The final Major of the year is upon us, as the WTA US Open begins play. Last year’s tournament had an incredible final, which featured Aryna Sabalenka outlasting Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 to win her third major. She’s followed up with two more Major finals this year, but has yet to win a fourth. I aim to cover as many of the first-round matches as I can, but we start with the most competitive when it comes to betting opportunities. Let me know if you agree with my best bets in the comments section.
WTA U.S. Open
Sun – Osorio: Time 22:30
H2H: 0-0
Lulu Sun and Camila Osorio open up our column with their first meeting. Neither lady has performed well on a hardcourt in 2025. Sun is 7-12, Osorio is 5-7, and both ladies have 16 overall wins on the year. Sun is 5-5 in her last ten matches, but Osorio is 3-7. This is Osorio’s fifth US Open, and thus far she’s made it as far as the second round. Sun is only competing in her second WTA US Open, and she lost in the first round of the 2024 tournament. Osorio does have one tournament victory this year, which happened in April at WTA Bogota.
Best Bet to Make
The books have Sun as the favorite, and recent performances support that pick. Sun will undoubtedly be eager to wipe the disappointment of having to retire in the first round of the tournament last year, and it also stands as her most recent injury. This means she’s not had any issues since then, and her hip issue has not been a recurring injury. Sun might have a losing record on a hardcourt in 2025, but she’s usually rock solid on the surface and boasts a career record of 161-89 to Osorio’s 77-63 record on the surface.
That being said, Sun winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Sun winning @1.75 @1xBet
Potapova – Zhu: Time 22:30
H2H: 2-0
Anastasia Potapova will meet Lin Zhu for the third time in her career, with both of the previous matches taking place on a hardcourt. Their latest meeting was a rousing three-set match in the first round at WTA Dubai. They also had another spirited match in 2022 at the Livesport Prague Open, which saw the second set go into a long tiebreak after a 6-4 first set. With both ladies being fairly experienced in US Open competition, their opening round match is sure to be one of the more competitive.
Best Bet to Make
The books have Potapova as a confident favorite, as she just barely made our 1.5 minimum. If you’re looking at recent form, then Potapova’s is severely lacking. She has a total of three wins in her last ten matches. That said, Zhu isn’t exactly doing much better at 4-6. Zhu is actually having a better year on a hardcourt at 12-8 to Potapova’s 6-9, but Potapova is having the better year overall. She also boasts a title this year from WTA Cluj-Napoca.
That being said, Potapova winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Potapova winning @1.5 @Bet365
Starodubtseva – Blinkova: Time 23:00
H2H: 0-0
Yulia Starodubtseva vs Anna Blinkova rounds out our coverage for this column. The two have never met before, which is somewhat surprising given their demographics and world rankings. Both ladies are struggling this year. Blinkova might be in a more enviable position, but not by much. She’s 22-22 on the year to Starodubtseva’s 20-26, but both ladies boast a losing record on a hardcourt in 2025. If Blinkova is going to finish out the year on a strong note, then it must start in New York.
Best Bet to Make
The books favor Blinkova, and I don’t agree. If there’s an upset to be had, I do think it’s right here. Many outlets see Blinkova as the favorite, but only by slim margins. In most cases, the two are separated by less than .5 points. In most cases, Blinkova is right around .25 better than Starodubtseva. Given how poorly Blinkova has been playing entering the match, one has to think Starodubtseva can manage this if she plays her cards right. Give me the upset for this match.
That being said, Starodubtseva winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Starodubtseva winning @2.12 @1xBet
Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
