Ashleigh Barty vs. Danka Kovinic – Round 1, 2021 Australian Open

It’s been a while since the world number 1 in female tennis Ashleigh Barty has played in a Grand Slam tournament. The star missed two consecutive Majors because of health concerns, but she is back for her home competition.

Barty will face Danka Kovinic in the opening round of the 2021 Australian Open and the tennis world expects a clean victory for the favorite.

I share my own thoughts on the upcoming clash in this Ashleigh Barty vs. Danka Kovinic betting preview. The post includes the latest odds, my analysis of both players and their form, my prediction, and a free betting pick.

The Ashleigh Barty vs. Danka Kovinic odds of the leading sportsbooks online are a clear indicator that no one expects a surprise in this one. The Australian is a heavy favorite to win without losing a set and anything else would be a huge shock.

I’m pretty sure that Ashleigh Barty will be desperate to play in a Grand Slam tournament after such a long pause. The leader in the WTA rankings decided to put safety first in 2020 and missed the final two Majors of the season.

She started the new campaign by winning Yarra Valley Classic in Melbourne and looked confident in the process. More importantly, Barty was happy on the court and showed decent tennis.

Grateful to be doing what I love ? pic.twitter.com/wUaa4WyOQz

— Ash Barty (@ashbarty) February 7, 2021

Barty was far from perfect early on, but every match was better than the previous one. I expect this trajectory to continue during the Australian Open 2021 and a deep run certainly is on the cards.

The favorite will be confident in her chances and we already saw some of the best players dominate their opening matches. I see no reason why Barty’s clash will be different.

The early steps in Danka Kovinic’s career suggested that she might become a tennis star one day, but the Montenegrin failed to rise to the challenge. She has only a handful of victories in Grand Slams and her last win in the Australian Open came in 2017.

Kovinic showed some good tennis at the start of 2021, but the level of the competition was nowhere near what her opponent in the opening round of the Australian Open can deliver.

A quick look at Kovinic’s previous two Grand Slams shows heavy defeats against any strong player she had to face, so another early exit makes the most sense.

It’s hard to see how Kovinic could stop Barty or even trouble her. The Australian is the much better player and she’s been solid in 2021 so far. On top of that, the world number one has the home advantage and will enter this one full of confidence.

I expect a dominant performance by Barty and she should be able to cover the -6.5 handicap. The price of -111 for that to happen is the best betting pick for this clash and I’m more than willing to take it.