Aryna Sabalenka can win her second career grand slam title and take a step toward returning to No. 1 in the world ranking when she faces Zheng Qinwen in the 2024 Australian Open women's singles final on Saturday. Sabalenka, 25, won her first Grand Slam title at last year's Australian Open when she beat Elena Rybakina in the final. Sabalenka briefly rose to No. 1 in the world last year after the U.S. Open but enters Saturday's final No. 2 in the world. Meanwhile the 21-year-old Zheng will be playing in her first Grand Slam final after having previously never even reached the semifinal of a Grand Slam.
First serve is scheduled for 3:30 a.m. ET on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Sabalenka is the overwhelming -600 favorite (risk $600 to win $100) in the latest Sabalenka vs. Zheng odds, while Zheng is the +400 underdog. The over/under for total games is 19.5, with Sabalenka favored by 5.5 games. Before you make any Zheng vs. Sabalenka picks or 2024 Australian Open predictions, you need to see what tennis expert Jose Onorato has to say.
Onorato grew up playing competitive tennis in Caracas, Venezuela. After coming to the U.S., he trained with famed coach Nick Bollettieri at IMG Academy in Florida and faced players like Robert Farah, now one of the world's top-ranked doubles players.
Onorato, who holds dual degrees in finance and economics from the University of Miami, does extensive research before placing any tennis bets. He studies current form, players' tendencies on a particular surface, weather conditions and many other relevant factors. That systematic approach has helped Onorato go 128-90-7 -- up 69.25 units -- since 2022.
For Saturday, Onorato has scrutinized the latest Australian Open 2024 odds and released his coveted best bets for the Sabalenka vs. Zheng women's final. He's sharing his picks and expert analysis only at SportsLine. See what they are at SportsLine.
Why you should back Sabalenka
The 25-year-old from Belarus has been nearly unbeatable on hard courts. Sabalenka has won 19 of her last 20 matches at majors on hard courts and is appearing in her third straight hard court major final, after last year's Australian and U.S. Opens. Her only defeat in a major on a hard court came to Coco Gauff in last year's U.S. Open final.
In addition, Zheng has not seen a player near the quality of Sabalenka so far in Melbourne. In her six matches to reach the final, Zheng has faced six unseeded players: Ashlyn Krueger, Katie Boulter, Wang Yafan, Oceane Dodin, Anna Kalinskaya and Dayana Yastremska. By contrast, Sabalenka already has beaten three seeded players: No. 4 Gauff, No. 9 Barbora Krejcikova and No. 28 Lesia Tsurenko. See what to back at SportsLine.
Why you should back Zheng
Zheng has been playing well since reuniting with coach Pere Riba. Zheng rose from outside the top 100 to inside the top 30 under Riba before the two split in June of last year. Since the two reunited in December, Zheng is 8-1 with the only loss coming to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The run includes a victory of world No. 7 Marketa Vondrousova.
In addition, Sabalenka has had trouble closing out tournaments over the last seven months. She has not won a WTA event since the Madrid Open in May. Since then she has gone 10 tournaments without a title, going 0-for-2 in finals. See what to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2024 Australian Open women's singles final picks
Onorato has locked in his best bets for the women's final. One of his picks is Under 19.5 total games (-120), but he has another confident pick on the outright winner and the duration of the match. You need to see his pick and analysis before considering any 2024 Australian Open bets.
So who wins Zheng vs. Sabalenka, and what pick could lead to a big return? Check out Jose Onorato's analysis for the 2024 Australian Open women's final, all from the tennis expert who's up 69.25 units since 2022.
