Men’s Singles
Pre-match vs Live betting
Market types
The first set of data from Betby’s operator network is interesting to note, as it potentially bucks a wider trend of granular focus and microbetting. At the Australian Open, the bulk of turnover – and certainly the bulk of bets – leaned towards the more traditional categories, such as match winner and, to a lesser extent, set winner.
Betting on the total number of sets or games, or the winner of a certain set or game, was far less popular; over 40% of bets and over 50% of turnover came from the match winner market.
Bet types
In our second chart, we can see a very equal split in terms of pre-match or in-play wagers. More bets were placed in-play, which is par for the course for a sport like tennis where the action is ever-changing.
- Notably, though, bettors were less confident with their money in terms of turnover. A greater amount was placed across Betby’s operater network pre-match, when players had more time to assess all available data and information.
- So, while more wagers were placed in-play at the Australian Open, turnover was far greater for pre-match wagering.
Top 10 Players (from all player markets)
Player betting across Betby’s operator network was fascinating. The greatest share of bets went towards Novak Djokovic, statistically the greatest tennis player of all time, who was booed off after pulling out injured in his semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
- Zverev himself, alongside 22-year-old losing semi-finalist Ben Shelton, also captured the betting public’s imagination in turns of percentage of bets.
- However, eventual winner Sinner saw the “smart money” bet on him. It is very intriguing to note that the Italian took over 10% of total turnover, despite being wagered on less overall than Zverev, Shelton and Djokovic in terms of total bets.
Top 10 Events
A look into the most bet-on events of the Australian Open throws up another potential surprise. While it makes sense that the quarter-finals are a popular betting round due to there being more action than the semi-finals and final, with more potential “value” in picking a tournament winner, it is still noteworthy that the final is only the second-most bet-on event.
- Both in terms of turnover and number of total bets, Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz ranked number one. Neither of these players went on to win the tournament. A potential second-round upset also saw Daniil Medvedev’s win over Learner Tien make the top three.
10.10% of turnover during the tournament went towards eventual champion Jannik Sinner
64% of total bets during the Australian Open were placed pre-match, although 59% of turnover was on in-play
Men’s Singles FinalPre-match vs Live betting
Market types
Betby’s data shows that the men’s singles final followed the same trend as the wider tournament. The percentage of both bets and turnover was far higher for the straightforward winner’s market, followed after some distance by the set winner market, then total sets.
Turnover was, in fact, higher for total games in a set than for total sets, while there was also a small percentage of overall bets on the set/game winner.
Bet types
When it comes to pre-match versus in-play wagers, the Australian Open final showed a slightly different trend to the overall tournament.
- Indeed, pre-match bets accounting for over 60% of the market was consistent across both the number of bets and the amount of turnover.
- The straightforward nature of the final probably played into this, with Jannik Sinner ultimately triumphing over perennial runner-up Alexander Zverev in straight sets. Was there, truly, ever any doubt?
Data continued...
Sports betting supplier Betby provides Gambling Insider with exclusive data once more; this time, we focus on the women’s singles...
Women’s SinglesPre-match vs Live betting
Market types
Nothing new to see here...
Betby’s operator network data is once again consistent across the men’s singles and the women’s; in that the vast majority of both bets and turnover went towards the match winner markets, rather than anything more broken down in terms of sets or games.
No. 19 seed Madison Keys stunned the Rod Laver Arena with a three-set victory over Aryna Sabalaneka, the no.1 seed who was expected to claim her third Australian Open title in a row. As we’ll see later, the final made for a positive result for operators.
Bet types
There was a significant difference when it comes to the women’s singles and men’s singles in bet types. Indeed, while the majority of bets and turnover were placed pre-match in the men’s draw, the women’s singles saw far greater action in-play.
- In total, 55% of bets and an overwhelming 69% of turnover were in-play on the women’s side of the Australian Open. This suggests a greater level of upsets and momentum shifts, which is often common in women’s matches. It is perhaps best demonstrated by the final, which saw a significant upset.
Top 10 Players (from all player markets)
In terms of total bets and turnover, unsurprisingly, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka took the lioness’ share. Eventual winner Madison Keys was second in the running, although no. 2 seed Iga Swiatek took the second-most in terms of turnover. She was also defeated by Keys in a semi-final epic that went all the way to 10-8 in a final-set tiebreak.
Top 10 Events
In terms of which women’s singles event topped the charts for bets and turnover, the final between Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys generated the most turnover by a distance and the most bets by a small margin.
- Second in the running was, once again, the epic semi-final between Keys and Iga Swiatek. Sabalenka’s semi-final victory over no.11 seed Paula Badosa came third in the running, completing the line-up as would be expected.
Women’s Singles Final
Pre-match vs Live betting
Market types
Unfortunately, there are no huge surprises in the above graph from Betby’s operator network. The trend of most players betting on the match winner was consistent throughout both the men’s singles and women’s singles, as well as the men’s singles and women’s singles finals. Here, the percentage of turnover that went on the match winner was even more emphatic.
Bet types
Finally, as we look at bet types for the Australian Open women’s singles, we can see that a greater amount of money was placed pre-match (64% of turnover), although a greater amount of bets were placed in-play (59%). Again, the shifts in momentum most likely played a part here, with the final going to a deciding set.
- Bettors may have also gone against their initial pre-match predictions, as Madison Keys caused an upset against favourite Aryna Sabalenka.
