The US Open is the next big event in the tennis calendar and it follows a very exciting Olympics. Wimbledon winner, Ash Barty has been enjoying an excellent season so far having won her maiden title in London and picking up bronze in the mixed doubles for Australia in Tokyo. Because of this, she heads to the US as the second favourite behind Naomi Osaka at around 6/1 with most bookmakers including William Hill.
For tennis fans in Australia, watching the Barty in action in the US can be tricky due to the time difference, but the best betting apps provide up to date odds and streaming so you can enjoy all of her matches, and more straight from your device wherever you are. We’ll take a look at chances and if her recent form is any indication of how she will fare in New York.
Maiden Wimbledon Win
Barty will be well into her preparations for the next, and final Grand Slam tournament of the year. She made it to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open early in the year before an injury forced her to withdraw from the French Open. Since then, she has been inspired and made a miraculous recovery to go on and win Wimbledon, becoming the first Australian woman to do so in over 40 years.
At 25 years old she has started playing some of the best tennis of her life and she’ll be determined to give it a good go in the US having missed last year’s event due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Up and Down Olympics
The French Open winner was brimming with confidence as she headed to the summer games to represent her country and headed the betting with many bookies. However, despite the optimism surrounding her, Barty suffered a shock first-round defeat to Sara Sorribest Tormo. The Queenslander was beaten in straight sets (6-4, 6-3) and looked like a shadow of the force she had been at Wimbledon.
However, she didn’t let that get her down. Barty was also participating in the doubles, and mixed doubles. Along with her childhood friend Storm Sanders, she played some excellent tennis, but they were ultimately undone by the top-seeded Czech pair Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in the quarterfinals.
Barty’s last remaining chance for a medal at her debut Olympics then lay with her mixed doubles partner John Peers. After a bit of luck when Novak Djokovic pulled out of Serbia’s playoff for third, Barty was rewarded for her perseverance with a bronze medal.
US Open Chances
There’s no doubt that Ash Barty has the chance to complete her most successful year to date in style by performing at Flushing Meadows. She has yet to make it past the last 16 at the tournament but this is something that she will hope to rectify this year. Of course, she has tasted success though, winning the doubles in 2018 with American CoCo Vandeweghe in one of the most memorable finals in some time. So, she is more than capable of playing on the hard surface.
Naomi Osaka leads the betting and will be the one to beat. The Japanese star picked up her second US trophy last season following a hard-earned win against Victoria Azarenka. However, she is not unbeatable. Osaka was beaten in the third round of the Olympics convincingly by Marka Vondrushova (6-1, 6-4), and the grand slam winner has withdrawn from several events including Wimbledon due to mental health issues. She is an incredible player and at only 23 years of age has a fantastic career ahead of her.
It should be a fascinating battle between the two tennis stars for this season’s title.
