WTA Indian Wells Open 2019
Hardcourt season may be coming to a close, but the exciting action that women’s tennis provides is just heating up! The Women’s Singles event of the Indian Wells Open is also about to start, and this competition should provide enough thrills and spills for everyone as we begin the transition to clay court play.
There are several interesting storylines to watch out for when it comes to the players that we should watch in the competition, but there is enough reason to surmise that the centre of the attention will be on two women alone.
Every single soul in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden will cheer Serena Williams on as she tries to re-establish her dominance in women’s tennis. They will also keep an eye out for Naomi Osaka as the young Japanese has made a name for herself.
They are in different brackets and won’t meet until the final, and they have good Indian Wells 2019 odds of winning the entire thing. Fans will be looking forward to an exciting time if these two meet again. Until then, everyone can enjoy some fantastic tennis action.
Talking Points
Naomi’s quest for continuous dominance
Osaka may have seen a sudden rise in the WTA rankings, but her current status as the world’s best tennis player does not come without any basis.
The Japanese-Haitian Tennis star has won two consecutive Grand Slams and has firmly established herself as a force to watch out for in the women’s circuit. While her US Open victory was rife with controversy, it cannot be denied that the way she outplayed her childhood idol in Serena Williams is worthy of praise.
Her stock as the first seed in the tournament is also bolstered by the fact that she won the first Grand Slam of the year. While she had to fend off a spirited Petra Kvitova to win the title, her strong all-around play helped her win the year’s first major tournament.
Her fans are nervous about her chances, though: she has recently parted ways with Sascha Bajin, the coach who helped her become the first Asian to snag the top rank in tennis. Moreover, she lost to Kristina Mladenovic at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships and might face her again in her first game.
However, there’s no panic in Osaka’s camp yet. She’s focused on making the rare title defence, and she’s eager to win it all again.
Serena’s battle for relevance
Serena Williams hasn’t had the best 12 months of tennis, and you can understand where her frustrations during the US Open final came from.
Her frustrating form in New York marred what was supposed to be a coming-out party for her Japanese opponent, and her quarter-final exit in the Australian Open left a lot to be desired. Some naysayers may even claim that her descent and ride off to the sunset is not far away.
However, fans will always forget that Williams is still one of the most dominant athletes to ever play the sport. She has won 72 women’s singles titles and is only two Grand Slam wins short of beating Margaret Court and becoming the most successful female tennis player in Grand Slam history.
Moreover, Indian Wells will always have a special spot in Serena’s heart. It’s in these courts that she managed to beat the legendary Stefanie Graf as a 17-year-old. Her now-legendary full-set win over Graf will always be remembered by the desert, and the crowds will always look forward to the plays Serena will make on this court.
More ladies in pursuit
Of course, these aren’t the only two ladies the crowds should watch out for. The entire tournament bracket can be divided into quarters, and all of them have big names that can make the run with impressive Indian Wells 2019 results.
Osaka might have a shot at revenge against Mladenovic, but she isn’t the only big name in her segment of the table. Karolina Pliskova, Caroline Wozniacki, and Danielle Collins are possible opponents. Kvitova is the biggest name in the second quarter, but Venus Williams, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Madison Keys, and Angelique Kerber are also possible semi-finalists.
Serena is the boss in the third quarter, but there are also more than enough players in the quarter that can take advantage of her poor run recently. Kiki Bertens, Sloane Stephens, and Victoria Azarenka could emerge victoriously. Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina, and Jelena Ostapenko are the biggest players in the last quarter.
History
Naomi Osaka comes back as the defending champion and hopes to join the eight women who have already won the Indian Wells trophy twice. Her clean triumph over Daria Kasatkina last year was the starting point of her meteoric rise in the standings, and she hopes that more of the same continues here.
If she does win it all again, she will be joining a prestigious company of players. The ladies who have won this competition twice include Martina Navratilova, Mary Joe Fernandez, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Daniela Hantuchova, Maria Sharapova, and Victoria Azarenka.
What are the odds?
Given the fact that Indian Wells is basically home turf for Serena, it’s no wonder the biggest bookmakers like SBOBET gave the American the highest odds to win at 6.50. Simona Halep is the next favourite with her 8.50.
Osaka’s split with her coach hurts her chances badly, as she only got 9.50, but I believe that she might be able to surprise everyone yet again.
The other ladies who are tipped to win the Indian Wells are Kvitova (10.00), Elina Svitolina (15.00), Kerber (17.00), Karolina Pliskova (19.00) and Aryna Sabalenka (21.00).
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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