The WTA Tour heads to the Middle East this week, for the first of several hard-court tournaments in the region. Abu Dhabi plays host to a WTA 500 event first, with the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open 2024 seeing several of the world’s top 10 in action.
Elena Rybakina leads the field in the United Arab Emirates and will be eager to make amends for a disappointing Australian Open. The Kazakh began 2024 with a hiss and a roar winning the opening tournament of the year in Brisbane, before suffering a second-round loss in Melbourne. Can she get her season back on track here with a win, or will her stuttering start to the year continue?
We break down all the latest odds from bookmaker William Hill and outline the best bets to make on the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open this week.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 4th, 11:00 A.M. (GMT)
Looking at the outright betting odds from bookmaker William Hill, Elena Rybakina is the heavy favourite here. The 24-year-old returns just 3.50 to lift the trophy, well ahead of her next closest rivals, Ons Jabeur and Barbora Krejcikova. These two pay 7.00, before Maria Sakkari and Jelena Ostapenko come in at 9.00, ahead of returning veteran Naomi Osaka on 13.00.
In terms of the best bets to make on the Abu Dhabi Open this week, it’s a challenging period of the WTA calendar. Some players are still taking time away from the game following the year’s first Grand Slam, while others are eager to get their teeth stuck into more matches off the back of disappointing performances in Melbourne.
Given the dynamics in the top five of the WTA Tour currently, we say this will drive Rybakina in a positive way this week. Expect the Kazakh to be laser-focused and put in a great performance here. It’s still less than a month since she wiped the floor with Aryna Sabalenka 6-0, 6-3 in the Brisbane final, and rekindling that kind of form in Abu Dhabi should not be too hard. She’s head and shoulders above the rest of the field in terms of her ranking and ability and should have no struggles with motivation either.
For those looking to make a slightly higher odds wager, consider backing Naomi Osaka instead. The former world No. 1 looked good at the Australian Open despite losing early and seems to be playing freer tennis now that she’s a mother. With a return of 13.00 a win for Osaka would pay handsomely, and is not inconceivable given her past achievements and the glimpses she’s shown already in 2024.
