WTA 2023 Betting Guide
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By Vegas Odds
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The WTA operates all the most prestigious female tennis events on the calendar. Each event is available to bet on with the leading sportsbooks, which enables bets to be made on each individual match, as well as the outright winner of all WTA tournaments. However, you can find out more about the WTA events and betting markets available here.
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WTA Betting
The number of WTA matches per year is measured in thousands, meaning that there are plenty of betting opportunities. Almost every online sportsbook has women’s tennis events in its betting offer, with all sorts of betting markets to choose from. Although anyone can play on anything WTA-related, not everyone actually wins anything.
To be successful at WTA betting, one needs to invest a little bit of time and effort in learning about the sport. Your best shot at winning big on WTA betting is to fall in love with women’s tennis. Luckily, these matches often come with much excitement, so it’s not hard to become a true fan.
One of your best allies in beating the bookmakers is the WTA List. The Rankings will give you a rough idea about the quality of a player. The higher a player is ranked, the more likely she is to win a match. Of course, the favorite is not always the player who ends up as the match-winner, which is what makes betting on WTA so entertaining.
WTA Tournaments, Rankings, and More
Founded in 1973 to ensure a better future for female players, the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) is now the main organizing body of women’s professional tennis.
The organization is responsible for the WTA Tour, the principal international tennis tour for professional female players. Basically, the WTA is the women’s equivalent to the men’s ATP Tour.
WTA Tour History
Female tennis players had been looking into the possibility of creating their own organization since the early days of tennis. The need for an association such as the WTA intensified once the Open Era started. In the late 1960s, professional tennis players were finally allowed to compete together with amateurs, the result of which was an increase in prize money. The trouble was that the money wasn’t distributed equally.
The first Wimbledon in the Open Era saw the prize money distributed in favor of men at the rate of 2.5:1. Billie Jean King, who won the 1968 Ladies’ Singles Wimbledon, received £750. In comparison, the winner of the Men’s Singles, Rod Laver, won £2,000.
Four years later, Billie Jean King was one of the leading figures in establishing the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Since 1973, the organization has constantly been working on improving women’s tennis, with the main focus being equal pay.
One of the biggest milestones in the history of the WTA came decades after the organization was formed when the organizers of major tournaments agreed on distributing the prize funds equally between male and female players. Today, equal pay in all major tennis events, including the four Grand Slams.
WTA Rankings Explained
Just like the ATP Tour is used for ranking professional male players, the WTA List is used for women’s tennis. Although the number of professional female tennis players is very high, not everyone is guaranteed a place in the WTA Rankings. As of 2022, there are 1,106 players on the list.
Meanwhile, the player at the very top of the list is considered the best female player in the world at the moment. That is the reason why for every player, the goal is to get as high as possible in the rankings. To do that, they need to win ranking points, which are awarded to those who do well in tournaments governed by the WTA.
WTA Tour Tournaments
The 2023 WTA calendar will feature over 60 tournaments, which are separated into several categories according to the prize money and the number of ranking points up for grabs.
Grand Slam Tournaments
There are four Grand Slams yearly, and those are the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the French Open, and the US Open. Each of these tournaments has championships that are governed by the WTA. The winner of a Grand Slam Women’s Singles gets 2000 ranking points.
WTA Finals
As the tournament’s name suggests, this event is played once the season is over, usually featuring the top eight players in the WTA Rankings. The player who wins the trophy adds another 1500 ranking points to their tally.
Premier Tournaments
There is a total of 20 Premier Tournaments in which WTA players compete. Those events are separated into three sub-categories according to the number of ranking points they bring along.
There are four Premier Mandatory Tournaments, each with 1000 points reserved for the winner. Those events are considered elite, outshined only by the Grand Slams and the WTA Finals. The tournaments in question are Indian Wells Masters, the Miami Open, the Madrid Open, and the China Open.
The Premier Five Tournaments are those where the winner gets 900 ranking points. In addition, there are also 12 events called Premier, in which the winner gets 470 points. These tournaments also come with a significantly smaller prize pool.
International WTA Tournaments
There are 32 tournaments that belong in this category. The prize money varies from tournament to tournament. However, the number of ranking points the winners get is always the same (280 points). Some of the most famous International Tournaments include the WTA Auckland Open, the Mexican Open, and the Birmingham Classic.
WTA 125k Series
The number of WTA 125k Series events changes almost every year. Last year, for example, 11 tournaments of this kind were played. In 2022, the WTA has already confirmed 16 events. As evident from the name, WTA 125k Series tournaments have a prize fund of around $125,000.
ITF Tournaments
In the world of women’s tennis, the WTA is not the only association that organizes tournaments, there’s also the ITF (International Tennis Federation). Although the ITF is a separate organization from the WTA, the winners of ITF-organized events do get WTA points.
There are several hundred events organized by the ITF annually, and most of them have the power to lift the players up in the WTA Rankings. There are some tournaments where the winner gets as many as 150 ranking points. However, some ITF events have only 12 points reserved for the tournament winner.
