Semis Are Set at the U.S. Open

Juan Martin del Potro used the momentum he gained in his comeback win over Dominic Thiem to complete a massive upset over tournament favorite Roger Federer and he’s now got an excellent shot at his second career U.S. Open and Grand Slam title.

Facing what was probably one of the toughest draws, del Potro was not given much of a chance by sportsbooks back before the competition kicked off and BetOnline issued him +3300 odds to win. Now, just two wins away from a victory at Flushing Meadows, the Argentine sits second in futures at +300.

Rafael Nadal, the man del Potro will meet in the semis, moved into the pole position in futures odds when Rog exited the field. The Spaniard cruised through his quarter of the bracket, dropping just two sets along the way, and is now justifiably the -165 favorite to take the title.

With 12th-seeded Pablo Carreno-Busta and 28th-seeded Kevin Anderson facing off in the other semifinal, the match between Nadal and del Potro is – in my opinion – the de facto final. Rafa is by far the most talented man left in the competition and his Argentine opponent is playing his best tennis in years.

Odds as of September 7 at BetOnline

Women's semis occupied solely by Americans 

Madison Keys, Venus Williams, Coco Vandeweghe and Sloane Stephens are all through to the final four in the women’s draw, making it an all-American semifinal at the U.S. Open for the first time since 1981.

Of those compatriots, it’s Keys who’s been deemed the favorite at BetOnline with the other three following close behind. The 15th-seeded Keys, however, has not faced any woman of note and she’ll have her hands full in a matchup with the feisty Coco, who’s coming off an upset over Karolina Pliskova, the tournament’s top seed.

Venus (+250), the highest remaining seed, will be looking for her first ever win against Stephens. The two haven’t played since the 2015 French Open but the younger Stephens got the best of Venus in that matchup, dispatching her 7-6, 6-1.

The unexpected has happened at every turn on both sides of this, the final Grand Slam of the year and there’s still plenty of time for more shockers in the Big Apple.

Odds as of September 7 at BetOnline

Bet on the US Open today at Bovada

Archived Articles

Andy Murray was added to the ever-growing list of top players forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open when he announced just two days before the first round that an ongoing hip issue would keep him out of the final Grand Slam of the season.

BetOnline updated the odds for the tournament after the news about Murray dropped and it was Alexander Zverev who was most affected. The German pro moved from +700 to +450 on the oddsboard after drawing the fourth seed.

With Novak Djokovic, Milos Raonic and now Murray out of contention, it really is anyone’s tournament. Roger Federer (+175) and Rafael Nadal (+300) are the only real heavy hitters in the draw from the old guard of tennis but with Rog fighting some knocks of his own, he may not last long at Flushing Meadows.

If there’s ever been a tennis tournament to make some money, it’s this one. 

Odds as of August 27 at BetOnline

Bet on the US Open today at Bovada

Archived Articles

2017 has been a throwback year in men’s tennis and with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal sitting 1 and 2 in U.S. Open futures at Bovada, it’s expected to end that way. The two longtime rivals have winning shares in all three of the Grand Slams so far but if recent results are to be believed, this could be the tournament where the new generation takes the torch.

Injuries have plagued members of the old guard all season and two-time U.S. Open champ Novak Djokovic will actually miss the Slam, citing wear and tear for his pre-emptive retirement. Andy Murray (+700) and Federer (+125) are not completely healthy either, opening the door for the under-30s.

Leading the charge for the youngsters it’s Alexander Zverev, the 20-year-old German pro who bested Fed in the final matchup at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. Making it to the fourth round at Wimbledon, Zverev is now ranked sixth in the world and brings +700 odds into the U.S. Open.

Right behind Zverev it’s Nick Kyrgios (+1400), Grigor Dimitrov (+1600), Milos Raonic (+2000) and Dominic Thiem (+2500) also attempting to win their first Slams.

Marin Cilic has cracked the top 10 as well at +1600. His victory at the 2014 U.S. Open made him the only man not named Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray or Stan Wawrinka to win one of the big four tournaments in the last seven years.

The U.S. Open has produced several surprise winners over the years with Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Roddick both winning their only Grand Slams at Flushing Meadows.

Don’t be afraid to look for value in this one; there’s a good chance some of the faves are knocked out early.

Odds as of August 22 at Bovada

Bet on the US Open today at Bovada

Muguruza comes into Flushing Meadows on Fire

Women’s tournaments are always much harder to predict with the variance and parity that exists in the WTA but still – betting against Garbine Muguruza right now seems dumb.

Coming off a win at the All England Club in a campaign that saw her capture a second Grand Slam, the 23-year-old Spaniard is raking right now. She dominated Simona Halep in the final of the Western & Southern Open and although she’s the favorite, +600 is an extremely attractive price.

Since her title run at Wimbledon, Muguruza has lost only two matches and is coming dangerously close to stealing the No. 1 rank from current holder Karolina Pliskova.

A help to all the women in the field will be the absence of Victoria Azarenka. The Belarusian former world No. 1, who opened with a +700 line to win the tournament, will miss the U.S. Open due to a family issue.

Maria Sharapova is back at a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2016 Aussie Open after being granted a wild card into the U.S. Open field. Her +900 odds make her the fourth highest on the board but it’s likely she’ll have to shake off some rust and I don’t expect her to make it very far in New York. In order to bet Maria, I’d need much better odds than 9/1.

We’ve seen some long shots come through in women’s tennis this year so if you’ve got a feeling on some young up-and-comer, fire away by all means.

Odds as of August 22 at Bovada

Bet on the US Open today at Bovada