After back-to-back WTA 1000 events in the Middle East over the past fortnight, the WTA Tour eases off a little this week with a WTA 500 instead. With action heading to the United States for the Cybiotika San Diego Open 2024, this event offers one last chance for players to grab some form ahead of Indian Wells next week.
While plenty of the biggest names in women’s tennis have opted to sit out this event, there’s still a lot to watch in San Diego. Jessica Pegula headlines the field, with the American playing her first tournament since a limp second round Australian Open exit in January. She’ll be eager to get a few wins under her belt ahead of the all-important Sunshine Double starting next week, and we know she’s got an excellent chance of doing so with the likes of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina all taking the week off.
Can Pegula prevail in San Diego, or will someone else spoil the party? We break down all the latest betting odds from bookmaker William Hill and outline the best bets to make on the 2024 San Diego Open this week.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 26th, 5:00 A.M. (GMT)
Outright betting odds understandably have world No. 5 Jessica Pegula as the favourite to win in San Diego, with bookmaker William Hill returning 4.00 for the American to lift the trophy. Behind her is Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia on 7.00, followed by Emma Navarro and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at 8.50. Leylah Fernandez is hot on their tails at 9.00, before the odds begin to drop off for the remainder of the field.
Betting on this tournament is an interesting prospective, considering the texture of the field. We’re used to seeing some real consistency on the WTA Tour over recent years, with Swiatek, Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff all dominating. Now, without these four, Pegula stands as the only genuine title contender to bet on. But the question is, is the American worth the 4.00 pay out being offered?
Pegula has had a rocky year so far. She crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round, losing in straight sets to a player ranked well below her. This was after she had withdrawn from the Adelaide Open and been bagelled in the year-end finals to round out 2023 by Swiatek. Now, having taken five weeks off and finding a new coach, she’s either going to come back with a fresh outlook and rekindle her past form or continue to struggle.
We feel it’s too great of a risk to assume she’ll hit the ground running and recommend betting on one of the outside contenders this week in San Diego. Donna Vekic showed an incredible level at times in Dubai last week, knocking Sabalenka out in emphatic style. Though she didn’t lift the title, the Croatian is our bet to prevail in San Diego, especially with healthy odds of 15.00.
