This image is a derivative of Sydney International Tennis WTA Premier, by Rob Keating (CC BY-SA 2.0)

In recent times, the WTA has functioned as a thrilling rollercoaster ride, currently enjoying an unprecedented period of intense, varied competition at the very top of the sport.

Since Serena Williams won Wimbledon in 2015, 11 different women have shared the last 17 Grand Slam crowns, while the WTA #1 mantle has changed hands no less than 13 times over the last three years. 

This year’s Australian Open promises yet another chapter of mayhem, with the field as wide open and up for grabs as it’s ever been.

Australia’s Ash Barty arrives in Melbourne as a Grand Slam winner and world #1, while Serena will be seeking her 24^th Grand Slam crown, fresh after claiming her 73^rd career title in Auckland.

Williams and Barty will be among the tournament favourites along with another former world #,1 Simona Halep, who has rekindled her coaching partnership with Australian, Darren Cahill, as well as Naomi Osaka, who, at just 22-years of age, already has two Grand Slam titles to her name.

Outside of the favourites, however, there exists a plethora of contenders capable of causing an upset over the coming fortnight. Today, we’ve identified five players at big odds who could turn the tables on some of the more fancied names.

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KAROLINA PLISKOVA

STATS INSIDER HARD COURT RANK: #4

AVG MARKET AUSTRALIAN OPEN WIN ODDS: $11 (10/1 or +1000)

There mightn’t be a player in all of tennis more deserving of a breakthrough Grand Slam crown than Karolina Pliskova.

Still just 27, the towering Czech has already amassed 16 WTA titles, held the #1 mantle, and been apart of three Fed Cup-winning teams.

Her resume is faultless, with the exception of a Grand Slam triumph, with the 2016 US Open Final the closest Pliskova has come to standing on centre court being showered in confetti.

In fact, when the bright lights of major competitions have been turned on her, Pliskova has demonstrated a pronounced tendency to wilt, boasting just three semi-final appearances form the 30 majors she’s contested, with her serve-heavy game often lacking a decent contingency plan in times of crisis.

Like she often does, Pliskova arrives in Melbourne in sparkling form having just won the Brisbane International for a third straight year, while she’s also made three consecutive quarterfinals at the Australian Open.

KEY STAT: 72.9%

When Pliskova’s first serve was in play, the Czech won an incredible 72.9% of her points in 2019, which is testament to how dominant her game can be when her serve is on song. Only Serena Williams (75.1%) produced a better number last season.

MADISON KEYS

STATS INSIDER HARD COURT RANK: #10

AVG MARKET AUSTRALIAN OPEN WIN ODDS: $17 (16/1 or +1600)

As a teenager on tour, Madison Keys made her presence felt by winning the Eastbourne Final as a 19-year old, quickly establishing herself in the WTA top-50.

She’s since become a top-20 mainstay despite continually being plagued by injuries while not yet boasting a signature tournament victory.

Still just 24, Keys already has seven Grand Slam Quarter-Final appearances under her belt, with at least one at each major, while also breaking through to the Final of the 2017 US Open where she fell to Sloane Stephens.

While a Grand Slam title has so far eluded her, 2019 was indeed highly promising, producing her first multi-title season, winning events in both Charleston and Cincinnati. She arrives in Melbourne in excellent form, almost snatching the Brisbane International last week, falling 5-7 in their third set against Karolina Pliskova in the final.

Look for a bold showing by Keys at the Australian Open, with a deep run most definitely within her.

KEY STAT: 65.05% v 48.7%

Weirdly, that’s the stark difference between Keys’ numbers when she faces right-handed opponents as opposed to her record when southpaws are on the other side of the net. The likes of Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber have always been a thorn in Keys’ side, with the young American often spooked by players who are able to create unconventional angles.

ARYNA SABALENKA

STATS INSIDER HARD COURT RANK: #6

AVG MARKET AUSTRALIAN OPEN WIN ODDS: $19 (18/1 or +1800)

At just 21 years of age, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka's career has so far been difficult to adequately evaluate. Indisputably one of the tour’s most talented and most prodigious strikers of the ball, Sabalenka has already racked up five tour titles while already breaking through to the WTA's top-ten. 

However, what she hasn’t yet achieved, unlike tour young guns Bianca Andreescu, Amanda Anisimova, Marketa Vondrousova and Belinda Bencic, is make an impression at Grand Slam level, sporting just an 8-9 record at the Majors, with just a solitary Round of 16 appearance at the 2018 US Open to show for her considerable talents.

Sabalenka has everything it takes to be one of the world’s very best, however, must improve her focus and temperament over two-week tournaments if she’s to make her Grand Slam breakthrough.

KEY STAT: 350

Last season, Sabalenka doubled-faulted a massive 350 times, with only Jelena Ostapenko (436) producing a higher number on the WTA tour. Sure, she also fired off 250 aces, however, if the Belarusian is to be a genuine threat at the elite level, gifting those kinds of free points to opponents will have to be eradicated from her game.

GARBINE MUGURUZA

STATS INSIDER HARD COURT RANK: #24

AVG MARKET AUSTRALIAN OPEN WIN ODDS: $34 (33/1 or +3300)

A French Open crown in 2016, Wimbledon champion in 2017, six titles before the age of 25, and the tennis world was seemingly at the feet of the Venezuela-born star.

However, three years since her breakthrough appearance at Roland Garros, Muguruza’s top-tier status has slipped significantly, presently ranked the WTA's #36 player in the world (#18 overall by Stats Insider) after a largely forgettable 2019.

For the first time since 2013, Muguruza failed to make a single Grand Slam Quarter-Final while her solitary title in 2019 arrived courtesy of the Monterrey Open in Mexico, and was helped significantly by Victoria Azarenka having to retire in the final.

Muguruza clearly possesses the required class to be in the reckoning for Grand Slam titles, with Melbourne presenting an opportunity for her game to return to the kind of heights it scaled just a couple of years ago.  

KEY STAT: 4-14

Muguruza's last 18 matches against top 20 opposition have resulted in just four victories, which speaks to the Spaniard’s current status in the sport. Clearly this number will need some improvement if she’s to make a deep run in Melbourne.

AMANDA ANISIMOVA 

STATS INSIDER HARD COURT RANK: #36

AVG MARKET AUSTRALIAN OPEN WIN ODDS: $34 (33/1 or +3300)

Having just turned 18, Amanda Anisimova is quite easily the youngest member of the WTA top-25, and if her 2019 breakout is anything to go by, the tennis world has one hell of a talent on its hands.

In fact, Anisimova used the Australian summer last year to stamp her name on the tennis map with an incredible Round of 16 run at the Australian Open which included a straight-sets demolition of the extremely promising Aryna Sabalenka in the process.

The Florida native built upon that performance to win her maiden WTA title in Colombia in April, before roaring into the Semi-Finals at the French Open, where she took the first set off the eventual winner, and current world number one, Ashleigh Barty.

If Canada’s Bianca Andreescu proved anything in 2019, it’s that age means very little in contemporary women's tennis, and, when mixed with elite talent and exceptional application, huge things are possible.   

KEY STAT: 60.7%

At such a young age, Anisimova has already demonstrated her exceptional stamina and tenacity, which is evidenced through her remarkable ability to grind out points. In fact, when rallies went for at least ten shots in 2019, Anisimova won 60.7% of the available points, which was the third-best mark on tour. Amidst a period where the serve isn’t quite as dominant on tour, Anisimova’s ability to stay and thrive within rallies should hold her in excellent stead going forward.

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