No. 14 Sophia Kenin had never advanced past the second round in the Australian Open, but now finds herself just one win away from claiming her first career Grand Slam title. The 21-year-old American will take on unranked Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in the 2020 Australian Open women's final at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne at 3:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning. Kenin has dropped just one set this tournament, with her signature win coming (7-6, 7-5) over top-seeded Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals.
Muguruza, however, has the edge in Grand Slam experience and already has wins in the French Open (2016) and Wimbledon (2017). Bookmakers list Muguruza as a -156 favorite (risk $156 to win $100) in the latest Kenin vs. Muguruza odds, with the American getting +132 (risk $100 to win $132) as the underdog. You can also pick whether Muguruza will cover the 2.5-game spread and how many sets it will last, among many wagering options. Before making any Kenin vs. Muguruza picks, see the Australian Open 2020 predictions from elite tennis handicapper Gavin Mair.
Mair is coming off his third straight profitable year betting tennis, and anyone who has followed his tournament picks during that time is up over $22,000.
This is the same international guru who called Bianca Andreescu winning the 2019 U.S. Open at 20-1, one year after correctly predicting 32-1 Naomi Osaka would win that event. In last year's French Open, Mair recommended Marketa Vondrousova at 60-1, and she made a shocking run to the final.
Now, Mair has broken down the latest Kenin vs. Muguruza odds and released his coveted best bets, including one with a big plus-money payout. You can see them all at SportsLine.
Mair knows Kenin won the only previous meeting at tour level, beating Muguruza in three sets in the China Open last September. And in a dramatic Australian Open semifinal Thursday, it was the determined Kenin, not world No. 1 Barty, who best controlled her nerves.
Mair has also considered that Muguruza has faced the tougher overall draw in the 2020 Australian Open bracket to get to the finals and has been largely dominant over the competition. While Barty is the only seeded player whom Kenin has defeated in Melbourne, Muguruza has faced four of the world's top 30 players and beat them all in straight sets.
That includes wins over No. 4 Simona Halep, No. 5 Elina Svitolina and No. 9 Kiki Bertens. Muguruza's powerful serve was on full display in the semifinal win over Halep. She hit 10 aces, compared to just two for Halep. She also had a win percentage of 71 on her first serve. That could keep Kenin on her heels and unable to play her signature aggressive style in this championship matchup.
After thorough analysis, Mair locked in his best bets, including a pick on the game spread and a play on how many sets the match lasts. You can see all of his best bets, including the one with a big plus-money payback, at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2020 Australian Open women's final? Who covers the game spread? And how many sets does the match last? Visit SportsLine right now to see Gavin Mair's Australian Open women's final picks, all from the acclaimed women's tennis expert who has returned over $22,000 the past three years.
