Romanian Simona Halep was shocked in the first round as the former world number one was stopped at the first hurdle of the US Open. Halep was expected to reach the latter stages of the competition, possibly the final, but her US Open has ended quicker than anyone could have predicted.
With Halep being seen as one of the strongest players at the tournament, her exit has opened the door for other potential winners next month. Caroline Garcia will feel heavy competition is out of the way with Halep failing to advance to the second round, and will hold aspirations of now going all of the way herself. Garcia has an extremely strong doubles record, being a two-time grand slam champion as well as being formerly ranked world number two in doubles.
The Frenchwoman will hope to translate her doubles form to the singles game, in the Paddy Power tennis odds she is offered at 11/1 to win the tournament outright.
Garcia brings an extremely aggressive style to the court which has tended to be successful in doubles complemented by a partner to cover her, however she may require a little more composure and patience in her game in order to tire out opponents and manipulate tight margins in her favour against tough opponents.
Another realistic winner could be Ons Jabeur, the Tunisian is widely acknowledged as the greatest African and Arab tennis player of all time, and she was listed as a world number two tennis player as recently as June this year.
Jabeur is offered at 17/1 in terms of outright winners in Paddy Power’s US Open betting in odds which have certainly shortened as a result of Halep’s exit from the event. The 28-year-old has already featured in a grand slam final defeat as recently as Wimbledon this year and will hold hopes of reaching the same stage in the US while going on to achieve victory and avoiding the anguish of another final defeat.
Petra Kvitova could be an interesting longshot for the tournament, she is one of the most successful women’s tennis players ever with 29 singles titles including two grand slams won at Wimbledon.
Kvitova will hope to recapture her past form, her iconic left ground stroke is sure to pose problems for opponents of any level, and her experience of achieving victory so many times in the past is arguably as important as her ability, the Czech national has navigated her way through tournaments so many times. Kvitova is offered as a 40/1 outsider to reach the final and achieve victory over the coming weeks.
An interesting rivalry may have been created between Kvitova and Garcia as the two faced off in the Cincinatti Open final last week, in which the Frenchwoman came out on top defeating Kvitova in straight sets.
There are certainly question marks at present over whether Kvitova has suffered a decline or whether she can use her past experience and retain her ability to make a significant impact at a grand slam once more. It could be argued that Kvitova struggles against younger opponents with physical advantages, as they navigate the court with more agility and speed than the Czech national can match.
But Kvitova’s catalogue of experience perhaps overrules physical attributes, she knows how to win consistently and how to win a grand slam, a feat many struggle to ever achieve, regardless of their physical capabilities.
Another iconic legendary figure of the game that will be competing at the event is Serena Williams, she is another who has a lengthy list of titles, another who is familiar with desire to win over and over again. Williams has 23 grand slam wins, including six US Open wins and is perhaps the greatest women’s tennis player of all time.
The American knows exactly how to tire her opponents and how to force them into mistakes, although she never seems to underestimate her opposition and does not tend to express any complacency in her game.
Even into her 40s Williams continues to control the tempo on the court, her opponent has to match her, or she will pick them off and punish them, her powerful serve to bring an aggressive approach is equally as viable as deploying a more patient game in which she wears down her opponent, rallying until fatigue seeps in.
She continues to maintain an impeccable physique and stunning level of fitness and is an interesting option at a price of 40/1 to win the US Open for the seventh time.
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