Serena Williams got her 2015 off to a great start by claiming the year’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, back in January. It was Serena’s first win in Melbourne in some five years and the sixth in her career. She has now won as many Australian Opens as US Opens.
Serena has won at Flushing for the past three years and has reached the final in the last four. This constitutes the most dominant stretch in any Grand Slam in her illustrious career. This year, Serena will have a shot at tying Chris Evert’s record of four straight US Open crowns.
While momentum can shift between now and August we expect Serena to be listed as the favorite on sports betting sites (click here for odds updates on tennis, including the US Open when the line is up). But if the last few years are any indication, it’s hard to pick anyone besides Serena to lift the trophy once again.
World No. 2 Maria Sharapova met Serena in the Australian Open final, but she’s not likely to be the top threat to take the title from Serena in New York. For one, she’s 2-17 lifetime against the American, and has fallen in straight sets in their last five meetings.
Moreover, Sharapova has struggled in Flushing since winning it all in 2006. She has gotten past the fourth round just once in the last eight years, although she did not feature in two of those years. But with a spotty track record to say the least, don’t expect Shara to go very far in this year’s tournament.
Instead, Serena’s main challenge could come from another Russian, Ekaterina Makarova. The 26-year old has come into her own as a singles player, reaching at least the quarterfinals of her last three Grand Slams. She’s reached the semis in her last two, and beat two-time US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka to reach the final four of last year’s event.
With steady improvement year-to-year at Flushing – from the quarters in 2013 to the semis in 2014 – Makarova is definitely on the right track. Provided she doesn’t get placed in Serena’s are of the bracket, look for Makarova to break through and push for her first Grand Slam singles final in this year’s US Open.
