WTA Finals: Muguruza the one to beat in Singapore
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Pliskova and Halep are also in the running
Eight of the world’s top women tennis players are going head-to-head in the 2017 WTA Finals in Singapore all this week.
Britain’s Johanna Konta may be missing from the event, but with Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep all in contention, the competition is certainly not short on quality.
The Coral News Team take a look at the main contenders…
Muguruza to continue good form?
Of all the players in contention, Garbine Muguruza is the form horse. Spain’s number one player won a maiden Wimbledon title in July and followed that up with an impressive straight-sets defeat of Simona Halep in the Western & Southern Open.
Since then, the 24-year-old has reached the semi-finals of five of the seven qualifying tournaments for the WTA Finals. She’s already beaten Jelena Ostapenko in Singapore, avenging her WUHAN Open defeat to the Dane.
With form on her side, Muguruza is 3/1 to go all the way in Kallang.
Pliskova to make it a perfect 10?
Karolina Pliskova has won nine WTA career finals. What’s more, the Czech star began the year in sensational form. After bagging an impressive 6-0, 6-3 win over Alize Cornet in Brisbane, the 25-year-old followed that up with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-4 victory against Caroline Wozniacki in Qatar.
Good showings in three of the four Grand Slams enhance her claims. Meanwhile, a career-high WTA ranking of third further evidences her steady progression as a player throughout the course of the season.
She’s already beaten Venus Williams in Singapore. And if that’s anything to go by, then her odds of 10/3 could begin to look very favourable indeed.
No. 1 seed to go all the way?
Simona Halep has won just a single WTA Tour Final this season. Yet the world ranked number one remains one of the favourites in Singapore.
Coral have the Romanian right-hander as a 5/1 shot to follow up her Madrid Open victory with a win here. She has a tough group, but having defeated three of her fellow seven competitors in WTA action already this season, she certainly has the quality.
Best of the rest
Elina Svitolina has been in excellent form on the WTA Tour this year. After a below par 2016, the Swede has won five WTA titles and clocked up a seasonal-record of 15 straight wins in the Spring. She’s 11/2 to go all the way and claim a sixth Tour victory in 2017.
Meanwhile, Caroline Garcia will be hoping to win back-to-back tournaments after overcoming Halep to win the China Open a fortnight ago. It’s 13/2 that she makes it two from two in Singapore, while Caroline Wozniacki is a 7/1 shot.
Venus Williams, who is without a WTA Tour victory this season, is priced at 14/1. Jelena Ostapenko will need an imperious showing at odds of 16/1 if she’s to overcome an initial loss to Muguruza to land the title.
All Odds and Markets correct as of the date of publication
