Venus vs. Serena Aus Open tips – which Williams sister will win?

Australian Open Women’s Final, Saturday, January 28, 7:45pm

THE tennis gods couldn’t have given fans and punters a better Australian Open Women’s Final pairing this Saturday night as Serena Williams takes on sister Venus for the title.

Both Williams’ sisters entered the 2017 Australian Open with questionable outings at the ASB Classic in Auckland, but have shined on the big stage in Melbourne.

Serena ($1.20 at Palmerbet) hasn’t clashed with Venus in a Grand Slam final since the 2015 US Open where she beat her older sister in three sets, but over the course of history there isn’t much between them, despite what the bookmakers’ odds suggest.

Serena hasn’t dropped a set in the finals and she dismantled Johanna Konta in the quarterfinals, which set up a semi-final game against Lucic-Baroni, who was no match for Williams in the 6-2 6-1 mauling.

Venus had to work a little harder to get to the final after surviving a three-set thriller against fellow American Coco Vandeweghe, but she’s playing fantastic tennis and could be over the odds at $5 with Sportsbet.com.au.

Serena to scout for sisters weaknesses

It’s never easy to play a sibling in such a big arena, but Serena won’t be taking her sister lightly, knowing she is capable of springing the upset.

Serena said the final won’t put any strain on their relationship, but work in the opposite direction.

“We definitely talk. I think now more so than anything. Nothing can break our family,” Williams said.

“If anything, this will definitely bring us closer together, knowing that I want to see her do the best that she can possibly do.

“I know that she definitely wants to see me do the best that I can do.

“This is a story. This is something that I couldn’t write a better ending. This is a great opportunity for us to start our new beginning.”

Williams, who has won 16 of the 27 meetings between the sisters, will still be looking to scout the weaknesses of Venus.

“I definitely think it’s important to still do that. This is a Grand Slam final at the end of the day,” Serena said.

“I really do feel like we’ll both be happy for each other no matter what happens. But still we want to be able to go out there and play our best.

“We’ll probably both be watching each other’s matches.”

Serena paid credit to Venus, who has been struggling will illness for years.

“She’s my toughest opponent,” Serena said. “No one has ever beaten me as much as Venus has. She has a pretty good record against me, and we have a good record against each other. I just feel like, no matter what happens, we’ve won.

“She’s been through a lot, and I’ve been through a lot. And to see her come back and do so well is great.”

Australian Open Women’s Final match prediction

The odds suggest that Serena Williams will win in straight sets, and many women’s finals often disappoint on the spectacle front, but we think Venus can push her sister close.

Serena’s biggest advantage is that she intimidates her opponents, but that doesn’t apply against Venus, who has played thousands of games against her sister throughout their tennis careers.

It’s certainly a shock to see Venus in the final and whilst we don’t think she can win the final, she could make a game out of it.

Venus is currently getting +5.5 games ($1.66 at Sportsbet) against Serena, which is almost a full set advantage and there seems to be a lack of respect from bookmakers.

Venus doesn’t need to win a set to cash that bet, but Serena is paying $4.33 to win 2-1 which looks the best value in the set betting market.

There’s also plenty of game specials for the final. Sportsbet has 13 different markets available and below are the most interesting exotic bets being offered.

Tie break in match – $4 at Sportsbet
Serena to receive a warning for racket abuse – $4
Venus to receive a time violation warning – $4
Total match time: Over 90.5 minutes – $1.83
Serena to lose first set and win the match – $6
Serena to win both sets 6-0, 6-1 or 6-2 – $8

All of the above options look a possible chance of coming in and they make the game more interesting.

We think the $4 for a tie break is good value as we can see Serena winning 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.