US Open: day one match betting preview, news, tips & TV details

TV: Amazon Prime, 4pm Monday

Big guns Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Pliskova commence battle on the opening day at Flushing Meadows but many eyes will be on the 22nd career meeting between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

It’s difficult to see any of the big-name favourites coming up short and Williams is rightly a warm order to claim her 20th victory over Siberian Sharapova, who has not beaten the American veteran since 2004.

Brits Cameron Norrie, Johanna Konta and qualifier Harriet Dart are in action but Konta faces a potentially tough opener against former top-ten player Daria Kasatkina, who has shown signs of a return to form recently.

Norrie is priced a little short for his date with French qualifier Gregoire Barrere while Dart, who possesses a decent temperament, will battle for all she is worth against Ana Bogdan.

The best bets on day one, however, could lie elsewhere with a couple of ATP performers expected to outclass South American opponents and two homeland starlets fancied to put on a show.

Pella v Carreno Busta

After enjoying a good year Guido Pella has come in for early support for his opener against Pablo Carreno Busta, but the Spaniard has been one of the better hard-court major performers outside the Big Three and could be tough to dislodge.

Carreno Busta is without a title this season after missing a couple of months due to injury early in the campaign, but while his ranking has dropped to 64th the former top-ten player could be back performing at somewhere near his peak.

Pella is ranked 20th after being crowned Sao Paulo champion in March. The Argentinian could make it competitive and will keep on chipping away at his opponent in a match that could go long, but Carreno Busta’s extra class could tell.

Recommendation
P Carreno Busta
1pt 10-11 Hills
Back this tip with Hills

Sock v Cuevas

Jack Sock has played only four matches this year – he has dropped to 178th in the rankings – but it would not be the greatest surprise if the Nebraskan, a former tip-top collegiate ace who rose to eighth on the ATP chart in 2017, finds enough to justify his wild-card entry with a victory over seasoned Pablo Cuevas.

Uruguayan Cuevas remains a doughty performer who has kept his fitness well, but there have been signs in Sock’s outings since returning from a six-month injury hiatus that he may be ready to put on a decent show in his New York opener.

It is likely to go long – Cuevas’s fitness edge means he is the favourite to progress – but Sock is likely to have planned well for this outing and if he gets on top in the closing stages he could pull through.

Recommendation
J Sock
1pt 13-10 general
Back this tip with Paddy Power

McNally v Bacsinszky

Caty McNally already has a win to her name over Timea Bacsin­szky and while the Swiss ace is not easily opposed, she may have to give best against her teenage rival.

The 17-year-old from Cincinnati fought back from the loss of the opening set to defeat Bacsinszky 4-6 6-0 6-4 in Indian Wells in the spring.

That was a good effort against the dual French Open semi-finalist, and while Bacsinszky must be respected in her bid to draw level in their series she may find it tough to reverse the form with McNally playing in her home major.

McNally is priced a little short for the win, but punters can still consider backing her on the handicap giving up a start of 2.5 games.

Recommendation
C McNally -2.5 games
1pt 8-13 Betway
Back this tip with Paddy Power

Svitolina v Osuigwe

Elina Svitolina is no stranger to dominating opponents, but the Ukrainian may struggle to do that against promising Whitney Osuigwe, a 17-year-old born in the tennis hub of Bradenton, Florida.

Osuigwe, whose father-coach is Nigerian, is a former world number one junior and in 2017 she became the first American to win the French Open girls title in 28 years.

She is still the ITF junior world champion and may have the talent to worry Svitolina, who has a tendency to become bogged down in some of her matches.

World number five Svitolina has played well this season without claiming a title – she made the Wimbledon semis in July.
But with the outsider getting a pull of 6.5 games from Betway, she is worth a punt.

Recommendation
W Osuigwe +6.5 games
1pt 8-13 Betway
Back this tip at Paddy Power

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