Women’s tennis at the Olympics has been an unpredictable ride. Just two days ago, Naomi Osaka seemed poised to win gold in her home country after taking a mental health break two months ago. She was the odds-on favorite to win it all and then was upset by Marketa Vondrousova.
Once Osaka was eliminated, I wrote about how Garbine Muguraza stepped into the role as the favorite. Then last night, she was upset by Elena Rybakina. With Muguruza and Osaka going out in back-to-back nights, the top spot on the odds list has become a revolving door. Many of the big names are out going into the semifinals, which begs the question: Who is left?
Elena Rybakina (+160 to win gold)
Rybakina is the new favorite at the Olympics. Rybakina took care of Muguruza in straight sets and now plays Belinda Bencic in the semifinals. Rybakina, like most of the women remaining, hasn’t played on a stage this big consistently in her career. She’s played in the quarterfinals at the French Open this year, but that is the furthest she’s made it in a final.
Rybakina has played solid tennis up until this point, but she may be victim to an upset if the recent trend continues.
Elina Svitolina (+210)
Svitolina might have the most experience out of all the players left. In 2016, she made the quarterfinals at the Olympics after beating Serena Williams in the third round. Svitolina has been here before which should give her a leg up when facing Vondrousova.
She hasn’t faced many of the big names up to this point, and has still fallen into the position where players need to be wary of her.
Marketa Vondrousova (+300)
Vondrousova is third on the odds list, despite being the giant slayer of the tournament. She was able to get a shorter match in the quarterfinals due to her opponent retiring before the second set. Vondrousova will have her hands full with Svitolina, who is a -155 favorite to Vondrousova’s +110 underdog.
Vondrousova made the final at the French Open in 2019, but hasn’t been back to one since. Nevertheless, she’s in great form right now and taking a flyer on her at +300 wouldn’t be the worst decision in the world.
Belinda Bencic (+500)
Bencic is the wildcard of the women remaining. In the three majors this year, Bencic has finished worse in each one. Yet, the way these Olympics have gone, Bencic could be a prime candidate to pull off the upset.
Bencic didn’t compete in the 2016 Olympics, so this is the first time she’s gotten this type of action. At only 24, Bencic is getting a lot of experience in Tokyo to help her later in her career. Bencic will face off against Rybakina in the semifinal, and is a +130 underdog according to WynnBET.
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