Events / Editor / 20 October 2007 / Leave a comment

Former world number one and two-time Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo is likely to be among the favourites in the betting for the 2008 Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts in December.

The 28-year-old French star has confirmed she will participate at the WTA tournament at Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, from Sunday December 30 2007 to Saturday January 5 2008, for the first time.

The 2006 Wimbledon champion endured a disappointing 2007, after slipping down to 18 in the world rankings due to poor form and a groin injury, which ruled her out of the US Open. That could be reflected in the betting odds in the new year, but Mauresmo is raring to start the new season on a high note and could be worth a bet.

Punters looking to bet on a home-grown winner may consider checking the odds of Australian number one seed Samantha Stosur. The world number 36 seed will be playing in front of a home crowd and has already defeated Mauresmo in the second round of this year's Rome Sony Ericsson WTA tournament.

Russian number two Dinara Safina cleaned up last year, defeating five-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis in the singles final, while securing the doubles title alongside Slovakian Katarina Srebotnik and will undoubtedly be popular in the betting markets again.