How to bet on the U.S. Open: Updated tennis odds, expert picks, sportsbook promos and more

On Sunday, the first round of the U.S. Open will officially commence for men’s and women’s singles from its usual post in Flushing, Queens, New York as some of the world’s best tennis players converge in the Big Apple to see who will lift this year’s trophy.

After a wrist injury that sidelined him since April, 2025 champion Carlos Alcaraz is back on the hard court, as he looks to become the first men’s repeat winner at the U.S. Open since Roger Federer from 2004-08. On the women’s side, will Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka run back her title-winning ways that were seen last summer, or will Coco Gauff take back her trophy?

Each year, the U.S. Open brings in more eyes to the hard court that may not have been too familiar with tennis previously. This major is the perfect time to engross oneself in tennis betting, as DraftKings offers new users a special promo for new users: Bet $5, get $200 in Bonus Bets.

America’s tennis major is finally back, and the Sporting News has everything you need to know about odds, expert picks, sportsbook promos and more about how to bet on this year’s U.S. Open.

TROCCHI: U.S. Open predictions and expert picks for 2026 Grand Slam

How to bet on the U.S. Open for tennis

Betting on the U.S. Open, and tennis as a whole, is a lot like betting on other major sports. However, there are a few caveats about this major that bettors should be keeping tabs on. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure you have everything you need on how to bet on this year’s major.

1. Create account/login to a sportsbook: Register with a licensed online sportsbook (such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, or Caesars). Navigate to the tennis tab and select U.S. Open.
2. Research U.S. Open format and players: Understanding what you are wagering on is crucial, as betting on a sport blindly rarely pays off at the end of the day. Men’s singles is in a Best-of-5 sets format, while women’s singles uses a Best-of-3 sets format. Both divisions use a 10-point tie-break when a final set reaches 6–6. After becoming familiar with the tournament format, it can never hurt to also look at player facts, such as how they perform on hard courts, recent form and how a competitor plays in the heat, and if there are any stark differences with how a player performs during the day versus the night.
3. Select a betting market for the U.S. Open: There are four main markets to bet on a tennis tournament, which all remain the same for this major: moneylines, game/set spreads, over/under total games, and futures.
4. Place your bet and enjoy the match: After doing your due diligence on the research end, enter your stake on the betslip and click “Submit” or “Place bet.”

MORE: What are the best sports betting apps?

Where to bet on the U.S. Open

Here’s a snapshot of the best new-user bonuses at some of the leading U.S. sportsbooks. 

MORE: Best sportsbook promos and betting app bonuses

U.S. Open odds 2026

U.S. Open men’s odds

Men’s odds are all courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

U.S. Open women’s odds

Women’s odds are all courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

U.S. Open expert picks 2026

Best men’s bet

In his prime, the Serbian was one of the most feared tennis players around the world. The four-time U.S. Open champion’s play has taken a dip as Father Time has caught up to him, but perhaps one last ride to glory is in order. The most accomplished player in tennis history is still showing he can be a factor in Grand Slams, but he needs to show the world that he is still capable of making it through all seven matches required to lift the trophy. Djokovic’s last major title came in Flushing in 2023. With Jannik Sinner out with a knee injury and Alcaraz fighting some rust, this might be his last, best chance for Grand Slam No. 25.

Best women’s bet

In 2023, Gauff made history as the first American to win the U.S. Open since Serena Williams prevailed over Caroline Wozniacki back in 2014. Gauff is returning to the Big Apple with plenty of momentum and has been playing some fine tennis as of late. She won in Cincinnati and reached the semifinals in Canada, before losing to Elena Rybakina in three sets. She is also coming off her best Wimbledon performance earlier this summer (a narrow semifinal defeat to Czech Karolina Muchova). The last time she won Cincinnati, she followed it up with a title in New York. Why can’t the 22-year-old run it back in 2026?

Best longshot bet

At 12-1 odds, the American has great odds to hoist this year’s U.S. Open Singles Championship Trophy. The California native has the potential to break the American men’s major drought has been active since 2003. When Fritz’s serve is on point, he can be a viable threat to cruise to the final rounds of the major, which was seen during this year’s Mubadala DC Open in July. Leading up to this year’s U.S. Open, he’s gone 8-2 through the three hardcourt tournaments, including a quarterfinal appearance in Cincinnati.

Favorite to fade

Currently at +250 on DraftKings, Alcaraz’s line to repeat as U.S. Open champion is just too daunting. The Spanish star is coming off a major wrist injury that sidelined him since April. He shared the court with icon Serena Williams for mixed doubles, but didn’t look like his normal dominant self. His stellar serve looked a bit rusty, but that was to be expected. He could have some tense moments in the first week as he regains form, and fans who place a future on him to win the major may be wiping sweat off their brow while sitting on the edge of their seat.

MORE: Beginner’s guide to how to bet on tennis

U.S. Open tennis betting markets

The most essential thing in sports betting is understanding how the odds work. In tennis, like any sport, they are rather simple to navigate. As always, favorites are symbolized with a negative (-) number (-250, for example), while underdogs are typically depicted with a plus (+) sign before the number (+175, for example). Here are the four different types of U.S. Open betting markets and what they mean.

• Moneyline: The simplest and most popular bet; you simply pick which player will win a match. 
• Set spread: Similar to a point spread in football, the favored player must win by a certain number of sets to cover (-1.5 means the player has to win by at least 2 sets to win the wager)
• Total games (over/under): This is a line on the total number of games that will be played in the match; you bet on the number to be over or under the determined number by the books.
• Futures: Before a tournament/major starts, or during the early stages of the event, sportsbooks offer this type of market for bettors to predict who will win the entire event. In the vast majority of situations, every player in the tournament field is attached to a plus-money line that goes down as they advance through the tournament. Typically, the further away the final match is, the more value is to be had for the tournament’s field.

MORE: Reviewing the best tennis betting sites

U.S. Open betting strategy

Here’s a look at some tips and strategies before you place your U.S. Open wagers.

• Find the book that best suits you and is offering good promos for the major.
• Target a handful of bets to place before the game begins. Once it starts, odds will start moving in both directions. 
• Lean into stats that matter and avoid getting sucked into narratives. 
• Utilize the correct analytics and stats and make your wagers.
• Keep up with your selections during the match, especially your winner tickets. There may be early payouts to take action on.

MORE: A beginner’s guide to tennis scoring

U.S. Open betting mistakes to avoid

After familiarizing yourself with the above betting strategy, here are some mistakes to avoid while wagering:

• Over-betting the slate: Trying to bet on every single early-round match creates fast losses. Only bet when you have a clear edge based on hard-court stats.
• Relying solely on rankings: World rankings can hide a top seed’s current poor form or struggles specifically on hard courts.
• Chasing losses: Raising your stake sizes after a bad match ruins your bankroll management.
• Ignoring retirement rules: Tennis has frequent mid-match medical retirements. Always check your sportsbook’s specific rules on how a player quitting affects your open bet.
• Betting with emotion: Backing your favorite player instead of looking at the hard data, recent match fitness, and surface history leads to poor value choices.

MORE: Tennis’ top Grand Slam winners of all time

U.S. Open betting FAQ

Who are the favorites to win the 2026 U.S. Open?

On the men’s side, the three pre-tournament favorites are currently 2025 winner Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Novak Djokovic on DraftKings. For the women’s slate, last year’s champion Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and American Coco Gauff lead the pack as the three betting favorites on FanDuel.

What are the best types of tennis bets?

While this is largely opinion-based, most tennis bettors are drawn to game spreads. Sportsbooks assign a virtual handicap to the favorite (for example, -4.5 games) and an advantage to the underdog (+4.5 games). The payout is determined by adding up all games won throughout the match.

Tennis bettors love this betting form because it bypasses steep moneyline prices on heavy favorites. If a dominant server is priced at -500 to win outright, taking them at -4.5 games with a -110 line offers much better value. On the other side, an underdog might lose the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 but still easily cover a +3.5 game spread.

How do tennis spreads work?

In tennis, there are two types of spreads: game spreads and set spreads. Game spread betting measures the total cumulative games won by each player across the entire match, regardless of who actually wins the match sets. For example, if Carlos Alcaraz has a -4.5 game spread and he wins 6-4 6-3 6-2, Alcaraz would cover the spread since he won by nine games across the match (6-4= 2; 6-3= 3; 6-2= 4; 2+3+4 = 9).

Set spreads apply a handicap directly to the final set score of the match rather than individual games. These are typically marked as +-1.5 and feature a player winning or losing by a specific margin in terms of sets (a group of games).

What are tennis total games bets?

Tennis total games bets, also known as tennis’ over/under bet, are wagers on the combined number of games played by both players in a match. Instead of predicting who wins or by what margin, you are simply betting on how long or short the match will be relative to a number set by the bookmaker. If Coco Gauff wins a match 6-4 6-3 and the game total is set to 22.5 games, you would add 6+4+6+4 (19) and find that the under had hit.

How does tennis set betting work?

In tennis, set betting is essentially wagering on longshot lines of exact scores. For example, two columns signifying the two opponents in a match with the players’ names atop each column. In each column are a string of scores, such as 3:0, 3:1, 1:3, and 0:3. Backing a heavy moneyline favorite to win 3-0 in straight sets yields significantly higher payout odds than their regular match-winner line, which is why this is a great play when a favorite’s moneyline lacks a profit.

What sportsbook has the best tennis odds?

While each sportsbook is different, and every bettor has their likes and dislikes, many tennis bettors use DraftKings to wager on events. The sportsbook has some very profitable futures lines, even for tournament favorites, and the live scoreboard next to each match on the tennis tab makes it easy to monitor your bets if you’re unable to tune in live on TV/stream.

Can you live bet on tennis?

Yes, like most sports nowadays, live betting on tennis is available on U.S. licensed sportsbooks. These are subject to fluctuating odds across the board, however.

MORE: Looking back at Carlos Alcaraz’s majors timeline