2009 U.S. Open Tennis: Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 8/17/2009

Roger Federer will attempt to shake-off his stunning quarterfinals loss to Jo Wilfred Tsonga at the Rogers Cup as Federer-Express goes for his third Grand Slam title of 2009 and his sixth consecutive U.S. Open title while on the WTA side Serena Williams will defend her memorable 2008 U.S. Open championship.

For those investing in the outcome of tennis' 2009 U.S. Open betting win market should keep in mind that both favorites, Federer (-125) and Serena (+250), lost their tune-ups for the 2009 edition of the U.S. Open. If you missed the matches Federer was ahead in the Rogers Cup event in the third set, 5-1, when a resurgent Tsonga battled to win five consecutive games and stun Federer in the tiebreaker, 7-3, to move into the semifinals. Serena, who claims she was battling a cold, looked awful losing in straight sets in the third round to un-seeded Sybille Bammer.

Who will win the Men's 2009 U.S. Open Tennis Championship?

Apparently Rafael Nadal's (+300) knees have healed from the tendonitis that had kept him off the tour since his stunning defeat to Robin Soderling (+5000) in the fourth round of the French Open. However, despite Nadal's claims that he is healthy he lost to Martin Del Potro (+2500) in the third round of the Rogers Cup in his first tournament since Wimbledon. If you are looking for a trend alert Nadal has lost twice to Del Potro on hard courts this year so keep an eye out for an upset if he meets Del Potro in one of the earlier rounds.

Nadal's inactivity opened the door for Andy Murray (+250) to move to No.2 in the ATP by virtue of his win over a very tired Del Potro at the Rogers Cup. Del Potro, just the week before, surprised Andy Roddick (+1000) at the Legg Mason.

One guy you have to feel for is Roddick. He played an amazing Wimbledon only to lose to a more amazing (50 aces) Federer and then he lost in early August in two consecutive weeks to Del Potro at the Legg Mason and then the Rogers Cup. No doubt the U.S. Open surface favors a big server like Roddick, but as we have seen on so many occasions, a big serve is not enough to win tournaments and Grand Slams -- just ask Andy.

It's always a mistake to go against Federer in a Grand Slam but that is what I am going to do. My gut tells me that Federer will win his third consecutive Grand Slam in 2009. All of a sudden it's summer in the East Coast and Murray decided as part of his training regimen, and to help him get over a bitter loss to Roddick in the Wimbledon semi-finals, to spend two weeks in Florida getting in shape for the heat. It paid off handsomely for Murray at the Rogers Cup and should bring him much-needed momentum, and perhaps his first Grand Slam title, as he heads to the U.S. Open.

Pick! Andy Murray, +250

Long-odds Pick! Juan Martin Del Potro, +2500

Who will win the Women's 2009 U.S. Open Tennis Championship?

The Williams sisters have long been known as the "Slam Sisters" due to their affinity for playing mostly Grand Slams with a few other tournaments on the side. This has been especially true for Serena this year. The WTA No. 2 player won the Australian Open and Wimbledon while losing in the quarterfinals at the French Open. Compare that to the fact that Serena has not made it out of the quarterfinals in any other tournament this year, and frequently has lost in the first and second rounds.

Dinara Safina is currently the world's No.1 women's tennis player, but is perhaps known more for never having won a Slam than being No.1. Safina is the polar opposite of Serena; Safina wins the lesser tournaments like Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, Banka Koper Slovenia Open, and Women's Internazionali BNL d'Italia, but loses on tennis' biggest stages; which explains why Safina is only set at +1000 to win the U.S. Open this year. Safina, though, has made the finals in eight of 14 tourneys in 2009 so she'll go deep but don't expect her to win this Slam either.

In other women's tennis news, former WTA No. 1, Kim Clijsters, who held the No. 1 ranking for 19 weeks in 2003, has ended her two-year retirement at 25. And for her first tournament at the Western & Southern Women's Open she fared well ultimately losing in the quarterfinals in straight sets to Safina. However, the last mother to win a Grand Slam was Evonne Goolagong who won Wimbledon in 1980. You have to go back to the pre-slam era to 1914 and R.L. Chambers to find the next mother to win a major title, Wimbledon.

Is it possible that gate crashers Flavia Pannetta, tied for the lead in Masters Series points, Victoria Azarenka, or Caroline Wozniacki make some noise over the two weeks on the hard courts at Flushing Meadow? It is possible given the state of women's tennis today. But the way the Williams' have played in recent Grand Slams suggest that they are still the players to beat.

Chances are that we could see a repeat of the Cincinnati final between Jelena Jankovic and Safina at the U.S. Open; or even a repeat of last year's women's final between Jankovic and Serena. Jankovic looked very sharp in her dismantling of Safina in the finals at Cincinnati earlier in August. So with two Slams to Serena's name in 2009 isn't about time (seven years) that Venus wins one?

Pick! Venus Williams, +400

Long-odds Pick! Jelena Jankovic, +1800

Odds* to Win the WTA 2009 U.S. Open

Aug. 31 - Sept. 13, 2009, Queens, NY

Agnes Szavay +6000
Agnieszka Radwanska +5000
Amelie Mauresmo +5000
Ana Ivanovic +1500
Caroline Wozniacki +2500
Dinara Safina +1000
Dominika Cibulkova +5000
Elena Dementieva +1200
Jelena Jankovic +1800
Kim Clijsters +2000
Maria Sharapova +600
Na Li +6000
Nadia Petrova +6000
Sabine Lisicki +4000
Serena Williams +150
Svetlana Kuznetsova +1500
Venus Williams +400
Vera Zvonareva +1500
Victoria Azarenka +800
Field (Any Other Player) +2500

Odds* to Win the ATP 2009 U.S. Open