The US Open is one of the world’s major professional tennis tournaments – the four most prestigious championships that are often referred to as the Grand Slam titles.
This leading annual sports event is organized by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and traces its roots back to 1881.
The tournament may be familiar today but was initially known as the US National Championship.
It started as purely for the male players. A men’s singles and doubles tournaments were all played on grass courts.
The women’s singles and doubles events were soon introduced however – in 1887.
Over the years, the Open tournament has grown in popularity and prestige, gradually attracting more and more of the top players from around the world.
Today’s Open is held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, in Queens, New York City.
The famous complex has more than 20 courts.
They include the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world. This has a seating capacity of over 23,000 spectators.
Since 1978, the US Open has been played on a hard court surface (known as DecoTurf).
This is made up of layers of acrylic material over an asphalt or concrete base. It provides a very consistent and fast playing surface.
Of course the US Open now features men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
All of these follow a simple knockout format, with best-of-five sets for men and best-of-three sets for women. Tiebreakers are used to decide sets at a certain score.
The US Open takes place over two weeks from late August to early September. This year it runs from Monday 28 August to Sunday 10 September.
It is the last of the four global Grand Slams, following the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.
The US Open attracts the best players in the sport and offers substantial prize money. The tournament was one of the first to offer equal prize money to men and women.
Some notable US Open moments include Jimmy Connors’ electrifying run to the title as an unseeded player in 1991 and Serena Williams’ multiple singles titles in recent years.
The US Open draws huge numbers of spectators to Flushing Meadows and receives extensive media coverage globally.
The 2023 tournament features 128 players in both the men’s and women’s draw. A total of 112 on both sides qualify through either world rankings or invitation, while the remaining 16 slots go to less well-known players who advance through qualifying matchups.
Serbian star Novak Djokovic is the current betting favorite on the men’s side of the Open. Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion however and currently is only just behind Djokovic in the odds for the US Open title.
In the women’s game, Polish star Iga Swiatek is the expert’s top tip. She will be looking to defend the Open title she won last year.
Behind her the bookies’ favorites are the Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
But the tournament is full of other big names, like Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Jessica Pegula and Nick Kyrgios, who could win the title too.
Experts rate Djokovic as he is currently the top-ranked player in the world. He won this year’s French Open.
His previous appearance at the US Open was in 2021 – when he lost in three sets to Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Alcaraz is in second place in the ATP rankings and was beaten by Djokovic in the semi-finals at the French Open.
Medvedev meanwhile is ranked third by the ATP, but won the 2021 US Open. He will be itching to improve on a fourth-round defeat to Nick Kyrgios last year.
Women’s Open favorite Iga Swiatek defeated Ons Jabeur in last year’s final. She’s a big favorite again as she is still ranked WTA number one – and won this year’s French Open.
Rybakina may have won last year’s Wimbledon but her best performance at the US Open to date was making it to the third round in 2021.
But keep an eye out for Sabalenka, the winner of the 2023 Australian Open. She has made it to the semifinals of the three other slams, and is currently ranked second by the WTA.
In advance of the US Open and once the tournament gets underway, a number of betting options will be available at top online sportsbooks. NY bettors are already jumping on their favorite app.
Bets are likely to range from the simple ‘who will win the tournament’ to more random ones, like wagering on the total sets or games necessary to complete a match.
And one thing is certain about a tournament that could be won by a host of players – an entertaining flutter on a match always makes it even more enjoyable.