The first Glam Slam of 2020 is upon us with the cream of women’s tennis set to make Melbourne Park their home for the next two weeks. The Australian Open often sets the tone for the season ahead and produces some of the best, most compelling matches of the whole year due to its fast courts and scheduling after the winter break. This year’s tournament promises to be one of the most memorable in recent times. Here are some ante post tips for the women’s singles ahead of it all getting under way on Monday.

The favourites

Naomi Osaka enters this year’s Australian Open as the defending champion having won at Melbourne Park 12 months previously. However, the Japanese youngster suffered a difficult middle part of the 2019 season before regaining her form and self-assurance late on, winning the China Open in October. Osaka should be a force here again.

Serena Williams is the pre-tournament favourite, but that status is basely largely on legacy. The American has actually lost her last four Slam finals in a row and seems to have developed something of a mental block when faced with the final hurdle. Williams can never be discounted, but she isn’t the clear frontrunner as has been the case so many times over the past decade or so.

Ashleigh Barty broke her Grand Slam duck in 2019 and so there will be a heightened level of expectation on the Australian at her home major. However, Barty struggled with expectation at Wimbledon and the US Open, only making the fourth round at both. The 23-year-old rebounded to claim the year-end number one spot, but mindset and mentality is always the deciding factor with Barty.

1pt - 8/1 Naomi Osaka To Win 2020 Australian Open

Naomi Osaka - 1pt @ 8/1

The outsiders

Unlike the men’s game, the women’s game has been as open as it has ever been over the past few years. Indeed, only Osaka has won more than one Grand Slam title over the past two seasons, with four different winners in 2018 and the same again in 2019. Everyone inside the top 30 enters this tournament harbouring hope of making a serious run into the latter rounds.

Injuries have disrupted Garbine Muguruza recently, with the two-time Grand Slam champion currently ranked at number 35. However, Muguruza has reunited with her former coach Conchita Martinez and so the duo’s chemistry could see the Spaniard find form. Few can live with her force when she is firing on all cylinders.

Angelique Kerber is another former Grand Slam champion who has lost her way of late, but ranked at 18th the German isn’t far away from finding her best tennis again. Kerber has a new coach in Dieter Kindlmann, although their relationship got off to a bad start as the 31-year-old suffered an opening round loss at the Brisbane International. Kerber must be more proactive from the baseline. The German mustn’t be counted out, especially, if she can be proactive and find her aggression again.

0.5pts - 40/1 Garbine Muguruza To Win 2020 Australian Open

Garbine Muguruza - 0.5pts @ 40/1

Storyline to watch

Last year, it seemed that a new order was being established at the top of the women’s game as Osaka and Bianca Andreescu (who is injured for this year’s Australian Open) made their breakthrough. Williams has been women’s tennis’ dominant force for so long, but is now undoubtedly into the twilight of her career having gone three years without a Grand Slam title.

However, Williams has started 2020 impressively, emphatically winning the Auckland Classic last week. There are still questions over the 38-year-old’s issues in getting over the final hurdle, having lost major finals since returning from having a daughter, but there are hints that one final glorious chapter could be written to Williams’ story.

1.5pts - 85/20 Serena Williams To Win 2020 Australian Open

Serena Williams - 1.5pts @ 85/20