Serena Williams is the big name once again in the women’s singles draw at the U.S. Open.

But can the 23-time Grand Slam champion finally equal Margaret Court’s all-time record and end a two-year wait to add to her majors haul?

Williams begins her U.S. Open title challenge against old rival Maria Sharapova, and the eighth seed has plenty of other prospective challengers ahead of her.

And with so much attention around the 37-year-old, we take a look at the best Serena Williams bets and the latest tennis odds you may want to place.

Williams vs Sharapova

The ‘Williams vs Sharapova’ rivalry is certainly a one-sided affair and one many tennis betting fans fail to appreciate. Sharapova was long seen as the rival to Williams’ domination of the sport. However, Williams has a hugely strong record over the Russian. Indeed, Sharapova has not beaten Williams since 2004. In that time, the American has won a staggering 18 straight clashes with her supposed rival.

Sharapova plays Williams in the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday night but is unseeded and has absolutely no form to boast of. She has won one match since exiting the Wimbledon first round and is +290 to win this clash. 888Sport has Williams at -400 to claim victory and -133 to win 2-0 on sets. That shows just how confident bettors are in Williams demolishing her old foe.

Williams To Win

Williams is well-placed to win the U.S. Open women’s singles title when you look at the tennis betting odds. After all, the American boasts a staggering 23 previous major titles and is still going as strong as ever. Williams is the +475 favorite with Resorts Casino to win the title, and that is a great price right now. After all, the 37-year-old has rarely started a Grand Slam lower than +400 for the past decade.

Granted, part of Williams’ higher price is the fact she may have run her race when it comes to Grand Slams. Williams has not won a major title since the Australian Open in 2017 and has lost both the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals in the past 12 months. The manner of which she lost to Simona Halep in the Wimbledon final just two months ago exposes a fragility in Williams’ game. Yes, she can still breeze past many of the world’s top players — but can she be the best once again?

Williams to Lose In Final

Such is the doubt over Williams than some tennis betting fans are starting to believe she will never equal Margaret Court’s 24 Grand Slams record. Williams needs just one more major title to reach that landmark, but her displays in the last two Grand Slam finals have exposed the possibility she is getting desperate. Can the player who is regarded as the greatest of all-time finally get No. 24? There is plenty of debate over whether or not Williams would fold in a final again, should she get there.

Williams could face Naomi Osaka (who beat her in 2018), Simona Halep (her usurper at Wimbledon) or even Sloane Stephens (2017 U.S. Open champion) in the final. The draw has been kind to Williams but expecting her to win this title is a tough ask.

Williams To Reach Semifinals

While there may be doubt over Williams’ ability to get over the line in a final, plenty of tennis betting fans are backing her to reach the semifinals here in New York. Indeed, Williams’ price to win her quarter of the draw has been driven down to +200 since the draw was made. That reveals just how much confident fans have in the American that she can overcome the early challenges in this tournament.

And it’s not hard to see why that is the case. After all, the toughest early-rounds opponent Williams could face - if she beats Maria Sharapova - is 12th-seed Anastasija Sevastova in the fourth. The pair have met only once on the court - in last year’s U.S. Open - and Williams demolished the Latvian 6-3 6-0.

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Reaching the semifinals would likely require Williams to beat either Ashleigh Barty or Angelique Kerber in the quarters. Now, Williams has an 8-3 combined record against the pair and would have the upper hand in any contest. But Kerber is a seasoned pro with experience on her side, while Barty is currently the in-form player on the WTA Tour. Facing either in the quarters could well be tricky.

Who Could Beat Williams?

If you’re trying to predict where Williams will exit the U.S. Open then the semifinals are a very good choice. After all, she has exited the women’s singles battle at this stage in two of her past three U.S. Opens. The 2019 draw opens Williams up to some hardened prospective semifinal opponents, with the in-form Madison Keys well placed to potentially cause an upset.

Despite being seeded 10th at the U.S. Open, Keys is seen as a great price at +1200 to claim victory and add to her recent Cincinnati Masters triumph.

Williams could also face fifth seed Elina Svitolina - the Wimbledon semifinalist this summer - or Britain’s Jo Konta in the semis. But the player who would likely most scare the veteran tennis superstar is Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova.

Pliskova boasts a 2-2 record against Williams - something very few players can claim. She may be the player who ends Williams’ U.S. Open dreams in the semifinals.