Tournament Preview
The final Grand Slam of 2019 is upon the world’s top players and it promises to be a fascinating fortnight of tennis at Flushing Meadows in both the male and female draws. Here are our top US Open 2019 betting tips.
Tournament History
The US Open is now in its 139th year and it continues to go from strength to strength as one of the leading Grand Slam events on the tennis calendar. Formally known as the US National Championships, the event is played on hard courts, a move made in 1978, with the event formally being played out on clay and grass. The US Open offers the biggest winning purse of any of the Grand Slams – with over $50 million dollars to be distributed among the winners and losers in New York.
Format
As the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open adopts the same format as Wimbledon, the French Open and the Australian Open. Once the qualifying rounds are completed, 128 players make up both the male and female main draws – with matches taking place over a 2 week period.
The US Open is the anomaly on the Grand Slam calendar as it is the only event that uses tiebreakers in every set of a match – including the final set – a trait not used at any of the other big three events.
Venue
The Billie Jean King Tennis Centre, Flushing Meadows, New York has been the home of the US Open since 1978 – a move that co-insided with the decision to play the event on a hard court surface. Originally, the event was held on the grass courts at Newport, Rhode Island before moving to the West Side Tennis Club, New York in 1915. During its time at West Side, the event was briefly played on clay (1975-1977) before the definitive move to Flushing Meadows in 1978.
Dates
Monday 26th August 2018 – Monday 9th September 2018.
Previous Winners (Men’s)
As with all of the Grand Slam events on the calendar, the US Open has a distinguished alumnus of past winners – many of whom are regarded as some of the all-time greats of the game. Americans Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras lead the way with 5 US Open titles each in the open era whilst Swiss supremo Roger Federer also has 5 crowns to his name as he looks to add a 6th this year. Perennial bad boys John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl have picked up 4 and 3 tournament wins respectively whilst defending champion Novak Djokovic also has 3 titles at Flushing Meadows to his name.
Previous Winners (Women’s)
As with the men’s past winners list, some of the greatest females ever to grace the game have picked up the title at Flushing Meadows on multiple occasions. American legends Serena Williams and Chris Evert share the record for the most tournament wins in New York with six titles each. Margaret Court won her 5 titles as she crossed over into the open era back in 1970 whilst German legend Steffi Graf also won the event on 5 occasions. Eternal legends Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King have both won the US Open 4 times each as they etched their names in to female tennis folklore whilst Naomi Osaka will be looking to defend her title.
2019 Tournament Preview
Men’s:
Three-time champion Novak Djokovic simply cannot stop winning on the ATP Tour and returns to New York as very much the man to beat. 2017 champion Rafael Nadal will be hoping to continue his strong recent form whilst Roger Federer will be looking to go one better than his Wimbledon final appearance last month. Elsewhere, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem will be looking to breakthrough on the tour and pick up their maiden Grand Slam titles.
Women’s:
Picking a winner within the women’s draw is becoming almost impossible on the WTA Tour with Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka and Ashleigh Barty all having won Grand Slams this year and they will all be looking for more glory in the Big Apple. Serena Williams endured an infamous meltdown in the finals last year and she will hope to rectify that whilst 2017 champion Sloane Stephens always enjoys playing in New York. Left field picks could emerge in the form of Madison Keys who is a runner up at Flushing Meadows and Bianca Andreescu who is the teen sensation currently on the WTA Tour.
2019 US Open Tournament Preview
Men’s Outright Winner Odds:-
The final Grand Slam of the year in New York is always a highlight of the tennis playing calendar and this year looks to be no different. With the recognised big three of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic all looking to add to their Grand Slam tallies, it will be a fascinating battle to see if one of them can claim the bragging rights for the season or if a contender can swoop in and claim the title at Flushing Meadows.
Here are some of our favourites for the US Open title:
Novak Djokovic– 6/5 (Bwin) –
World number one and defending US Open champion Novak Djokovic continues to blaze a trail at the top of the men’s game and he always enjoys playing hard court tennis. He has been inconsistent since his Wimbledon triumph but if he plays anything anywhere near his best tennis, he will be firmly in contention to pick up a 4th US Open.
Rafael Nadal – 11/4 (Betfred) –
The 2017 champion arrives in New York having picked up the Masters title in Montreal earlier this month and he will fancy his chances of picking up a 4th US Open. The Mallorcan has reached the last 4 or better in every Grand Slam this season and his consistency across all surfaces makes him a strong contender once again in 2019.
Roger Federer – 7/1 (Betsafe) –
The five-time US Open champion has not lifted the trophy in New York for over a decade but he still continues to go deep in all the big events. His form has been patchy outside of the Grand Slams this season but his showing at Wimbledon last month suggests that he still has what it takes to add to his Grand Slam trophy cabinet.
Daniil Medvedev – 14/1 (William Hill) –
The form man outside of the top 3 on the ATP Tour is Russian Daniil Medvedev and he arrives in New York in the form of his life. His victory at the Cincinnati Masters last time out was the biggest of his career so far and with wins over both Djokovic and Nadal this season, the Russian could well be one to watch.
Dominic Thiem – 30/1 (Bet365) –
The French Open runner up for the past two seasons Dominic Thiem is another man that looks set to challenge the established big 3. The Austrian undoubtedly plays his best stuff on clay but with a US Hard Court title already in the bag this season at Indian Wells, he could be somewhat of a surprise package at Flushing Meadows.
Stefanos Tsitsipas – 33/1 (888sport) –
Young Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas has become one of the biggest draws on the tour this season having broken into the world’s top 6. His run to the semi-finals at the Australian Open was his seminal career moment so far and how he would love to go further and pick up a maiden Grand Slam here.
Alexander Zverev – 40/1 (William Hill) –
The young German has endured a tough season on the ATP Tour, dropping outside the world’s top 5 but his talent is unquestionable. With a change of coach during the summer and a few different methods, he could be the player that goes relatively under the radar in New York.
Top Pick – Novak Djokovic – 6/5 (Bwin)
Outside Pick – Daniil Medvedev – 14/1 (William Hill)
2019 US Open Tournament Preview
Women’s Outright Winner Odds:-
The final Grand Slam of the year promises to be a fascinating battle with so many of the female events on the tour being blown wide open of late. Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep and Ashleigh Barty have all claimed a major title this year and they will be looking to double their tally for the season whilst the usual bunch of contenders will be keen to get their hands on a Grand Slam trophy before the end of the season.
Here are some of our favourites for the US Open title:-
Serena Williams – 11/2 (Bet365) –
2018 runner up Serena Williams will be looking to banish the memory of her meltdown at Flushing Meadows last year. Her run to the final at Wimbledon was a timely reminder of the power she possesses on the WTA Tour and she will be desperately seeking her 24th Grand Slam title here in New York.
Simona Halep– 7/1 (Bwin) –
The Romanian is in fine form after picking up her second career Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last month and her performance in the final seriously raised eyebrows. Poor form since has checked her progress but she is undoubtedly one to watch in New York and she could take some stopping if she hits top form.
Ashleigh Barty – 10/1 (Ladbrokes) –
The 2019 French Open champion has enjoyed a remarkable year on the WTA Tour – culminating in reaching World number one. She hasn’t been firing on all cylinders since winning in Paris but she is a seriously dangerous player on hard courts and could cause some damage from her number 2 seeding.
Karolina Pliskova – 10/1 (William Hill) –
Despite not picking up too many titles this season, Czech superstar Karolina Pliskova has been a model of consistency on the WTA Tour. Having been a former world number one and having reached the final in New York in 2016, Pliskova could well be the one that goes under the radar in the Big Apple this season.
Naomi Osaka – 12/1 (888sport) –
Defending champion Naomi Osaka has gone through a rollercoaster of a season since her New York triumph last year. Her win over Serena Williams was somewhat marred on the night and despite winning the Australian Open too, off-court problems have plagued her form and who knows how she will go over the fortnight.
Madison Keys– 14/1 (Betfred) –
2017 runner up and reigning Cincinnati champion Madison Keys will be able to call upon home support in New York and arrives in fine form. With a game seemingly made for hard court tennis, Keys could well be the next in line to enjoy a period of dominance at the top of the women’s game.
Bianca Andreescu – 16/1 (888sport) –
Teen sensation Bianca Andreescu has emerged as one of the hottest properties on the WTA Tour at the tender age of 19. Tournament wins in Toronto and Indian Wells have propelled her to the top table within the women’s game and Grand Slam titles look not too far away for the Canadian.