U.S. Open betting preview: Federer leads Nadal atop men’s odds for tournament

OddsSharkAug 28, 2017, 3:04 AM EDT

The price on Roger Federer is rising even as his high-profile peers keep dropping out of the U.S. Open.

Federer, who took last week off to rest a stiff back in hope of giving himself a shot at going 3-for-3 in Grand Slams in 2017, is listed at +175 to be the men’s outright winner on the odds to win the U.S. Open at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal is second favorite at +300, followed by highly touted 20-year-old Alexander Zverev (+450). There seems to be a “but” with each of the top three, since the two legends are operating below peak capability while Zverev has yet to make a Grand Slam quarter-final.

Federer has won both Grand Slams he’s entered in 2017 (the Australian Open in January and Wimbledon in July) but has certainly not been immune to the wear and tear that has forced other top players such as Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka to either withdraw from the U.S. Open or shut down for the rest of the season. That might be why the odds on Federer have actually moved up from +125 in recent days.

Federer’s quarter of the draw also has opponents such as the volatile Nick Kyrgios (+1600), Juan Martin del Potro (+2500) and Sam Querrey lurking (+12500).

Nadal is not in top form. The Spaniard is the top seed thanks to his overall body of work this calendar year, but recently had a streak of three tournaments in a row where he departed prior to the semifinals. The biggest threat in his quarter of the draw is Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov (+1600).

It is plausible that a breakthrough from Zverev might top out at being a semifinalist, which would be a major stepping-stone. His quarter of the draw was to include Murray, but former champion Cilic has fallen heir to that spot. Cilic, who won this tournament in 2014, is the sole former Grand Slam champion in the bottom half of the men’s draw.

Women’s tennis has more of anyone-on-any-day vibe with Serena Williams taking time off to have a child. Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza (+600 on the US Open odds), Petra Kvitova (+1400), Venus Williams (+1400) and Caroline Wozniacki (+1600) are all in the same quarter of the draw and the toll of getting to the semifinal could leave the survivor too taxed for the final two matches.

Muguruza certainly has the championship pedigree and it’s justifiable taking her if one believes the tournament will play out in a very chalky way at sports betting sites.

Karolina Pliskova (+700) appears to have an easier ride through her quarter of the draw and is one of the most consistent players on the WTA Tour. There is also a strong case for Johanna Konta (+800) of Great Britain, who’s been to the Round of 16 at Flushing Meadow for two consecutive years.

With Simona Halep (+900), there’s always the question of whether her defensive style can hold up against stronger players or it’s merely enough to get her into the semifinal and finals.

Not unlike Zverev, promising Elina Svitolina (+1000) might need to make it into a Grand Slam quarter-final before a major title is truly attainable.

Jabeur bounces back at French Open, Ruud and Andreeva advance

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 11:32 AM EDT

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PARIS — Ons Jabeur got a do-over on Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open and won this time.

A year after her first-round exit, the No. 7 seed Jabeur beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4, 6-1 to help erase some bad memories and answer questions about a recent calf injury.

The Tunisian, a crowd favorite in Paris, smiled and expressed relief in not repeating last year’s mistake, when she lost to Magda Linette of Poland.

“I’m very happy to win my first match on Philippe Chatrier – because I’ve never won here,” Jabeur said on court about the clay-court tournament’s main stadium.

Now she can focus on trying to win her first major. She was runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year.

The 28-year-old Jabeur has also battled injuries this season. She had knee surgery after the Australian Open, and was then sidelined with a calf injury. She had stopped playing against top-ranked Iga Swiatek at the clay-court tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, in late April and then pulled out of the Madrid Open.

“It was a very difficult period for me after Stuttgart,” said Jabeur, adding that she’s beginning to find her rhythm.

Jabeur struck 27 winner’s to Bronzetti’s seven, though with 24 unforced errors she’ll have room to improve.

Mirra Andreeva had a memorable Grand Slam debut by dominating Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-2, 6-1. Andreeva’s older sister – 18-year-old Erika – was facing Emma Navarro later in the day.

Later, Swiatek gets her French Open title defense started against Cristina Bucsa, who is ranked 70th.

On the men’s side, No. 4 seed Casper Ruud beat qualifier Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, to remind the higher-profile tournament favorites that he was runner-up to Rafael Nadal last year at Roland Garros.

New mom Elina Svitolina beats seeded player at French Open in 1st Slam match in 16 months

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 11:27 AM EDT

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PARIS — So much has changed for Elina Svitolina, who played – and won – her first Grand Slam match in nearly 1 1/2 years at the French Open, eliminating 2022 semifinalist Martina Trevisan 6-2, 6-2.

For one thing, she’s now a mother: Svitolina and her husband, French tennis player Gael Monfils, welcomed their daughter, Skaï, in October. For another, Svitolina is now ranked 192nd, nowhere near the career high of No. 3 she first reached in 2017, back in the days when she was regularly reaching the second weeks of major tournaments – including a pair of semifinal runs. Away from the courts, her home country of Ukraine was invaded by Russia last year, and the war continues.

“Everything,” she said, “is kind of old and new for me right now.”

In sum, Svitolina is juggling a lot nowadays.

She hadn’t played at a Slam since a third-round exit at the Australian Open in January 2022. She hadn’t played a match anywhere since March 2022, when she was still ranked 20th.

“It was always in my head … to come back, but I didn’t put any pressure on myself, because obviously with the war going on, with the pregnancy, you never know how complicated it will go,” the 28-year-old Svitolina said.

The work to return to the tour after giving birth began this January; her initial WTA match came at Charleston, South Carolina, in April. She won her first title since returning to action, at a smaller event on red clay in Strasbourg, France.

At Roland Garros, she used her big forehand to compile a 20-12 edge in winners and never faced a single break point against Trevisan, who was seeded 26th.

Trevisan cried as she spoke after the match about a problem with her right foot that made it difficult to even walk and prompted her to stop playing during her quarterfinal last week at the Morocco Open, where she was the defending champion.

Still, she gave Svitolina credit.

“Even though she’s just coming back from having a daughter, she’s a champion,” Trevisan said. “And she’s coming off a title, so she’s confident.”

Svitolina talked about feeling “awful when you’re pregnant, especially the last months,” but getting into a position now where she thinks she’s stronger than before – in more ways than one.

“I feel that I can handle the work that I do off the court and, match by match, I’m getting better. Also mentally, because mental (state) can influence your physicality, as well,” she said. “I tried to find the balance, and I feel like I’m seeing (things) a little bit again differently as well after the break. Everything is getting there. The puzzles are getting slowly into place.”