Australian Open: Swerve in-form Stosur and go with Bouchard

Australian Sam Stosur may have successfully defended her Japan Open title, but as the 2014 WTA season heads towards its conclusion, there will be plenty of other candidates better placed to scoop the first Grand Slam of next season in her backyard.

Thus far in her career Stosur has grossly underachieved at her home Slam, with fourth-round appearances in 2006 and ’10 remaining her best efforts to date.

For the current world number 18 and 2011 US Open champion that’s a very underwhelming record and even when she took the Japan title a year ago, her tilt at the Australian Open was ended prematurely by Anna Ivanovic in round three.

Unsurprisingly, Stosur is some way down the betting for the first major of 2015, where the 30-year-old is afforded chunky odds of 40/1.

While Stosur’s chances of reversing her previous fortunes at Melbourne Park there are a few other women shaping up very nicely, who will soon be in Singapore to battle it out for the WTA Tour Championships.

World number one Serena Williams is a natural market leader after her record-equalliing US Open triumph, though the fact the American hasn’t even made a final in the last four years renders her 2/1 price unattractive.

Instead, the woman who could replace her as number one should she win in Singapore, holds far more appeal at 11/2.

Maria Sharapova has ended the year in tremendous hard-court form, beating Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the final of Beijing, seeing off resurgent world number eight Ivanovic in the semis.

Outside of the top two in the betting, rising star Eugenie Bouchard looks the early pick at 9/1.

The 20-year-old Candian didn’t look back in the majors this year after making the semis at the Australian, again at the French, losing in the Wimbledon final and reaching the fourth round of the US Open.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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