open final. And she was on a plane Sunday, ready to continue the career momentum she created during a spectacular run inside the US Open bubble.
Her odds are better than they should be. That’s likely because her 2019 run to the Rome quarterfinals included a win over 2017 and 2018 champion Svitolina, and a tough three-set loss to eventual champion Pliskova.
.@vika7 supporting @naomiosaka? Cute.
Vika supporting Naomi while cuddling with little Leo? Cutest. 😍#USOpen pic.twitter.com/XPRV6aGUcy
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) September 4, 2020
But after playing 12 matches in New York, she has no time to rest or adapt to the clay (or the time change).
Her draw won’t help. A few days after a first-ever Grand Slam win over Serena Williams (she had been 0-10), she faces a far fresher Venus Williams.
If she were to win, she would face reigning Australian champ Sofia Kenin.
First-round Upset Picks
The first round features some tasty matchups, and there is opportunity there for some underdogs to come through.
- Sloane Stephens (+148) over Garbiñe Muguruza (-186) (Muguruza struggled in New York; Stephens is a former French Open finalist)
- Venus Williams (+140) over Victoria Azarenka (-182) (Azarenka will be dead tired, and jet-lagged)
- Cori Gauff (+155) over Ons Jabeur (-200) (The former French Open junior champion needs to get it going)
- Camila Giorgi (+114) over Dayana Yastremska (-141) (Yastremska just dumped her coach, and Giorgi is playing at home)
Tournament pick: Halep (+275)
The post WTA Italian Open Odds and Betting Preview: Defending Champ Pliskova a long shot appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
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