New York Becomes the World Capital of Tennis as the US Open Comes to Town
Published August 26, 2018 by Florin P
The last grand slam of 2018 starts on Monday as the US Open brings together the brightest stars in men’s and women’s tennis.
The last and the richest grand slam of 2018 starts tomorrow when the best tennis players convey to New York. The U.S. Open doesn’t have a clear favorite this year and the race is wide open in both the men’s and women’s tournament. bet365 Sports and 888 Sport offer ample coverage of the event, which will span over two weeks and will include more than 100 matches.
Djokovic and Nadal are the Main Favorites
The winners of the last two grand slam tournament are credited with the first chance to lift the trophy at the U.S. Open. Djokovic is slightly favorite, with odds of 12/5 of both bookmakers, while Nadal comes in second with odds of 3/1. The reason for why the Serbian is regarded as a more likely winner by the narrowest of margins is that he defeated the Spanish champion at Wimbledon. That was a hard-fought game that could’ve gone either way, and the odds for the US Open reflect this balance.
Closely behind the two main favorites, Roger Federer is given odds of 5/1 at bet365 Sports. He won the Australian Open this year, but he didn’t play against either Djokovic or Nadal at that grand slam. He lost in disappointing fashion against the Serbian just two weeks ago, which partially explains the odds. The Swiss has the experience, form and talent needed to win the U.S. Open again and the odds are tempting.
Four Players Stand Out from the Crowd in the Women’s Event
Serena Williams is once again the main favorite to lift the trophy, with odds of 6/1 at bet365 Sports. She has prevailed in this competition many times, but she is still recovering after giving birth last year. That’s why the American champion is almost tied for the top favorite status with the world number one. Simona Halep is given odds of 13/2 at the same bookmaker after winning the Roland Garros. She proved her quality on hard court two weeks ago when she won the Rogers Cup in Montréal.
888 Sport credits Angelique Kerber and Sloane Stephens as the next likely players to win the U.S. Open. Both of them are given odds of 7/1 to prevail, with the German winning the Wimbledon grand slam and the American prevailing in New York last year. She also played the final act at Roland Garros this year and she has the advantage of playing in front of her fans. Winner Sports offers even better odds on Stephens to prevail, a massive 10/1 which at the time of writing is the biggest value available online.
ATP and WTA Dark Horses at the U.S. Open
In the men’s competition, there is a big gap separating the top three favorite from the pack. Alexander Zverev is given odds of 9/1 at 888 Sport to cause an upset, while Del Potro and Cilic come next with odds of 10/1, respectively 20/1. The odds on the latter are the biggest you can find anywhere and the Croat has won the U.S. Open before. Other players in the ATP who could shock the favorites are Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray who are slowly returning to form and who have won grand slam tournaments before.
In the women’s tournament, there are even more players capable of producing a big surprise at Flushing Meadows. Garbine Muguruza has won both the Roland Garros and Wimbledon and she is given odds of 14/12 and the U.S. Open to her trophy case. Petra Kvitova is another grand slam winner who has the quality to win in New York and 888 Sport prices her triumph at 14/1. Last year’s finalist Madison Keys and Elina Svitolina can’t be ruled out either at odds of 20/1.
