As summer comes and goes, we cannot go out without a bang. Each of the first three Grand Slam's of 2025 have been outstanding to watch and we can only expect similar results here in the United States Of America for the final Grand Slam of the calendar year. At the most recent slam, I successfully predicted both of my best bets. I'll once again have a couple at the bottom of this article. The Big Apple, here we come.
Giant Opening Round Matchups: Men's Best Matchup: Carlos Alcaraz (2) vs. Reilly Opelka
Coming off another tournament win in Cincinnati prior to this, you wouldn't expect Carlos Alcaraz' first round matchup to be a very tough one. Now, although at most times of the year, this would be a pretty straightforward matchup. Even now, the Spaniard definitely could make it look easy. However, up against Reilly Opelka, a 6ft 11in American, with a ridiculously fast serve, this could be a match that gets the second seed in a lot of trouble. I'm not saying that Opelka is going to be able to do it. But, I do believe that this is a matchup that Carlos should be careful about.
Women's Best Matchup: Barbora Krejkcikova vs. Victoria Mboko (22)
The teenage sensation from Canada has turned into one of the WTA Tour's brightest new stars over the past couple of months. Beating names like Sophia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina & Naomi Osaka. Oh, and she did that all in one tournament to win the National Bank Open (WTA 1000.) Having not played since then, she's on a seven game winning streak entering the US Open. Now, she faces another big test against Barbora Krejkcikova. The Czech is a two time Grand Slam champion and has reached #2 in the world at one point. This should be an epic battle in the Women's draw to begin the US Open.
Full Odds to Win the Tournament (via. DraftKings:)Men's:
Jannik Sinner +110Carlos Alcaraz +175Novak Djokovic +1400Jack Draper +2000Ben Shelton +2000Alexander Zverev +2200Taylor Fritz +3000Daniil Medvedev +8000 Alex De Minaur +8000Jakub Mensik +10000
Women's:
Iga Swiatek +240Aryna Sabalenka +285Coco Gauff +1000Mirra Andreeva +1100 Elena Rybakina +1200Naomi Osaka +2000Madison Keys +2000Victoria Mboko +2200Amanda Anisimova +2500Emma Raducanu +3500
Burns' Overall Predictions:
Men's Draw.) There's a bit of worry about Jannik Sinner (the #1 seed) coming into this tournament after he had to retire in the final vs. Carlos Alcaraz once he was down 5-0 in the opening set. Will he be able to comeback from that? For me, I believe that he most definitely can, but I must watch his opening couple of matches before putting any futures on him. Looking at Alcaraz, he seems to be in the form of his life at the moment. Since that loss against Sinner in the Wimbledon final, he's found another gear. He dominated Cincinnati and looked very fresh the next day when he played his Mixed Doubles match here in New York. However, his draw is very difficult. Not saying that he cannot do it, but this is going to be some kind of run if he's able to dominate. Don't underestimate the "GOAT" of tennis in Novak Djokovic. He'd likely have to beat both Alcaraz & Sinner if he was to win this tournament, but I don't think he's done quite yet and he most definitely could take this event home if he plays his absolute best. It might be worth a shot at +1400 at sprinkling a bit on Nole if you still believe. Other than that, I don't really see anyone else winning. Draper looked very serious in the Mixed Doubles tournament alongside Pegula. But, he's just not at the same level as some of these other players. Maybe if Ben Shelton plays his best, he can cause some havoc.
Women's Draw.) On the Women's side of things, everything seems to have shifted over the past couple of months. Aryna Sabalenka seemed like she was going to be the clear favorite at every single Major until Wimbledon came around and she didn't look herself at all. That has carried on all the way to this Major and who knows what Sabalenka we're going to see here at the US Open. She's still a dominant force in this sport, if she's on her game, but will she be? We'll just have to wait and see. On the other hand, Iga Swiatek is back and playing like the #1 player she was back in 2022 and 2023. She won Wimbledon, she won Cincinnati and she's already made the final in the Mixed Doubles event held earlier this past week. There's no question that she deserves to be the betting favorite prior to this event and I believe that there's a great chance that she wins once again if her serve holds up. Gauff seems to be out of sorts right now as well, and maybe longer shots like Mirra Andreeva, Elena Rybakina or even Victoria Mboko can make a run at gold here. Everything is up for grabs and both the Men's/Women's draws are more wide open than ever before. Burns' Best Bets to Make - Novak Djokovic to Reach Semis +140 ... & ... Mirra Andreeva to Win +1100
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