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Best Bets of the Day – Saturday January 26th 2019

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Naomi Osaka v Petra Kvitova
Australian Open Tennis – 8.30 am
Eurosport

Yes, my bets of the day preview for Saturday are certainly going to be leaning heavily towards the big FA Cup action going down. But I’m starting with early action of the Australian Open women’s tennis final. After a knife attack back in 2016 which damaged the dominant hand of Petra Kvitova, the Czech player’s career looked in jeopardy. But now for the first time since that horrifying incident, Kvitova has reached the final of a Grand Slam.

Kvitova has two career Wimbledon titles, but those have been the only previous Grand Slam finals that she has reached. After overcoming adversity she now finds herself as the 8/11 odds favourite with leading bookmakers to lift the title at Melbourne Park on the weekend. Kvitova has made it to the final without dropping a single set. She will be facing up to Naomi Osaka, who made headlines last season at the US Open. Osaka had never been past the fourth round of a Grand Slam before lifting the title at Flushing Meadows against Serena Williams.

The fact that she has now made it to back-to-back Grand Slam finals shows that she fully deserves a place among the greats. Osaka has had shown plenty of grit in the tournament. She has had to come from a set down more than once. Then in her semi final match against Karolina Pliskova (who had knocked out Serena Williams) Osaka had to withstand a severe fightback. Can she secure back-to-back Grand Slam titles?

Accrington v Derby
FA Cup – 12.30 pm
BT Sport

Saturday’s live FA Cup action comes from the Crown Ground as Accrington play host to Championship side Derby. Stanley are just a mid-table side in their division but that means they could fully focus on this this FA Cup campaign. They have been short of form for a while now having lost eight of their last 12 games in the league. However, they have managed to find a bit of respite in the FA Cup. They started with a 1-0 win over Colchester and then back on home soil they took out Cheltenham in the second round. They did cause something of an upset in the third round as they knocked off Championship side Ipswich.

However, Ipswich are likely to be joining Accrington in Lague One next term, as they are stuck firmly to the bottom of the Championship table. Derby meanwhile are in the hunt for a play-off place at the very least. The Rams have shown great cup touches this season as they beat Manchester United in the EFL cup. They also claimed a win over Premier League opposition in the third round of the FA Cup. Derby nailed a replay victory at Southampton to set up this tie with Accrington. The Rams are 17/20 odds-on favourites with leading bookmakers to win this game. They have scored at least two goals in all six of their cup matches played this season.

Millwall v Everton
FA Cup – 5.30 pm
BBC

The FA Cup action rolls on later in the afternoon with Championship side Millwall playing host to Premier League opposition in Everton. This could be a really interesting game as Millwall have found a bit of form for themselves after a difficult season. They may be near the wrong end of the Championship table but the top bookmakers have 6/5 odds on a Millwall double chance in this tie.

Millwall have only lost four games at home across all competitions this season and have produced some recent great form at the Den.  As for Everton, they could face an awkward and uncomfortable afternoon. All season they have only won twice away from Goodison Park in all competitions. Will the top flight side be able to survive this big test? The pressure will be on them. It’s one of the most fascinating ties of the fourth round.

AFC Wimbledon v West Ham
FA Cup – 7.45 pm
BT Sport

Premier League side West Ham will be hoping to avoid any slip up as they go and face League One side Wimbledon in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday night. The Hammers are 2/5 odds-on favourite to get the win in the match. Even though their away form has been a bit hit and miss recently, just back in August they paid a visit Wimbledon in the EFL Cup and produced a 3-1 victory.

Wimbledon are rock bottom of League One. But they are clearly targetting the FA Cup to gather whatever bit of cheer that they can for the season. They have undeniably, had a tough time of things. They have lost three of their last five games played. In the last round, the Dons showed great character in defying the odds and beating Portsmouth who are the current League One leaders. Can they step up on home soil and cause an upset against what could potentially be a weakened West Ham team?

Dragons v Munster
Pro 14 Rugby – 1.00 pm
Premier Sports

Let’s have a change of pace from the FA Cup and switch to rugby action from the Pro 14 league. It is action from round 14 in this season’s competition. This game features Conference A leaders Munster who need to keep up the pace. They are only two points clear at the top of the pile from the Glasgow Warriors. Connacht’s position sees them sitting fourth in the Conference, level on points with third-placed Ospreys.

So there is a tight scrap between the top four in this conference. Connacht have only won two of their three home games against Conference A teams this season. As for Munster, they have won two of their four away games played against Conference A sides. Munster are the top scorers in the Conference and they do also boast the best defence. Can the Dragons put in a big shift on home soil and get what would be an important win? The Dragons are +10 in handicap market at 10/11 odds with the leading bookmakers.

While looking for the best bets around, also look for the best bookmaker to do your betting with!

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2019 Darts Masters Preview – February 1st to 3rd

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PDC Masters Darts 2019
February 1st – 3rd

It has been a busy start to 2019 with Darts action. We have had the completion of the PDC World Championships, and that was followed by the BDO World Championships. In both of those, it was the outright favourite, Michael van Gerwen and Darryl Gurney respectively, who got the titles.

The next big event coming up is the 2019 Masters, a non-ranking PDC event. It is Mighty Mike Van Gerwen who the top bookmakers have as the even-money favourite to win the tournament outright.

The Masters

This is a relatively new tournament on the PDC darts scene as it only had its inaugural outing back in 2013. Of the six previous times that the event has been held, Michael van Gerwen has won four of them. In fact, he is currently on a four-title winning streak at the Darts Masters. Last year he beat his compatriot Raymond van Barneveld in the final 11-9. Just to size up how remarkably strong Van Gerwen is with the top bookmakers, The Field can be backed at 10/11 odds to prevail against him.

The Format

Lining up at the Masters, which is hosted in Milton Keynes, are the top 16 at the PDC Order of Merit after the final of the 2019 World Championship. There will be three players making their debut in this season’s Masters. Those are Darren Webster, Joel Cullen and Johnny Clayton. There are just four rounds of action with the first and second rounds being played over the best of 19 legs. The semifinals and final are the best of 21 legs.

Can anyone stop Van Gerwen?

That is basically the only question that punters are really having to weigh up ahead of this tournament. It is the exact question that I have to stop and ponder when any PDC darts tournament comes round. With the legend, Phil Taylor having stepped away from the game the sport is all about the dominance of Van Gerwen. He is the one to beat in this short 16 man tournament, which is played over the course of just three days. It starts February 1 and goes to February 3. Is MVG likely to win four matches in a row to get the title? Frankly, it is a shock any time he doesn’t actually reach the final of a tournament.

The main contenders

Considering that Van Gerwen has been so dominant at the Masters in the last four years, nobody else has had a chance to stamp their authority on the event. You look at the line up in major tournaments and try and spot someone to oppose him. Who can potentially bring down Mighty Mike? Usually, the main front runner for that is Scotsman Gary Anderson. Anderson is the biggest-scoring heavyweight to oppose the Dutchman. Anderson has been to at least the semifinals in eight of the last nine major tournaments that he has entered, picking up three titles along the away.

From his five appearances at the Masters, Anderson has two semi-final exits and a loss in the 2017 final itself to Van Gerwen. Former World Champion Rob Cross enters into the tournament in single figures at 9/1 odds. Michael Smith is a point shorter than him in the market. Those two, along with Van Gerwen and Anderson are the only four players in single figures for the 2019 Darts Masters. James Wade who is at 28/1 odds with the top bookmakers, is the only other active player in this season’s field to have tasted success at the tournament. He won the second ever Masters title back in 2014.

The intensity

This is a short tournament. The way that the draw is lined up means that the top seed plays 16th seed, the second seed plays the 15th seed and so on. It means that there could be a big Gary Anderson versus Michael van Gerwen showdown at the semi-final stage. Those two heavyweights are up in the top half of the draw. Those in the bottom half of the draw are going to fancy their chances of making the final. The leading protagonists down in the bottom half of the draw are: second seed Rob Cross, third seed Peter Wright and sixth seed Michael Smith.

It is a fascinating short burst of high-quality darts action. Those matches will be coming thick and fast as well. The first round is played over the first two days of the tournament. The quarter-finals, semifinals and final itself are all being played on the Sunday. There there is an intense weekend of darts betting coming up. Will Michael van Gerwen make it five in a row? Or will someone from the field pull off what would be a big upset?

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Best Bets of the Day – Friday January 25th 2019

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Arsenal v Manchester United
FA Cup -7:55 pm
BBC

There is no shortage of action on Friday night to start off my best bets of the day. It is FA Cup time and the two most successful clubs in the history of the competition will go head-to-head at the Emirates Stadium. It is Arsenal with home advantage for this heavyweight scrap in the fourth round. The last time that Arsenal and Manchester United met in the FA Cup was in 2015. It was the Gunners who came away with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on that occasion. Arsenal have won two of their last three home games against the Red Devils without conceding.

But Manchester United collected a 3-1 win in their last trip to Arsenal, which was in the Premier League in early December 2017. The overall FA Cup head-to-head between these two is slightly in favour of Manchester United. The Red Devils lead Arsenal 7-6 with two drawn games from previous FA Cup meetings. In this season’s EPL, Arsenal earned a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, twice throwing away a lead that they had earned. It should be tight and it has the potential of being packed full of goals. The leading bookmakers have the over 2.5 goals option at 3/5 odds-on. Manchester United have come to life with seven straight wins across all competitions, but they face an Arsenal side who have won six of their last seven games on home soil.

Novak Djokovic v Lucas Pouille
Australian Open – 8.30 am
Eurosport

Okay, I’m going to have to haul myself out of bed early for this. But this is the semi-final stage of the Australian Open and it is going to be worth it. Djokovic is still the tournament outright favourite and the winner of this match will be going up against Rafael Nadal in the Final on the weekend. The Serbian is the heavy odds-on favourite to win this match, so much so, that he is at 4/9 odds to make a clean sweep with a 3-0 set victory. Six-time Australian Open champion Djokvoic has only dropped two sets on his way to the semifinals this year. He got something of a break in the last round as his opponent Kei Nishikori retired in the middle of the second set.

Lucas Pouille has written a pretty incredible story at this season’s Australian Open. He had made five previous attempts at this Grand Slam and had lost every match. But he has turned all of that poor Grand Slam form on its head in Melbourne over the last week or so to reach the final four. The Frenchman has been involved in some gruelling matches, each of the last four going to at least four sets. He has faced a tie-break into sets in each of his last four matches at the tournament. He has just found ways to dig in and get through the challenges of the likes of 11th seed Borna Coric and 16th seed Milos Raonic. Will he get any further though? This will be his first ever meeting against current world number one Djokovic. DJokovic has never lost a semi final match at Melbourne Park.

Marseille v Lille
Ligue 1 – 7.45 pm
BT sport

There is some top action from the French Ligue 1 coming up on Friday night. This is a clash between two of the current top seven in the standings. The league title looks well set to stay with PSG, but Lille are starting the game in second place trying to fend off the attentions of Lyon. Lyon are only three points back from them. Lille have won their last two league games and they have collected victory in each of their last three away from home in the French top flight. Will they be able to keep that streak going though as they are 5/2 underdogs with leading bookmakers for this game?

They will be taking on Marseille who have only lost one league home game this season. They need to be on their toes as they are trying to push for a top-four finish. Marseille start this one five points outside the top four, still having a lot of work to do to push for a place in Europe next season. They can ill afford to slip up in this game. But they have just been struggling for form lately with one win only in their last six league fixtures. But they have been superb in defence at home this season. Will that be able to push them towards a vitally important home victory?

Glasgow v Ospreys
Pro 14 Rugby – 7.35 pm
Premier Sports

Very shortly I will be turning all of my attention onto the Six Nations 2019. But this weekend there is some good action coming from the Pro14 where Glasgow will be playing host to Ospreys. This is a clash between second and third in Conference A with Glasgow holding a narrow five-point lead over the Welsh club. This is matchday 14 of this season’s tournament and the Glasgow Warriors will be looking to strengthen their position in their chase of conference leaders Munster. The Irish powerhouses are two points clear of them heading into the weekend. When Glasgow and the Ospreys met earlier this season it was Glasgow who came out on top 29-20 in Wales.

That is the only home defeat that the Ospreys have suffered in this season’s Conference. Will the Ospreys be able to get some revenge? It won’t be easy as Glasgow are unbeaten in their three home fixtures so far (against Conference A sides) and their defence has been pretty watertight. The Warriors are heavy odds-on favourites to win this, but they did take a bit of a licking in a European Champions Cup defeat at Saracens last weekend.

To be fair to both, neither are in any particularly great form with Glasgow having lost four of their last five games in all competitions. The Ospreys have lost three of their last four played. The leading bookmakers have the Ospreys at 10/11 odds to defend a +13 handicap.

Don’t forget to take a look at Big Bobby’s thoughts on the best bets of the weekend.

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Chinese Super League 2018-19 Projection Report

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The Chinese Super League is the name given to the highest level of domestic soccer contested in China. It is commonly abbreviated to the CSL.

The division was rebranded in 2004 after the authorities embarked upon a restructuring process. The original league consisted of just twelve teams but that has since expanded to 16 teams and there is the possibility of further growth in the next five years.

Since its inception in 2004, seven different teams have won the title and the league is incredibly competitive. The league is extremely popular and each team has a loyal fanbase who regularly attend home games.

The top two teams automatically qualify for the CAF Champions League with the side in third going into the qualification rounds for the elite tournament. The bottom two sides are relegated into the second tier, the JIA League.

The league typically begins in late February and concludes in November. Each team will play one another twice during the regular season, home and away. Each team plays 30 games in total throughout the campaign. The league will sometimes take a break if there is an international tournament being held in the summer.

The CSL has attracted a number of high profile players over the last few years with top class European players making the move to Asia. Recent arrivals include Oscar, Hulk, Carlos Tevez and John Obi Mikel. These have helped raise the profile of the division.

Guangzhou Evergrande are the most successful side in the division with seven titles. They won the division in successive years between 2011 and 2017. Shandong Luneng are the only other side to have won more than a single title.

Six clubs who have featured in the original Chinese Super League are no longer in existence.

 

2018-19 Chinese Super League Prediction Report

Guangzhou Evergrande have an excellent recent record in the league and the holders were unsurprisingly priced up as the favourites for the new season. They were given a 37.04% implied probability for the 2018 campaign. Fabio Cannavaro returned to the club and became the club’s new manager, taking over Luis Felipe Scolari who had refused to sign a new contract. This upheaval perhaps led to some uncertainty in the betting markets.

They signed a number of new players ahead of the campaign including Nemanja Gudelj and Tang Shi. The most eye-catching signings were the additions of Paulinho and Talisca, who both arrived on loan during the off-season.

Shanghai SIPG were also high in the betting and they were given a 26.67% implied probability of success this season. They were another side who had a change of manager during the winter months with Andre Villas Boas departing and being replaced by Vitor Pereira. Their talented squad which included Oscar, Elkeson and Hulk meant that they were heavily fancied for success this season.

Hebei were given a 12.50% chance according to the implied probability and they were another side who were expected to be challenging at the right end of the table. Manuel Pellegrini began the season in charge and the experienced Chilean was fancied to guide his side towards the AFC Champions League spots. Amongst his squad was veteran Argentinian Javier Mascherano.

Bejing Guoan had an implied probability of 10.00% and although they weren’t considered as direct threats to the favourites, they possessed a strong squad and were considered dark horses. Cedric Bakambu, who had a wonderful season in La Liga was one of the more eye-catching signings in the division and his arrival was certainly likely to help their chances of success.

Shanghai Shenua were given just a 5.26% implied probability, the same as Tianjin Quanjin. The latter were managed by Paolo Sousa who had vast experience in coaching across the top leagues of Europe.

 

2018-19 Chinese Super League

Shanghai SIPG clinched their first ever CSL title and dethroned reigning champions – Guangzhou Evergrande. Their 2-1 victory over Beijing Renhe managed to secure them the silverware and automatic entry into the Champions League. They finished second last season and it was a terrific success for new manager Vitor Pereira.

Favourites and perennial champions Guangzhou Evergrande finished second and also qualified for the Champions League. Wu Lei finished as the top scorer in the division with 27 goals.

Yanbian Funde and Liaoning F.C were the two sides who were relegated from the Chinese Super League at the end of the campaign.

 

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Ireland Airtricity First Division 2018-19 Prediction Report

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The SSE Airtricity is the second tier of the Irish football pyramid and is a hugely competitive division which consists of ten teams. Each team will play a total of 27 games throughout the course of the season.

The league is played throughout the summer months and typically begins in late February before concluding in late October. The league often takes a break for cup commitments and the games are generally played on Friday evenings. There are also games which take place in midweek or occasionally they will be played on bank holidays.

The winner of the Airtricity First Division will be automatically promoted to the top tier. Teams who finish 2nd, 3rd and 4th will go into a promotion play-off which follows the regular season.

The division has been in existence since 1985 and has gained in both popularity and appeal with each passing season. It was previously called the League of Ireland B Division. Prior to 2003, the division mirrored the format of the English and Scottish leagues before being moved to the summer months. This has remained in place ever since.

Drogheda United and Waterford have each accumulated four titles and they are the two most decorated sides in the division. The latter are currently in the top tier and unlikely to return to this level anytime soon. Bray Wanderers, who will return to the division in 2019 were the inaugural champions of the Irish first division.

Teams cannot be relegated from the First Division although occasionally, teams can go out of business and banished to the provincial leagues. Cabinteely were invited into the league in 2015.

The league increased the number of teams from eight to ten at the start of the 2017 campaign.

 

2018 Ireland First Division Projection Report

Galway United were relegated from the top flight at the end of the 2017 campaign after suffering a 4-3 defeat to Dundalk and they were expected to bounce back immediately. They signed some decent players during the winter months and despite losing some of their star performers, they were priced up as the favourites for an immediate return. They were given a 22.22% implied probability for promotion and were fancied by many punters.

Longford made a number of signings at the end of the 2017 season and strengthened their squad significantly. They added Chris Mulhall from Drogheda United and he has achieved promotion with every single side that he has played for at this level. He would help ease the pain of losing top goalscorer Davy O’Sullivan, who left for Shelbourne. They could only finish fifth last season despite a strong start and although that was a disappointing outcome, they were still priced up favourably. They were given an implied probability of 20.00% for promotion and were expected to challenge.

Drogheda United had an implied probability of 13.33% and with their vast experience at this level, they were fancied to be prominent at the top of the table. After netting just 22 goals last season, much better was expected this time around and they moved quickly to sign Lee Duffy, Chris Lyons and Gareth McCaffrey to bolster their attack.

Shelbourne were also given a 13.33% implied probability and they were fancied to challenge for a play-off spot this campaign. After failing to win their first four games, they eventually rallied to come fourth and given their turnaround, they were expected to be competitive.

Finn Harps were fifth in the betting with an implied probability of 11.11% and their recent inconsistencies have held them back.

 

2018 Airtricity First Division Outcome

UCD were the most consistent side and they deservedly earned promotion to the top flight. They had a formidable defensive record and scored plenty of goals throughout the campaign. They finished three points above Finn Harps who went on a late run.

Finn Harps qualified for the play-offs alongside Shelbourne and Drogheda United. There was just five points between the three sides going into the event.

Athlone Town finished bottom of the pile with just seven points and they secured just a single win all season. Shelbourne’s David O’Sullivan finished as the league’s top scorer with 15 goals shortly before retiring. 

 

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The 2019 Men’s Australian Open Prediction Report

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The Australian Open is an annual tennis competition which is held at Melbourne Park Tennis Complex. It is the first of four Grand Slam events which dominate the tennis calendar each year and it is typically played from mid-January onwards. The tournament is always contested over a two-week period and it is watched by sports fans all over the world.

The first staging of the tournament took place in 1905 and regarded as one of the biggest sporting events to be held in the Southern Hemisphere.

The tournament is also synonymous with soaring temperatures as it’s held in Australian midsummer. Players can often be seen struggling in the sweltering condition although the fine weather does help attract legions of supporters to Melbourne each year. Over 700,000 tennis fans attended the event in 2018.

It is one of two Grand Slam events which are held on the hard courts and there are a number of warm-up events preceding the tournament which are held in Brisbane and Sydney. Prior to 1988, it was held on grass courts and this coincided with the tournament’s permanent move to Melbourne.

Three players share the highest number of victories in the tournament with Roy Emerson, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer each clinching six titles at the event. Emerson won five consecutive titles in the 1960s whilst Novak Djokovic won in 2011, 2012, 2013 and in 2015.

Winners of the tournament will be awarded 2000 ranking points.

The men’s tournament is always hugely competitive and it often throws up a few surprises along the way. Ken Rosewall became the youngest winner of the tournament back in 1953 at the age of 18 years and 2 months.

 

The 2019 Australian Open Prediction Report

As one of the most successful players in the history of the game, Roger Federer was always likely to be prominent in the betting and he was chalked up as the favourite for the 2019 Australian Open. The Swiss maestro was given a 25.00% implied probability of success at this year’s tournament. He was the holder going into the event after securing the 2018 title.

Federer reached the final of the Hopman Cup at the beginning of 2019 and was knocked out of the ATP World Tour Finals by eventual winner Alexander Zverev at the end of 2018. Despite being 38 in August, Federer still looks on top of his game and with his great record at the tournament, he is likely to be popular with punters.

Rafael Nadal is synonymous with success at the French Open and although he favours the clay, he is always dangerous to write off his chances in any Grand Slam. The Majorcan was given a 20.00% implied probability and although he’s only ever won the tournament once, he could take advantage of a relatively kind draw. He won 38 of his 46 games on the hard courts last season and progressed to the semi-finals of the US Open last year.

Novak Djokovic appears to have recovered from his injury problems and he is back fit and firing. The Serbian struggled for consistency last year but he always enjoys it at the opening Grand Slam of the year. He was given an implied probability of 18.18% implied probability for this year’s event. He played just 38 times in 2018 but progressed to the Semi-Finals in Doha earlier in January.

ATP Tour Finals winner Alexander Zverev has a bright future in the game and he has been given 7.69% implied probability for the 2019 Australian Open. He doesn’t have much experience at this tournament but is expected to be a danger to other top five players.

Andy Murray has been side-lined by a persistent hip injury for the last 18 months but was expected to make his return at the 2019 Australian Open. The Scot was also given a 7.69% implied probability for this year’s event.

Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic struggle for consistency and they have both been given a 6.67% implied probability.

2018 Australian Open

Roger Federer went into the tournament trying to retain his title and the ageless Swiss was able to successfully fend off the challenge of Marin Cillic in the final.

The final was an epic encounter with Cillic giving his opponent several scares along the way. The match ended 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. The Croatian went into the tournament as the fifth seed and once again, he wasn’t able to usurp Federer.

Hyeon Chung and Kyle Edmund both unexpectedly reached the semi-finals of the tournament but both fell short of reaching their first-ever Grand Slam final.

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The 2019 Women’s Australian Open Prediction Report

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The Australian Open is an annual tennis competition which is held at Melbourne Park Tennis Complex. It is the first of four Grand Slam events which dominate the tennis calendar each year and it is typically played from mid-January onwards. The tournament is held over a two-week period and is watched by sports fans all over the world. It began in 1905 and regarded as one of the biggest sporting events to be held in the Southern Hemisphere.

The tournament is also synonymous with soaring temperatures as it’s held in Australian midsummer. Players can often be seen struggling in the sweltering condition although the fine weather does help attract legions of supporters to Melbourne each year. Over 700,000 tennis fans attended the event in 2018.

It is one of two Grand Slam events which are held on the hard courts and there are a number of warm-up events preceding the tournament which are held in Brisbane and Sydney. Prior to 1988, it was held on grass courts and this coincided with the tournament’s permanent move to Melbourne.

The women’s final is held on the second Saturday of the tournament with the men’s showpiece held 24 hours later.

Margaret Court has the most single titles at this event having won the event on eleven different occasions. She won the event every year between 1960 and 1966 and her last victory came in 1973. Martina Hingis became the youngest winner in 1997 when she lifted the trophy at 16 year and 4 months.

 

2019 Australian Open Prediction Report

Despite taking some time away from the game to give birth to her first child, Serena Williams continues to dominate the women’s game and she was given an implied probability of 16.67% going into the 2019 tournament.

The American, who has occupied the world number one spot on eight different occasions has won this tournament seven times with her latest success coming in 2017. She reached the final of the US Open in 2018 and despite her high-profile defeat to Naomi Osaka, she was expected to reach the final two once again. She opened 2019 with three straight victories in the Hopman Cup and she looked in good form going into the tournament.

2018 winner Caroline Wozniacki was the second favourite going into the tournament and the Dane was given an implied probability 12.50% ahead of the 2019 tournament. She was aiming to defend her crown once more. Last season saw her finally clinch her first Grand Slam title and it was always a big ask for her to follow up twelve months later. She had fallen to Karolina Pliskova in the WTA Championships at the end of last year and she began this season with a surprise defeat to Bianca Vanessa Andreescu in Auckland.

Simona Halep was a beaten finalist at last year’s event and although she followed it up with success in Paris last year, she hasn’t always had the best record in Grand Slams and she was drawn in the same half of the draw as Serena Williams. She was given just an 11.11% implied probability ahead of the tournament getting underway, identical to Angelique Kerber. The German reached the final of the Hopman Cup and always tends to progress well at this tournament. She won the tournament back in 2016 and was expected to reach the latter stages once more.

Garbine Muguruza was given just a 9.09% implied probability although she’s probably better on the grass and clay courts. The aforementioned Karolina Pliskova was also given the same implied probability and was expected to go well.

2018 Australian Open

Serena Williams chose not to participate in 2018 and her withdrawal opened up the draw.

The final was a battle between the two top seeds with Simona Halep taking on Caroline Wozniacki. It was the world number two who came out on top and managed to leapfrog her opponents in the rankings as a result. She also became the first Danish player to win a Grand Slam courtesy of a 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 victory over the Romanian.

Angelique Kerber and Elise Mertens also reached the semi-finals of the tournament.