US Open predictions: Tennis odds, pick, best bets

After five years, it may once again be time for an American woman to hoist the U.S. Open trophy.

Coco Gauff may have made her debut in 2019, but she’s still just 19 years old and scratching the surface of what she can do as a professional tennis player.

After reaching a Grand Slam final in each of the last two seasons, though falling short of winning her first major title, her time is quickly approaching.

Gauff has gone 35-13 across all competitions this season, putting her on pace for her best season as a pro.

She has won two titles, most recently a 500-level event in Washington a couple of weeks ago, and she has made it into the quarterfinals of Cincinnati, a 1000-level event.

She has won eight of her last nine matches on hard courts, losing to fellow American Jessica Pegula in Montreal, and at 23-6 is having her best season on the surface.

Gauff’s forehand, long seen as her greatest weakness, has started to improve in recent weeks.

She has begun working with ESPN commentator Brad Gilbert, the longtime coach of Andre Agassi and several other men’s players, which has seemed to instantly take her up a level.

She’s making fewer errors off her forehand and hitting more winners.

The teenager’s Grand Slam breakthrough has never seemed closer.

While she is playing in an era with a newly anointed “Big 3” in women’s tennis, it feels as if that group’s dominance is already beginning to wane.

Iga Swiatek, who is without a doubt the best women’s tennis player in the world, has looked human in 2023.

She was eliminated in the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier this year, lost to Elina Svitolina in the Wimbledon quarterfinals and had to gut out a three-set win over Karolina Muchova in the French Open final.

After winning a stunning eight tournaments in 2022, Swiatek had captured just four heading into this weekend.

Elena Rybakina, who defeated Swiatek in Australia, has slowed down a bit after a torrid run from the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023.

Battling various illnesses, she has played sparingly over the last two months and will enter the U.S. Open with just one win in her last three matches.

Aryna Sabalekna, who is the third member of the elite group on tour, did manage to win the Australian Open this season, but infamously choked away two big matches late in the next two slams.

Her mental game appeared to take a big step forward with her run at the U.S. Open last year and her title in Australia, but she once again appears to be a volatile player. 

The “Big 3” enters the U.S. Open a flawed bunch, and there’s nothing to suggest Gauff can’t force herself into a “Big 4” by the time this season is over.

The World No. 7 is playing with newfound confidence with a new coach and a solidified forehand, and she’s sure to garner plenty of support from the home crowd in Queens in the coming weeks.

After losing in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open last summer, Gauff is poised to post her best result yet at the final Grand Slam of 2023, and I think that result could put her on the podium when all is said and done.

Take her to win at 14/1 at bet365.