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US Open History

Each of the hard courts, including all three main showcourts - Grandstand, Louis Armstrong Stadium and Arthur Ashe Stadium, are DecoTurf based, and those who manage to overcome the various challenges that it, and their opponents provide, can earn up to 2000 ranking points should they emerge triumphant in the final.

Something that may interest the history buffs is that the US Open wasn’t always a hard court tournament. From 1881 to 1974 it was played on grass, and from 1975 to 1977 it was a clay court tournament. The DecoTurf surface wasn’t introduced until 1978. Chris Evert is the only women’s player to have won a US Open on all three surfaces.

Unlike at Wimbledon, where an all-white uniform is expected to be worn, the dress code at the US Open is less stringent and players are free to wear the colours they choose.

Serena Favourite Once Again

Serena Williams goes into this years final as favourite, despite losing the 2018 final and the most recent Wimbledon final. Equalling Margaret Court as the all-time Grand Slam singles winner is seemingly more elusive than ever.

Naomi Osaka was her conqueror last year in a match which she dominated from start to finish, but that victory was overshadowed by the American calling the umpire a ‘thief’ and Williams’ supporters booing Osaka during her trophy presentation.

It put a real dampener on the tournament overall, and the organisers will be keen to avoid any sort of controversy this time around. Unlike the men’s tournament, there are a number of players in the women’s game who are in decent form and present a threat to Serena.

Simona Halep, who convincingly took this year’s Wimbledon title, will be confident of going all the way in New York, and even though the courts are a lot harder on the legs than the grass in south-west London, her fitness levels at the moment are as good as they can be.

Osaka has had a mixed 2019, and will be disappointed with how things have gone so far. Starting off the year winning the Australian Open promised much, but reaching the latter stages in other tournaments has been an issue.

Losing to Yulia Putintseva in the first round at Wimbledon wasn’t on the cards, and her most recent tournament saw her bow out of the Canadian Open at the quarter-final stage to Serena.

Women’s US Open 2019 Outright Betting Odds

It’s a Grand Slam, and that’s where Serena Williams seems to find something that’s generally missing from her game in the ‘lesser’ tournaments. Aside from Roland Garros, Williams made the final at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, albeit losing in both.

Odds of 4/1 with the bookmakers make her the clear favourite, and at 37, she will know that there’s not too much time left for her to bank another Slam. Osaka and Halep are both priced at 7/1 with Royal Panda, although the latter comes into the tournament in better form than her contemporary.

French Open champion, Ashleigh Barty can be backed as long as 10/1 with 888Sport and Marathon Bet, with former women’s No.1, Karolina Pliskova at 14/1 with BetHard and Bet365.

A number of players that include the likes of Sloane Stephens, Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber, are all bunched together in terms of the odds being offered, evidencing an open field.

The title is there for the taking for the woman with the physical and mental strength to power through the fortnight’s play.

Women’s US Open 2019 Recommended Bet

Though her eight-week reign as world number one has recently come to an end, Ashleigh Barty will want to prove that her Roland Garros win wasn’t just a flash in the pan.

Her pace across the court, sharpness when delivering winners and service game hasn’t diminished, but steadfast belief in her abilities has, perhaps surprisingly, been on the wane. Unforced errors and associated lack of confidence have been her Achilles Heel in the recent past, but she has the perfect opportunity to put all of that behind her with a victory here.

Capable of beating anyone else in the field on her day, the hard surface suits her game perfectly. At 10/1 with 888Sport, she remains the value bet.