For the first time in her career, Emma Raducanu is atop a singles futures market for a WTA 1000 event. Find out who the other contenders are and just how high legal US sportsbooks are on Raducanu in this WTA Indian Wells preview.
Technically the BNP Paribas Open, this hard-court tournament has been called tennis’ “fifth major.” For that reason, odds on each match are live on Canadian sports betting apps.
WTA Indian Wells preview: The lines at US sportsbooks
The 2021 US Open champion opens here as the short-odds favorite at both BetMGM Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook.
| Player | BetMGM Sportsbook | DraftKings Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|
| Emma Raducanu | +800 | +900 |
| Karolina Pliskova | +1200 | +1600 |
| Barbora Krejcikova | +1200 | +1200 |
| Garbiñe Muguruza | +1200 | +1200 |
| Iga Swiatek | +1400 | +1200 |
| Ons Jabeur | +1600 | +1600 |
| Maria Sakkari | +1600 | +1300 |
| Simona Halep | +1800 | +2200 |
| Bianca Andreescu | +2000 | +2500 |
| Elena Rybakina | +2000 | +1800 |
| Petra Kvitova | +2200 | +2500 |
| Aryna Sabalenka | +500 | OTB |
| Jessica Pegula | +2200 | +2000 |
| Elina Svitolina | +2200 | +2200 |
| Belinda Bencic | +2200 | +3500 |
| Leylah Annie Fernandez | +2200 | +2000 |
| Victoria Azarenka | +2500 | +3500 |
| Anett Kontaveit | +2500 | +3500 |
| Danielle Collins | +2800 | +2800 |
| Paula Badosa Gilbert | +2800 | +2800 |
Informed bettors will notice the absence of several members of the WTA top 20. World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty withdrew. The same goes for 2018 winner Naomi Osaka.
Additionally, a positive COVID-19 test took Aryna Sabalenka out. However, 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu is back, along with Kim Clijsters, who hasn’t played this tournament since 2011. She won the event in 2003 and 2005.
Other past winners in the field this year include Victoria Azarenka (2016, 2012) and Simona Halep (2015). Here are the particulars about this event, which is in its 45th year.
- Dates: Oct. 6 – 17
- Streaming/TV: Tennis Channel (check the broadcast schedule here)
- Site: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Palm Springs, California
- Purse: $8.7 million ($1.3 million to the winner)
Now that the particulars are out of the way, it’s time to look at how the singles bracket could shake out. Tennis fans might be excited about the chance for a 2021 US Open final rematch.
Who looms largest in Raducanu’s path?
It’s possible for Raducanu and Leylah Annie Fernandez to face each other in the semifinals. Getting there will require a lot of hefty wins by both players, though.
For Raducanu, that could potentially involve facing down Halep in the third round. It wouldn’t get any easier from there, though. Petra Kvitova might await her in the fourth round then Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals.
Raducanu has never faced any of those women in her career, making these matches more difficult to forecast. One reason that Svitolina might pose the biggest challenge is her performance on hard courts so far this year.
Svitolina comes in with the eighth-most match wins on hard court surfaces on the tour so far in 2021. Her greater experience at this level, as this is Raducanu’s first Indian Wells and first WTA 1000 event, might give her an edge as well.
The women potentially standing in Fernandez’s way include Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic (fourth round) and Iga Swiatek (quarters). Fernandez has only faced Bencic once and would be seeing Swiatek for the first time.
Swiatek might be an even more imposing figure on a hard surface. She has won almost three-quarters of her service matches on hard courts so far this year.
Regardless of who makes the final, the matches should be competitive. Staking Raducanu to win might require more faith in her skills than belief in the hard data.
