Now that we've looked at two women's singles underdogs who could prove worthy on Monday, August 26, it's time to take a look at some slightly underrated favorites in our U.S. Open preview.
My predictions for Monday’s US Open are to bet on Sun vs Bronzetti and Bogdan vs Russ.
Match times are subject to change. Find tips for watching US Open matches here.
US Open Predictions and US Open Predictions
Lulu Saint vs Lucia Bronzetti Predictions and Odds
4:30pm ET
For Bronzetti, it's really hard to imagine a path to victory without relying on the New Zealander's tiresome recovery.
Sun is a more natural hard-court player with much faster first serve and groundstroke speed and has been in much more impressive form in recent months.
But she's fresh off a WTA 500 final against Linda Noskova in Monterrey on Saturday night, and while there's momentum to point to, the flip side is what feels like a short recovery period for the 23-year-old.
Still, on hard courts, even when fatigue is taken into account, I think she has a big advantage: Bronzetti has a poor record on hard courts, she has not lost a match against a world-class player, and her more dogged, defensive style of play is much better suited to clay.
For those who want to look at head-to-head records, the Sun have the lone win in this matchup, winning four games in straight sets in Cincinnati a few weeks ago. I don't think you need that to make this bet, but keep it in mind if you want peace of mind.
Lefties are good at pretty much everything on hard courts, so I think her chances of winning are at least two-thirds, possibly closer to 70%, meaning odds higher than -200 are wrong and playable in my opinion.
Pick: Sun -2.5 games (-120 on bet365)
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Ana Bogdan vs. Arantxa Rus Predictions: Who will win?
4:30pm ET
I can't believe Russ is so highly rated against a player like Bogdan on hard courts – the odds would certainly be inverted on clay and they may be very close in ability (albeit with different styles), but I don't understand why the Dutch veteran is rated as having almost a 50% chance of winning on hard courts.
Surface specialists are becoming an increasingly rare breed in tennis today, and Russ fits the bill. The problem is, that surface is clay. Russ excels on red courts much more than hard courts because she puts a lot of spin on her groundstrokes and lacks power on her serves for her height. It's clear from her style of play, her records, or even just her schedule.
Of her seven wins on outdoor hard courts this year, many have come against clay-court players, ITF-level tournaments or retired opponents.
Bogdan is not at her best in 2024, but she is a better all-court player, much more aggressive on hard courts, and is coming off a much-needed strong week in Cleveland, where she reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier. Finally, for those who like head-to-head action, she is also 4-0 against lefties. Again, I don't think you need that stat to make this play decision, but it's better than 4-0!
Pick: Bogdan ML (-137 on BetRivers)
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