2020 U.S. Open women's odds, picks, predictions: Tennis expert says Serena Williams poised for upset

Serena Williams tries to break her career-long drought of eight straight majors without a title when the 2020 U.S. Open begins Monday in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. This is the first Grand Slam since the Australian Open ended in February; fans won't be allowed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Williams, 38, has not played well since the tennis tour's restart, but she remains near the top of the odds board due to her record-tying six U.S. Open titles.

William Hill lists 2018 champion Naomi Osaka as the 5-1 favorite in the latest 2020 U.S. Open odds, followed closely by Williams (11-2), top seed Karolina Pliskova (11-1), reigning Australian Open champ Sofia Kenin (16-1) and Garbine Muguruza (16-1). With so many legitimate contenders, you need to see the 2020 U.S. Open picks and predictions from legendary expert Gavin Mair.

An uncanny international women's tennis guru, Mair enters the 2020 U.S. Open on a mind-blowing streak. Last year, he told SportsLine readers to bet Andreescu (20-1) to win the title, the year before he had Naomi Osaka (32-1) and in 2017 he had Madison Keys (9-2). That's right -- he has predicted three straight outright winners with big payouts.

Morever, anyone tailing his outright picks and in-tournament bets is up a staggering $12,305 over that span.

Now, Mair has broken down the latest U.S. Open 2020 odds and released his coveted best bets to win it all. Head to SportsLine to see them.

Top 2020 U.S. Open women's predictions

One huge shocker: Mair is fading Williams despite her amazing track record at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Last Tuesday, Williams surprisingly lost at this same venue to Maria Sakkari, going down 6-1 in the third set. In one game, she double-faulted four times. Williams is 3-2 since the women's tennis tour restarted, with all five matches lasting three sets.

"Her movement is woeful, and this week she should have lost to Arantxa Rus -- a farm-league level clay court grinder -- who choked away a winning position," Mair said. "Williams eventually lost her next match to Maria Sakkari, who was playing poorly but still had enough to beat the champion. Even if you added an extra zero to the Williams price (making it 55-1), I wouldn't be interested."

Top 2020 U.S. Open women's picks

Instead, Mair is backing three long shots to win, including an astronomical underdog Mair identified when she was 125-1. She's been bet down, but is still offering extreme value. Mair says this overlooked pro "is having a breakthrough year, has every shot in her arsenal, and is capable of beating any player on the tour." Find out who it is, and get all of Mair's U.S. Open best bets, over at SportsLine.