2010 CHINA OPEN- WTA ODDS AND TIPS- OVERALL WINNER

With a jam packed tournament planned, the women’s circuit has already bore witness to the elimination of one of the tournament favourites in Maria Sharapova- as she was beaten in 3 sets by Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva.
With Serena William's absence, the eyes of the world will be set upon Caroline Wozniacki, who can overtake the American atop the WTA rankings if she manages to reach the quarter-finals or better at this event.
Wozniaki is clear favourite to wrap this tournament up, with plenty of evidence suggesting why. The Dane is currently on a tour-leading 54/15 win-loss record in 2010, and looking good to carry this form through to year end.
Add this to the fact that Wozniacki recently captured her fifth WTA Tour title of the season, with a three-set victory over Elena Dementieva in Tokyo, and one begins to feel that her Grand Slam luck might change. Despite all of this she is still yet to win a Grand Slam title- something many people feel will continue to hold back her reputation.
Despite this, William Hill are still favouring Wozniaki to win the China Open at 3.0
The single biggest threat to the Dane's push for a number one ranking is Russian compatriot Vera Zvonareva, who is currently priced at 4.5
The US Open finalist has had a fantastic run this year, having reached the finals at Flushing Meadows, as well as Wimbledon, yet as mentioned above yet to wrap up a Grand Slam win. Zvonareva is a baseline counterpuncher with good offensive capabilities, and if paired up against Wozniaki could prove to be the clash of the tournament.
From there the gap is significant, with third in line being Chinese national Na Li. The fact the Li has never progressed further than a single semi-final in a Grand Slam tournament speaks volumes for a lack of available competitive ability at this tournament
Li is backed at 6.5
The last 'real' contender for this title is Olympic gold medallist Elena Dimentieva.
The Russian has had a mediocre year by her standards, and failed to stamp her mark on the circuit. However, Dementieva is an offensive baseline player with powerful groundstrokes off both sides, and if paired up against any of the top seeds, will raise her game. She is currently trading at 7.0
From there the odds become somewhat ridiculous, with Nadia Petrova, Francesca Schiavone and Ana Ivanovic all locked in between the 15.0- 17.0 range
There is little doubt that the WTA Tour would ideally prefer their top-ranked player to also be a Grand Slam champion, however the number one ranking should be changing hands this week.
The only real contenders this week will be the top 2 seeds. The WTA seems to have become a bit stale of late and a world away from the cheer in the opening half of 2010
Betting Tip: Against the bookies- Vera Zvonareva to win at 4.5