Australian Open Tennis Results: Serena Williams Continues Pursuit of Repeat Down Under

Serena Williams swings toward victory in the third round. (AP Images)

One thing that’s true about tennis is that it’s best to throw out the seedings as far as the Williams sisters are concerned. If you want to know who’s favored Down Under, it’s best to look at the tennis betting lines rather than the players’ rankings.

Although she’s only the seventh seed, Serena Williams entered the first Grand Slam tournament of the year with Australian Open odds of 5/1, making her the second choice behind No. 1 Justine Henin.

In her third-round match versus Victoria Azarenka, Williams was a -650 favorite on the moneyline (meaning a winning tennis bet of $650 would earn $100). The defending champion didn’t disappoint, sweeping Azarenka 6-3, 6-4 on Friday afternoon to reach the round of 16.

Her sister, Venus Williams, plays her third-round match Saturday in Melbourne. Earlier, Henin beat Francesca Schiavone, 7-5, 6-4, and No. 3 Jelena Jankovic survived against Virginie Razzano, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

In the men’s draw, No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko was the highest-seeded player in action and he won in straight sets over Marc Gicquel.

For Australian Open matching betting lines for the men’s and women’s draws, hit winners with the Bodog Sportsbook.