The script for the next two weeks in New York is all about one woman as Serena Williams aims to go past Steffi Graf’s Grand Slam wins when she attempts to regain the US Open title that she has already won six times.
A decent cast list will be opposing her over the next fortnight although we’re guaranteed a new champion as last year’s winner Flavia Pennetta promptly retired after that final and isn’t here to defend her title.
Recent Winners
2015 – Flavia Pennetta
2014 – Serena Williams
2013 – Serena Williams
2012 – Serena Williams
2011 – Sam Stosur
2010 – Kim Clijsters
2009 – Kim Clijsters
2008 – Serena Williams
2007 – Justine Henin
2006 – Maria Sharapova
The Format
As with all the other Grand Slams this tournament is the best of three sets throughout but the US Open is one of those which has a tie-break to decide a final set if needed. The tournament is pre-drawn and is a straight knockout event throughout.
Top Quarter
The number one seed Serena Williams headlines the top quarter. She was surprisingly beaten in the semi-final last year and has lost two Grand Slam finals this year but she did win Wimbledon and is very much the one to beat but as we saw at the Olympics she might not be completely fit and could be vulnerable.
If she is vulnerable then it could be Simona Halep who is best placed to take advantage. That is what the seedings in this quarter tell is at least. The other seeds looking to get into the mix are Ana Ivanovic, Daria Kasatkina, Sam Stosur, Carla Suarez-Navarro, Elena Vesnina and Timea Babos.
There are some dangerous floaters in this part of the draw and Serena has landed one in the first round. Ekaterina Makarova is her first opponent while the likes of Heather Watson, Lucie Safarova and Daria Gavrilova are all capable of creating upsets.
Second Quarter
If you go with the seeds for this quarter then the quarter final will be Agnieszka Radwanska and Venus Williams. Given that they are the main seeds it shows that this is going to be an open quarter and the other seeds will be eyeing up solid runs.
They are Caroline Garcia, Kiki Bertens, Timea Bacsinszky, Karolina Pliskova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Laura Siegemund. It will be interesting to see which one of those comes out of the pack and dominates this section of the draw.
British eyes will be on this section as we are guaranteed a girl in the second round when Naomi Broady and Laura Robson meet in the first round. Eugenie Bouchard could spoil a few parties in this part of the draw too.
Third Quarter
This is where the world number three Garbine Muguruza is housed. The French Open champion hasn’t shown a whole lot of form since then but in theory her heavy ground strokes should be a real weapon on these sort of courts and it will be interesting to see if she can impose herself on the bottom half.
British eyes will be on this section too as Jo Konta is one of the seeds in it. The other seeds looking to make the semi-final from here are Madison Keys, Coco Vandeweghe, Barbora Strycova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Belinda Bencic and the Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig.
This is probably the section with the most dangerous unseeded players in it too. Caroline Wozniacki is a former finalist here while Francesca Schiavone, Tsvetana Pironkova and Andrea Petkovic can all go deep in Grand Slams.
Bottom Quarter
The Australian Open champion and Wimbledon and Olympic runner-up Angelique Kerber is the highest ranked player in this segment of the draw. The German is playing brilliantly right now and could be one to beat all fortnight.
The seeds lining up to oppose her aren’t as dangerous as some could be. The next highest ranked seed is last year’s runner-up Roberta Vinci but with the best will in the world she’s not emulating that run again. The other seeds are Misaki Doi, Irina Begu, Dominika Cibulkova, Petra Kvitova, Elina Svitolina and Sara Errani.
There are one or two dangerous floaters in this part of the draw too with former Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki in this part of the draw as well as Alize Cornet but really Kerber will be pretty excited by her draw.
Betting
I’m taking two women outright as well. Normally I wouldn’t take on Serena Williams and in two weeks time I might wish I didn’t but she didn’t look like she usually does at the Olympics and then she pulled out of Cincinnati quite late on with an injury so she has to be slightly more vulnerable than usual.
I will go slightly safe though and take someone who can’t meet Serena until the semi-final and that is the woman who took full advantage of Serena’s absence in Cincinnati in Karolina Pliskova. Pliskova thrashed Garbine Muguruza and Angelique Kerber in the semi-final and final of that tournament and only lost eight games in the two matches so nobody comes in here in better form.
The second quarter is wide open so the Czech star has to fancy her chances and if she serves well she is the one to beat were Serena to not come through the top half of the draw.
In the bottom half of the draw I’m going to take a chance on Jo Konta who is playing some really good tennis at the minute. The Briton made her big time breakthrough in this tournament 12 months ago when she took care of Garbine Muguruza and Andrea Petkovic on her way to the last 16 and since then she has made the semis of the Australian Open and won her first tour title in Stanford a few weeks ago.
In the semi-final and final of that tournament she beat class acts in Dominika Cibulkova and Venus Williams and we’ve seen how she is mentally strong in tight moments and in the big matches. There is more improvement to come from her and at the price I like her to come through that third quarter and challenge anyone she may face in the semi-final.
I’ll also chance a big price in the fourth quarter betting. Angelique Kerber is very much the one to beat but this is women’s tennis and it never works out like that so there could be value in Elina Svitolina.
Three weeks ago we saw Svitolina see off Serena Williams in the Olympics and if she didn’t take any confidence from that then she won’t have taken confidence in anything. We know she has a serve which should be a weapon on these courts and if she can hit the ball like she was in Rio she can make the semis at decent odds.
Tips
PLACED – Back K.Pliskova to win US Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Coral (1/2 1-2)
Back her here:
Back J.Konta to win US Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 51.00 with Betfred (1/2 1-2)
Back her here:
Back E.Svitolina to win 4th Quarter for a 2/10 stake at 15.00 with Bet365
Back her here:
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