Sabalenka favourite for China Open after back-to-back titles

Aryna Sabalenka is the hot favourite for the China Open, which gets underway this Wednesday in Beijing.

Having won the Cincinnati Open and US Open in her last two outings, the top seed is paying +140 with Marantelli Bet to take out the upcoming WTA 1000 event.

Jessica Pegula, the losing finalist in New York, is next best in the outright market at +600 with top tennis betting sites.

The China Open draw has been kinder to Sabalenka too, with the Belarusian avoiding any dangerous seeds in her quarter.

Her first real challenge is likely to be in the semi-finals, where the world No.2 is seeded to face either Jasmine Paolini or Qinwen Zheng.

Paolini has reached two major finals in 2024, while Zheng won gold in the women’s singles at the Paris Olympics.

Meanwhile, Pegula — who is seeded second after Iga Swiatek withdrew from the tournament due to personal reasons — is on track to face US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro in the quarters and No.4 seed Coco Gauff in the last four.

Gauff will be desperate to rekindle some form, having relinquished the No.1 American position to Pegula after failing to defend her US Open title.

The 20-year-old is on the third line of China Open betting at most tennis bookmakers, paying +850 to win what would be her second title of the season.

Besides the usual prize money, there is plenty on the line at the Beijing tournament with the WTA Finals approaching and just two players — Swiatek and Sabalenka — qualified so far.

Deep runs by either Paolini or Pegula will shore up their chances of making an appearance in Riyadh, while Zheng — currently ninth in the race — will be looking to stay relevant with a deep run as well.

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