Andy Schooler previews the US Open women’s singles, which gets under way on Sunday.
Tennis betting tips: US Open women's singles
2pts win Coco Gauff at 5/1 (General)
1pt e.w. Jessica Pegula at 12/1 (General)
1pt Diana Shnaider to win the first quarter at 20/1 (General)
US Open – women’s singles
- Flushing Meadows, New York, USA (outdoor hard)
When COCO GAUFF won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, people did see it coming.
She had gone 11-1 in the hardcourt warm-up events, capturing two WTA titles.
Form was also good going into the 2025 French Open – a 10-2 record in the build up with two finals reached.
On each occasion, she was tipped up on these pages.
OK, enough trumpet-blowing and back to the original point which is Gauff is again in great form and looking a strong contender for Grand Slam glory.
The American has put together a 9-1 win-loss record during the hardcourt swing, winning in Cincinnati and reaching the last four in Toronto.
The ease of her victories is also worth noting – eight have come in straight sets with plenty of one-sided scorelines.
The Gauff backhand is among the best in the business, as is her mental game, which often allowed he to come through tough moments brought on by her well-known weaknesses.
The forehand can break down, while double faults have long been a problem.
Still, Gauff has regularly overcome these problems, including to win two Grand Slams, and I’m expecting her to challenge for a third here.
The draw has been pretty kind with the 22-year-old landing in the third quarter.
Mirra Andreeva is her biggest rival in the section, according to seeding, but the French Open champion has struggled for form since her success in Paris in June, losing four of her eight subsequent matches.
Amanda Anisimova, last year’s runner-up in New York, could offer a bigger threat, although she’s also not in the same form she’s been in the past.
Filipino phenom Alexandra Eala is also in this section and she’s been all the rage since winning her maiden WTA title in Washington, where she beat the top three seeds back-to-back.
However, it should be pointed out she’s just 4-6 at the Grand Slams so far, this despite a run at the last 16 at Wimbledon. In short, still much to prove at this level.
The other quarter in this half of the draw – Q4 – looks stacked.
Former champion Iga Swiatek is in here. She’s played well of late, going 10-1 on the summer hardcourt swing, winning the title in Toronto.
The Pole looks the one to beat in the section but it won’t be easy in conditions which haven’t suited her that much in the past – while she did win here in 2022 there’s yet to be another semi-final appearance.
It’s usually a little bit quick for Swiatek at Flushing Meadows and she’s often found someone just that bit better in New York.
There are plenty of players who could be that person in 2026 with Marie Bouzkova and last year’s Australian Open champion Madison Keys both lurking in her path.
Former two-time champion Naomi Osaka and second seed Elena Rybakina are also in this quarter, although the latter once again arrives under an injury cloud and is easily swerved.
Moving to the top half, we find title favourite Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the draw.
Her backers at 7/2 face a classic punting dilemma – do you give more weight to recent form or her remarkable long-term consistency?
Incredibly, Sabalenka has now reached the final at each of the last seven hardcourt Grand Slam tournaments, winning four, including the last two in New York.
Enjoying the consistent bounce, she’s able to line up her powerful groundstrokes, set up by a strong serve which is among the best in the game.
Maybe she’ll click back into the groove in which she started the season when the hardcourts were underfoot.
However, the fact is Sabalenka hasn’t reached a final anywhere since Miami in March. Since, there have been some surprise defeats, including worrying collapses from positions of strength.
Recently she’s been beaten by Sara Bejlek in Cincinnati and Ekaterina Alexandrova in Toronto and I can’t back her at the price.
I will instead side with JESSICA PEGULA in this half.
Now, if you want to put it this way, Pegula has been a perennial failure at this level having yet to a win a Grand Slam title in 30 attempts.
But another would be to say that in the past couple of years she’s been closer than ever to ending that drought.
Two years ago in New York she made the final, last year it was back to the semis. On both occasions she lost to eventual champion Sabalenka.
And earlier this year she was back in the last four in Australia, again losing to the eventual winner (Rybakina).
Form has been good with finals reached in Washington and Cincinnati – Swiatek and Anisimova were beaten in the latter.
The draw could not have gone much better either with Pegula in Q2 where her main rival is Karolina Muchova, who hasn’t played since the Wimbledon final. It’s asking a lot to plug herself straight back in at this level.
All things considered, I think there’s plenty to like about Pegula’s chances and this just might be her time to shine. She’s an each-way price and worth backing.
Finally, for a long shot, I’m going to take a chance on DIANA SHNAIDER.
Interestingly, she’s lurking in Sabalenka’s section of the draw – the pair could meet in the last 16.
If they do, that will be bring back some bad memories for the Belarusian, who managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when the pair met at this year’s French Open. After failing to see out the match in the second set, Sabalenka lost the decider 6-0.
After that semi-final run in Paris, it was no great surprise to see the Russian stumble on the grass.
But she’s managed to recapture her strong form since moving onto the hardcourts and has gone 7-3 in the warm-up events.
That may not sound that great but the details are encouraging.
Six of the wins came in straight sets, including against Pegula in Toronto. Meanwhile, a look at the defeats shows they all came against top-10 players – Pegula, Swiatek and Rybakina.
Having always had a decent serve, she continues to improve her all-round game and has now won three of her last six matches against top-20 opponents.
Sabalenka and Wimbledon champ Linda Noskova (2-2 since leaving SW19) are the only top-10 players in this quarter so I just think Shnaider, who boasts a good serve, is a touch of value to come through this section at 20/1.
She’s a triple-figure price in the outright betting if you really want to shoot for the stars.
Posted at 08:38 BST on 29/08/2026
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling.
Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.