Tsvetana Pironkova v Donna Vekic
Now a mother, it’s been a dream return to the court so far at the US Open for Pironkova.
She was impressive in taking out Australian Open runner-up Garbine Muguruza on Thursday and has another winnable contest here.
We opposed Vekic in round one when she narrowly came through against Krystina Pliskova, who failed to serve out the match in the second set.
She improved in her second match but Vekic’s long-term form remains stodgy and may have some doubts coming in here.
The pair have met three times previously, all on a hardcourt, with Pironkova winning each time in straight sets. In five of those six sets, Vekic has failed to win three games.
Admittedly those matches were a few years ago – pre-baby – but Pironkova’s serve was a great working order against Muguruza with her all-round game looking good.
The Bulgarian won 93% of points behind her first serve.
She’ll be more than happy with the speedy pace of the court – this is a former Wimbledon semi-finalist we’re talking about – and she looks a decent price at 37/20.
Sloane Stephens v Serena Williams
You can really end up with egg on your face taking on Serena Williams but this looks a good time to try it.
Williams has not been anywhere near her best since the sport’s resumption last month. Two surprise defeats were suffered in the run-up to the US Open, while she also failed to hit the heights against Kristie Ahn in round one.
Her second-round performance was better, although far from complete.
Stephens has the game to hurt her compatriot – expect her to get plenty of balls back and try to draw the errors from the Williams racquet. There have been plenty of them in the past month.
Importantly, she also knows she can beat her – she did so at the Australian Open back in 2013. While a follow-up win has yet to arrive, they’ve had close matches since and Stephens has been hitting the ball well in her opening matches in New York.
This is a big step up from those opponents but those early-round signs are noteworthy because Stephens has made a habit of delivering on the biggest stages in recent years.
The American has won only one title since her 2017 success here but she’s also been to the French Open final, as well as quarter-finals in both Paris and New York.
In addition, Stephens was runner-up at the WTA Finals in 2018.
Such streaks a the best events are no coincidence and a dialled-in Stephens could pull off the upset here and looks worth backing at the price.
Odds correct as of 2250 BST on 04/09/20
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