Maria Sharapova Out of Australian Open: Bet on an All-Williams Final

As the tennis world (and Japanese Camera Company CEOs) begin to come to grips with the absence of Maria Sharapova from the 2009 Australian Open, the bookmakers are favouring as all-Williams final with Venus Williams and Serena Williams set to battle it out for the Grand Slam title. Both sisters are now listed at 11/4, an interesting occurrence considering Serena was backed at 5/1 behind Sharapova just a week ago. This should galvanize the rest of the field, but a few powerhouse displays from tennis' premier family could really pull the rug out from under the competition. Jelena Jankovic is backed at 5/1 with Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic both listed alongside each other at 9/1. The only other likely winner is Elena Dementieva, who is listed at 14/1. Much like the men's tennis betting at 888sport, you can back Each-way bets on 2 places at ½ odds so why not drop an each way punt on each Williams sister and then sit back and count your money. At nearly 3/1 you're looking at nearly evens on each of them to reach the top 2 and there is a distinct chance you could wind up getting paid out on both of them. I'm backing the Williams sisters to make this an All-American final and I'm also backing them to do it in style.