Punters can be excused for thinking they are partying like 2007 and not 2017 as they handicap the men’s draw in the United States Open tennis championships. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are prohibitive favorites followed by an unknown cast of supporting characters. No Novak Djokovic in Flushing, New York. No Andy Murray. No Stan Wawrinka. Former champions all and all sidelined by injuries. Other perennial Top 10 players and potential contenders like Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori are missing from consideration with injuries as well.
So that leaves Federer and Nadal. Federer is carving out a career revival in 2017 at the age of 36 unlike any the sport has ever seen. The Swiss legend has won two of the three Grand Slam tournaments this year and sat out the other. He won his record 19th major title at Wimbledon without losing a set. Federer has compiled a record of 17-1 on hardcourts this year in the United States and 23-2 overall. After a career of being unable to solve Nadal’s left-handed topspin, Federer has now won four matches in a row against his Spanish rival.
If bettors are looking for some reason to wager against Federer there is his age, a potentially large factor when playing five-set matches in the U.S. Open in what could be stifling heat. After winning five U.S. Open titles in a row, he has not won in New York since 2008. Federer withdrew from a tournament last month in Cincinnati with a back injury and was also upset in his last prep tournament for the Open. Those are mighty thin reads to build a case against Roger Federer here at 15/8.
2017 US Open: Men’s Singles Outright Winner Odds
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 28, 1:00 a.m. (GMT)
Latest Odds: US Open Men (courtesy of bet365)
Rafael Nadal has reclaimed the #1 spot in the rankings in 2017, mostly on the strength of an unbeatable clay court season that included a dominating French Open victory. In fact, Nadal has not claimed a hard court title in over three years. He has been on the short side of several big matches but has still won more than anyone else in 2017. If Nadal is able to capture his third U.S. Open crown, he will reward backers at 3/1.
The unique angle for bettors in the men’s part of the U.S. Open is that Federer, the #3 seed, and Nadal, the #1 seed, are in the same side of the draw. The two have somehow contrived to never meet on the court in Flushing Meadows and if it happens this year it will come in the semi-finals. So the winner of a potential Federer-Nadal clash will not necessarily be the 2017 tournament champion. There will be one more match to play. And if there is any hangover from that historic match it could open the path to a surprise winner from the other side of the draw. But who?
2017 US Open: Men’s Singles Name the Finalists Odds
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 28, 1:00 a.m. (GMT)
Andy Murray withdrew as the #2 seed after the draw which bumped Marin Cilic of Croatia into that slot. Cilic made the final at Wimbledon this year and has won in New York before. He has a 27-7 match record in the U.S. Open. If he is right physically – and he seemed far from that against Federer in that Wimbledon showdown – Cilic could justify backing at 16/1.
A more intriguing case can be made in the lower half of the draw for 20-year old Alexander Zverev. The 20-year old German is being hailed as the next big thing with a chance to break through into the Big Four of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray. He has won back-to-back Masters Series titles this summer that included a win over Federer. Zverev has yet to distinguish himself in five-set tournaments, however, which should cause pause for prospective wagers on his chances at only 9/2.
Long-shot hunters can also chance that this will finally be the time on the big stage that Australian Nick Kyrgios’ temperament will catch up with his bottomless well of talent. With only one of the Big Four standing between Kyrgios and a breakthrough major win, the #14 seed could be worth a play at 18/1. He too, however, has been battling injuries heading to New York.
2017 US Open: Women’s Singles Outright Winner Odds
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 28, 1:00 a.m. (GMT)
Latest Odds: US Open Women (courtesy of bet365)
Healthy payouts await the punters holding the winning ticket on the ladies U.S. Open champion. No player has yet stepped into the void left by the absence of Serena Williams, who is expected to give birth to her first child sometime during the two weeks at Flushing Meadows. Garbine Muguruza has played the best tennis this summer, besting Venus Williams in the Wimbledon finals and demolishing the field at Cincinnati earlier this month. She polished off world number 2 Simona Halep 6-1, 6-0 for that title. Sportsbook Paddy Power has installed Muguruza as the 9/2 favorite and if the 23-year Spaniard maintains her summer form, she will indeed leave New York with her third major championship.
The top-ranked player in the world, Karolina Pliskova, has not been in such fine form. She lost in the semi-finals of the French Open and was ousted at Wimbledon in the second round by the world number 87, Magdalena Rybarikova. She ascended to world number 1 in July less on what she accomplished on the court than other players’ failings. Nonetheless, she was a finalist at Flushing Meadows last year and possesses a big serve that will make Pliskova a threat to take home her first major championship trophy at 13/2.
There are plenty of fun plays available for long-shot bettors in this ladies U.S. Open. Angelique Kerber and Maria Sharapova are both offered at 22/1. Kerber is the defending champion and former world No. 1 but those long odds are indicative of how badly she has struggled in 2017. Sharapova is coming back this year from a 15-month ban for doping and is in the field on a wild card meaning the five-time Grand Slam champion will be facing tough matches all the way through – beginning with Halep in the first round. Sharapova is listed at 13/8 and second-seeded Halep only 1/2 in that rare first day meeting of stars.
There is always a chance that a Williams will once again rule in New York. Venus Williams, now 37 years old, has made it to the finals in two Grand Slams already this year – the first time she has accomplished that feat since 2003. If she is able to win her first U.S. Open since 2001, winning tickets on Venus will pay 16/1.
