The WTA Finals are upon us, with the final big tournament of the WTA calendar beginning this weekend. The eight players who performed best this year will compete for the trophy, and we’ve got all the latest WTA Finals betting tips.
What makes this event a great watch is despite featuring some of the best players in the world, every edition tends to deliver surprises. We take a look to see whether there will be any upsets this year with our dark horse predictions, as well as some group winner and outright picks.
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WTA Finals betting tips – group winner predictions
The WTA Finals are structured into two groups of four players, with the top two continuing to the semi-finals. Here are our group winner predictions for the WTA Finals:
Group A winner – Aryna Sabalenka @ 3/5
The first group is the Purple Group and will feature Aryna Sabalenka, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina, and Qinwen Zheng. It’s a pretty interesting group on paper but one player sticks out here as the clear favourite to win: Aryna Sabalenka, who has played the best tennis out of all of those players lately.
Paolini has been pretty poor lately with some shaky performances. She will likely not be a huge problem for the Belarusian. Rybakina hasn’t played in a very long time and while she can be a problem, it’s hard to really know what she can do without any tennis in recent weeks. Zheng can be tough for Sabalenka, but the Belarusian has generally handled this matchup well in the past.
All of this makes Sabalenka the likely winner of this group because there is nobody who can really challenge her. The only issue for her might be fatigue and whether she will be sufficiently motivated to really play the best tennis she can play.
Sabalenka's recent form and her ability to handle pressure make her a strong contender. Her dominance on the court has been evident and her confidence could carry her through unless something strange happens.
The unpredictability of the sport means that every match will be crucial. If she can maintain her focus and energy, she is certainly the favourite to top this group. Despite the challenges, her overall consistency and power game set her apart from the rest.
Group B winner – Iga Swiatek @ 5/4
This second group is called Group Orange and it’s the far more interesting group. It consists of Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Barbora Krejcikova. There’s no clear favourite here, but we expect Swiatek to come out on top.
Krejcikova is a tricky player to play against because at any time she can produce a stunning effort and basically take over. She won Wimbledon that way this year and nobody saw it coming. She can even beat Swiatek as she has done quite a few times in the past.
Then we have Pegula who is a really tricky player and plays her best tennis on hard courts. Indoors might not be the best for her, but generally, she is always good for a solid performance.
The final player is Gauff, who can always be a tricky player as her level is very volatile. Sometimes she is very good and sometimes she is not. Overall though, we think that Swiatek is the most consistent out of the bunch and that’s why she’s going to win it.
Only something unprecedented could stop Swiatek from winning the group, and as bizarre as it sounds, a good run from Krejcikova might just be that thing. Swiatek’s preparation and proven track record at this event make her a formidable contender.
Her ability to adapt to different conditions and her mental toughness are key factors. Additionally, her impressive consistency sets her apart from the rest. Despite the competition, Swiatek’s drive and determination could very well lead her to victory in this group.
Outright winner prediction for WTA Finals
The outright winner of the WTA Finals might be tough to predict, but we have some good data to go on recently. Here’s our WTA Finals betting tips outright:
Outright winner – Iga Swiatek @ 3/1
Swiatek won this event last year and we think there is a very good chance for her to win again. There are a couple of reasons for that, but it’s mostly that she had time to really prepare for the event.
The Pole has this habit of playing really well after taking a long time off. She gets a chance to reset and then work on her game and properly prepare for the event. Contrast that to someone like Sabalenka who had to play lots of tennis lately.
Sabalenka was very busy in China and while she played well, she might be over tennis at this point of the year. She might just want to fly to some exotic location and enjoy life. Something similar can be said for some other players, but Swiatek has this crazy drive.
She will arrive at the event quite motivated to win. Other players like Paolini and Krejcikova might be equally motivated, but they’re not as good as Swiatek. She demonstrated last year how good she can be when she focuses, and we think that this year might be the same thing.
Indoors does suit her play and she’s generally been better than most of these players consistently. Swiatek's preparation and determination are factors that set her apart. Her ability to perform under pressure and her previous success at this event make her a formidable contender.
The only player that does give her problems is Sabalenka, and she might not be as motivated to win this one after such a long season.
WTA Finals dark horse betting tips
A dark horse candidate is a player who could technically win the event even though most would agree that they won’t. They are far from a sure thing, but if the bet hits, it’ll be juicy.
Dark horse prediction – Krejcikova @ 33/1
The reason why Krejcikova is the natural pick here is simply because that’s been her career for all of it. She plays okay and then, boom, out of nowhere wins a Grand Slam or beats a top player.
That’s how she won the French Open a couple of years ago. This year, Krejcikova out of nowhere won the Wimbledon event, so technically if you’re looking for the perfect dark horse candidate, she is it. We’re talking about a player who on a given day can beat even the best.
She’s beaten Swiatek in the past and in big matches too, so it's not impossible for her to simply have a really good run. If she somehow makes it out of the group, and there is a chance that she will, then she could go all the way.
Krejcikova has shown time and again that she can rise to the occasion when it matters most. Her ability to stay calm under pressure is one of her greatest strengths. Strange things have happened at the WTA Finals, and she’s that streaky of a player.
Just the right profile to turn the draw upside down. Her odds to win being the biggest among all players is the exact reason why she could be the most surprising and successful competitor.
Best WTA Finals betting tips for 2024
- Group A winner – Sabalenka @ 3/5
- Group B winner – Swiatek @ 5/4
- Outright winner – Swiatek @ 3/1
- Dark horse prediction – Krejcikova @ 33/1
With the WTA Finals kicking off this weekend in Riyadh, these are the four tips we suggest taking to get the best bang for your buck.
Bren is our resident Kiwi, and has been playing or watching sports down under in New Zealand for the better part of three decades. With 12+ years experience as a professional writer, Bren loves to dive deep into all things sport to bring the best betting analysis and predictions here at Mr Fixits Tips.
