Tennis betting tips: Preview and best bets for Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Tennis betting tips: Billie Jean King Cup Finals

• 3pts Czechia to win the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at 15/8 (Sky Bet)
• 1pt Kazakhstan to win the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at 10/1 (Sky Bet)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Billie Jean King Cup Finals

• Seville, Spain (indoor hard)

Tennis rarely learns from its mistakes and here we have a case in point.

Last year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals, then held in Glasgow, lost key players due to the fact the event was taking place literally hours after the end of the WTA Finals, a tournament held in North America.

Move forward 12 months and it’s a case of rinse and repeat.

The venue for the ‘World Cup of Tennis’ may have changed – we’re in Seville, Spain, in 2023 – but several players still face the crazy turnaround from the WTA Finals which, at the time of writing on Monday, are still taking place in Cancun, Mexico.

Provided there is no more rain – not a given – the WTA showpiece will conclude approximately nine hours before the action in Seville gets under way.

Scheduling has never been tennis’ strong point but this situation is frankly ludicrous, particularly given all the problems it caused last season.

Unsurprisingly, several players – and teams – are caught up in the mess.

USA have lost their star duo of Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff – neither made themselves available for the team event, opting to focus on those WTA Finals. Poland’s chances have also been severely damaged given the similar decision of French Open champion, Iga Swiatek.

Others decided to play both events, although whether that will actually be possible, in some instances, remains to be seen.

Take Australia’s Ellen Perez.

She will compete in the doubles title match at the WTA Finals which is due to begin at 1830 GMT on Monday. Even if she got the private jet she’s asking for (probably only half-jokingly), it’s clear she’s not going to be able to play against Slovenia on Tuesday morning in Seville – the tie starts at 0900 GMT.

Team-mate Storm Hunter (I kid you not) was also still in Cancun on Sunday (losing in the semis), making things very awkward for Aussie captain Alicia Molik.

Czechia, among the title favourites, are the other team hard-hit by the Cancun debacle.

Marketa Vondrousova was at least eliminated from the WTA Finals on Friday but Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova were both absent from the team’s press conference on Monday.

Anyway, I’ll go into more detail on each team shortly but for now let’s assess other factors.

The action is technically taking place indoors, although the venue is actually the Estadio de la Cartuja, an outdoor stadium which has previously played host to the World Athletics Championships, high-profile football matches (including Spain v Scotland last month) and two Davis Cup finals.

As was the case with the latter, a temporary roof is in place to cover the two match courts this week, so while it is classed as indoors, it won’t be the same conditions as an ‘arena’ event.

Temperatures in Seville are set to be in the low 20s and wind shouldn’t be an issue.

The surface is Rebound Ace, as it was at last year’s Finals in Glasgow, when it was neither super fast or slow. This week Spain captain Anabel Medina Garrigues has described it as “not very fast”.

The format sees the 12 teams split into four groups. The winner of each will progress to the semi-finals on Saturday.

Now, let’s take a look at those teams.

GROUP A

Switzerland

Team: Belinda Bencic, Viktorija Golubic, Celine Naef, Jil Teichmann, Simona Waltert

Sky Bet odds: 18/1

The defending champions look unlikely to defend their title. Their star player, Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, announced last week that she is pregnant and while she has refused to be drawn on whether she will take to the court, the addition of Simona Waltert to the team and the Swiss practice sessions suggests she won’t. Golubic and Teichmann are an experienced pair who won’t go down without a fight and teenager Naef is a rising star but, in this tough group, the Swiss look up against it, whoever is nominated.

Czechia

Team: Marketa Vondrousova, Barbora Krejcikova, Linda Noskova, Katerina Siniakova, Marie Bouzkova

Sky Bet odds: 15/8

Even without Karolina Muchova and Petra Kvitova, the Czechs have been able to pick a very strong team. All five members are in the top 50 in singles, while both Wimbledon champ Vondrousova and former French Open queen Krejcikova are in the top 10. Four of the five are also top 50 in doubles with Krejcikova and Siniakova one of the best teams in the world. But there’s the rub – they have both been at the WTA Finals in Cancun, as has Vondrousova, and a Tuesday start is therefore far from ideal. The good news is that first match is against the Swiss, the weaker of their two group opponents, and Muchova’s replacement Bouzkova may well have a big role to play in that one. She looks likely play singles alongside Vondrousova, whose 12-1 record in this competition is something to be feared.

USA

Team: Danielle Collins, Sofia Kenin, Sloane Stephens, Taylor Townsend, Peyton Stearns

Sky Bet odds: 9/2

While the USA are another team with great strength in depth, the absence of Jessie Pegula and US Open champion Coco Gauff undoubtedly leaves them weaker. Madison Keys’ injury withdrawal is another blow. With former Grand Slam champions Kenin and Stephens in their ranks, not to mention renowned battler Collins, they could still contend but getting out of this group could be problematic.

Group verdict

Despite the problems caused by the WTA Finals in Cancun, the Czechs look the team to beat in what is definitely the strongest of the four groups. Their strength in depth is the envy of virtually every captain these days and they should be able to get through Tuesday’s opener even if, as expected, they are without a couple of their stars.

GROUP B

Australia

Team: Kimberly Birrell, Storm Hunter, Daria Saville, Ajla Tomljanovic, Ellen Perez

Sky Bet odds: 25/1

Look the hardest-hit by the WTA Finals scheduling with their star doubles pairing of Hunter – the new world number one - and Perez likely to miss Tuesday’s tournament-opener against Slovenia. They need doubles points as the singles options look weak – Birrell is their top-ranked player at 100. This isn’t the strongest pool but it’s still hard to see the Aussies progressing.

Kazakhstan

Team: Elena Rybakina, Yulia Putintseva, Zhibek Kulambayeva, Aruzhan Sagandykova, Anna Danilina

Sky Bet odds: 10/1

Boast the clear class of the group in former Wimbledon champion Rybakina and she should have recovered from her Cancun exploits by the time of the Kazakhs’ first tie on Thursday. Putintseva is also a competition stalwart, holding a 17-9 record, one which makes her the nation’s most successful player in the BJK Cup. With Danilina also a decent doubles player, Kazakhstan should fancy their chances of at least getting out of the group.

Slovenia

Team: Tamara Zidansek, Kaja Juvan, Veronika Erjavec, Nina Potocnik, Ela Milic

Sky Bet odds: 40/1

Another team without serious singles weapons – both Zidansek and Juvan sit around the 100 mark in the WTA rankings. Both players have also struggled with physical issues of late too – Zidansek is carrying a long-standing shoulder problem, while Juvan has been struggling with a virus. Hard to completely rule them out but they look the outsiders in this group.

Group verdict

Kazakhstan look worthy favourites in this group with Rybakina highly likely to win both of her singles matches. The feisty Putintseva provides strong back-up and between them, they should be able to push their nation into the semi-finals.

GROUP C

Spain

Team: Paula Badosa, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Rebeka Masarova, Cristina Bucsa, Marina Bassols Ribera

Sky Bet odds: 4/1

Have home advantage but some of their players would rather be playing on clay this week. The other issue is the injury problems of their star player, Badosa. She’s surprisingly in the team despite having not played competitively since Wimbledon due to a stress fracture of her back. It’s hard to see her being able to produce big results which will be needed if Spain are to go all the way. Still, this isn’t the hardest group so there’s still a decent chance that the hosts are around come the weekend.

Canada

Team: Eugenie Bouchard, Gabriella Dabrowski, Leylah Fernandez, Marina Stakusic, Rebecca Marino

Sky Bet odds: 25/1

It’s hard to be confident about Canada but there is certainly potential in this team. There’s no Bianca Andreescu, the former US Open champion, but in Fernandez and Bouchard they do boast two Grand Slam singles finalists. The former has ended the season in good form in Asia, winning the title in Hong Kong. In addition, WTA Finals contender Dabrowski is one of the world’s best in doubles, a format Fernandez is also top-20 in. Marino could be picked ahead of Bouchard, who slipped down the rankings a long time ago, but that doubles team could be key.

Poland

Team: Magda Linette, Magdalena Frech, Katarzyna Kawa, Weronika Falkowska

Sky Bet odds: 25/1

Make no bones about it, Swiatek’s decision to skip this event is a huge blow to Poland. They could have contended for the title with her in the team but without her that seems unlikely. The good news is they still have top-30 star Linette, who is also top 40 in doubles, while Frech is inside the world’s top 80. They could win a battle between three well-matched teams in this group but going further will be tough.

Group verdict

The bookies like Spain here but their odds of 4/1 to lift the trophy look short indeed. I’m not convinced they will progress from the group. Despite being 25/1 shots in the outright market, both Canada and Poland hold claims of finishing top and a punt on the Canadians might just reward if you can get group odds.

GROUP D

France

Team: Clara Burel, Alize Cornet, Caroline Garcia, Varvara Gracheva, Kristina Mladenovic

Sky Bet odds: 7/1

This French team is packed with experience with three former Cup winners on their roster. Garcia is still a top-20 singles player, although it’s been a rather disappointing season for her. Gracheva is also top 50. A big plus is that Garcia and Mladenovic were once the world’s best doubles pair. That could be crucial in what looks a very evenly matched pool.

Italy

Team: Lucia Bronzetti, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Jasmine Paolini, Lucrezia Stefanini, Martina Trevisan

Sky Bet odds: 16/1

Italy ruled the roost in this competition around a decade ago but they are no longer able to choose clay on which to play, at least not at this stage of the tournament. Still, the modern-day Italian side is capable of competing on the hard surface – they have three top-50 singles players. They will look to the in-form Paolini, who beat Beatriz Haddad Maia in Beijing, where she also tested world number one Aryna Sabalenka. She then went on to reach the last four in Zhengzhou and the final in Monastir. If she continues in that vein, Italy will stand a decent chance of reaching the knockout phase.

Germany

Team: Tatjana Maria, Anna-Lena Friedsam, Laura Siegemund, Eva Lys, Jule Niemeier

Sky Bet odds: 16/1

Another experienced team, although they may live to regret not choosing their current number two, Tamara Korpatsch, who recently won a WTA title. At their best, Maria and Niemeier are capable of taking this team far but their best form hasn’t been seen a great deal of late, hence neither is among the world’s top 50. Another setback is doubles star Siegemund reaching the WTA Finals title match. While Germany don’t start their campaign until Thursday, that still leaves her little time to recover, let alone get used to the significantly different conditions.

Group verdict

This looks the hardest of the pools to predict – a case can be made for all three teams. France are probably slight favourites with that doubles team ready and waiting for the potentially-decisive rubber, although Italy are interesting given Paolini’s form and their outright price. They could offer some value for those prepared to be brave.

OVERALL VERDICT

To my mind, the eventual champions will likely emerge from Group A which includes two of the top three in the betting – CZECHIA and USA.

As already explained, I give the Czechs the edge there with the depth of their team looking the best of the 12 qualifiers.

Some will be legitimately concerned about the fatigue factor associated with three of their five players having been in action at the WTA Finals in Cancun, especially given their price of 15/8, but I’m still happy to get involved as I believe the order of their matches (USA last) helps on that front.

They look the most likely winners and I will back them accordingly.

• CLICK HERE to back Czechia with Sky Bet

In terms of a value search, you need to check out the semi-final draw.

As you’ll see, the winners of Group A will face the winners of Group C in the last four, meaning one of the finalists must come out of pools B and D.

The odds suggest that will be France but I’m far from convinced they will reach the semi-finals.

Instead, KAZAKHSTAN look the value play.

They appear firm favourites to win Group B and would stand a decent chance against any side coming out of Group D.

Elena Rybakina is the highest-ranked singles player in Seville and while she exited the WTA Finals at the group stage, she didn’t play badly. She also posted a victory over world number one Sabalenka in her final regular-season event in Beijing where she reached the semi-finals.

The Kazakhs will be confident she can deliver a point in every tie they play, while she may also be called upon for doubles too. Her chief support, Putintseva, is a real battler with a strong record in this competition so quotes of 10/1 about the Kazakhs look worth snapping up, especially if any firms offer an each-way option.

• CLICK HERE to back Kazakhstan with Sky Bet

Published at 1705 BST on 06/11/23

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