[rcgills]

I've had 0.5pts each way on Pennetta in the women's event @ 300/1 (Sporting Odds). Ranked 13th in the world, but seeded 12th due to Sharapova not competing here. Had an excellent end to last season, and proved she could beat the best, with wins against Venus, Jankovic and Petrova among others, albeit on indoor courts. She's not made the best of starts to this season, but she has at least got quite a few games under her belt, with the Hopman Cup and then another warmup tournament last week. Nice looking draw - Santangelo first round, round 2 would be the winner of two wild cards, then 3rd round (when in theory the seeds start meeting), she could've done much worse than be drawn to play Medina Garrigues. Would be due to play Dementieva in the last 16, but after winning both her warmup tournaments, I'm hopeful Dementieva may have peaked a bit too soon.

The women's event is pretty open now, since Henin retired there's been no true dominant player. There's very little, if anything, between the top 10 players, and there are plenty of dangerous players lurking below. Not sure whether Pennetta will be consistent enough to go all the way, but I think at the price she can give me a run for my money.