Novak Djokovic, who is chasing a record 24th Grand Slam singles triumph at the US Open this year, is the favourite after fighting back to pip Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Cincinnati Masters recently. Alcaraz had earlier beaten Djokovic in five sets on grass in the Wimbledon final in July.
In the women’s singles at Flushing Meadows, defending champion and top seed Iga Swiatek is the market leader, but the fine form of Cori “Coco” Gauff has seen the American cut to single figures to win her first Slam singles title and join big three Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina at the top of the market.
- Carlos Alcaraz to win US Open men’s singles
- Sebastian Korda to win third quarter of US Open men’s singles draw
- Coco Gauff to win US Open women’s singles
- Madison Keys to win & each-way US Open women’s singles
Alcaraz To Defend His Title
Djokovic had his day against Alcaraz in Cincinnati in mid-August, but the Spaniard can boss the veteran Serb in the US Open, in which the match length rises from best of three sets to the best of five.
Alcaraz thwarted Djokovic’s best-laid plans in a five-set Wimbledon final thriller, but the return to longer matches in New York City in the coming fortnight should suit the 20-year-old more than his 36-year-old rival.
Alcaraz has come up trumps in two of the last three Slams he has contested and he looks well placed to overcome what is being described as a tough draw and improve that record to three wins in four majors.
World No. 1 and top seed Alcaraz defends his US Open crown, but he should have enough to possibly see off Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows and Daniil Medvedev or Hubert Hurkacz in the semis.
There’s a new kid in town these days and Djokovic, who has won the US Open on only three occasions in his stellar career, may have to scrap for each and every Slam he contests from this point on.
Korda Can Go Deep
Sebastian Korda pulled out of last week’s Winston-Salem Open before the semi-finals due to a reported ankle injury, but the American is not expected to be unduly troubled by the issue in the coming fortnight.
Korda, one of the world’s brightest young talents, is arguably as match-fit now as he has been all season after an early-season injury lay-off and he looks capable of making life tough for his chief opponents in the third quarter of the draw, namely Casper Ruud, Frances Tiafoe and Holger Rune.
Korda could also trouble Djokovic should they meet, but in this instance punters may be happy with taking single-figure prices about golfer Nelly Korda’s brother winning his quarter rather than half.
Prior to succumbing to injury, the selection made the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, the year’s first hard-court Grand Slam tournament, and so hopes are high that Korda can post a similarly positive performance in his home major.
Anyone considering backing Korda to reach the final should know that he might have to defeat Djokovic, Taylor Fritz or Stefanos Tsitsipas to bring home the bacon.
KORDA TO WIN THIRD QUARTER OF MEN’S DRAW
Gauff Ready For The Big Stage
It has taken Cori “Coco” Gauff time to settle on the WTA Tour, but after title triumphs in two of the last three US Open Series tournaments she has contested, in Washington DC and Cincinnati, the American may finally be ready for a serious crack at her first major silverware.
Gauff, one of the finest young talents the sport has ever seen, has had to be patient in her rise towards the top of the game. But now she is committing fewer unforced errors, particularly on her devastating forehand weapon, she is achieving greater success.
And while she is not yet the finished article, that may not prevent Gauff from joining the ranks of Grand Slam champions in the coming days.
Swiatek, Sabalenka and Rybakina have bossed the Grand Slam women’s singles markets for much of the year, but this time Gauff has joined the big three at the top of the list - and the fact that she has made so much progress in recent weeks suggests the others may find her tough to stop.
Gauff may well have to find a way past impressive youngster Mirra Andreeva in round two - and that is unlikely to prove an easy task. But if the Floridian plays and survives that early test, then the others may have to watch their backs, Swiatek included.
Keys Can Finally Win A Slam
The betting tells you that Gauff leads the American charge in the Big Apple ahead of Jessica Pegula, but another home player, Madison Keys, has been playing some of the best tennis of her career this season and she is worth an each-way interest in the US Open.
Keys, 28, struggled to produce the goods on the big occasion in the first half of her career. But after injury problems, she looks to have found greater steel on court and the Illinois ace, who found only Sloane Stephens too good in the 2017 US Open title match, could prove a tough opponent for anyone in the coming days.
Keys made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July and that should set her up well for her latest crack at homeland major glory. And for a player who can be backed at a three-figure price in a place, that is hard to resist.
Keys may have to defeat Liudmila Samsonova, Pegula or Elina Svitolina, Caroline Garcia or Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousouva, and then Sabalenka to elicit an each-way return. But at the prices available, that is worth chancing.
And were she to make her second US Open final, Keys would be no pushover armed with greater experience these days.
