The final major of the tennis season is here. The best players in the world are in New York City for the 2026 US Open. Carlos Alcaraz is back, Serena and Venus Williams are playing doubles together again, and it is the last chance for every player to win a major this year. There are plenty of great storylines to follow, and it should be an excellent tournament.
Here are my best futures bets for the 2026 US Open.
2026 US Open Women’s Singles Preview
It has been a fascinating year in women’s tennis. The three major winners have come from outside the group of four players with 10/1 odds or better to win this US Open. It has been a down year, by her standards, for the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. It has also been a significant down year for Iga Swiatek, despite her finding some better form over the past few weeks.
This wide-open year has left a space for young players to rise up and seize the moment. Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova both won their first career major titles at 19 years old and 21 years old, respectively. Other young players like Marta Kostyuk, Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic also started to make a name for themselves.
This truly feels like a wide-open tournament. If Aryna Sabalenka is at her best, she has a great chance to defend her US Open title, but she has not looked her best in months. Coco Gauff is also a former US Open champion and is coming off a WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati. Iga Swiatek won a WTA 1000 title of her own in Canada and is another former champion here in New York. However, my best bet on the women’s side is for someone else to beat out that “Big Three.”
The “Big Three” of Swiatek, Sabalenka and Gauff is considered a small favorite against the rest of the field. However, that “Big Three” has not won any of the three majors played this year. Elena Rybakina won the Australian Open to start the year and has been great on hardcourt all year. Another 2026 major winner, Mirra Andreeva, is also a serious threat to win this tournament.
There is also a group of former US Open finalists and winners that are always going to be dangerous in New York. Naomi Osaka is fourth on the odds board and is a two-time US Open winner. Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys are three American women who have all made the final at the US Open before and are threats to get back there. Meanwhile, Marta Kostyuk is the other player on the odds boards with 20/1 odds or better. She has been one of the most consistent players in the world this year and could be ready to step up and win her first major.
While they are three amazing players, Swiatek, Sabalenka and Gauff have simply not been at their best in 2026. Gauff and Swiatek both seem to be finding their form at the right time, which is an intimidating prospect. However, there is simply too much great talent in women’s tennis at the moment for “The Field” to be considered an underdog. I’ll happily take that bet at +100 and root on the likes of Rybakina, Osaka, Pegula and Kostyuk.
Best Bet: The Field over the Big Three (+100)
2026 US Open Men’s Singles Preview
This US Open is a mirror image of the last two majors in men’s tennis. The year started as many expected it would, with Carlos Alcaraz winning the Australian Open and completing the Career Grand Slam. He defeated Novak Djokovic in that final, following Djokovic’s upset over Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. While that was a great upset by Djokovic, it was the relatively chalky tournament we had come to expect in men’s tennis during the “Sincaraz” era.
That is when men’s tennis got turned on its head. Carlos Alcaraz suffered an injury that was to keep him out for an extended period of time. It seemed like a chance for Jannik Sinner to cruise through the summer calendar and stack some trophies. He did just that in the Masters 1000 events, but was knocked out in a shocking upset in the second round of Roland-Garros. That allowed Alexander Zverev to break through at long last and seize his first career major title in Paris.
Sinner bounced back at Wimbledon and cruised to the title there, defeating Zverev in the final. However, it was then Sinner who suffered an injury, just as Alcaraz was set to make his return. Now, at this US Open, Alcaraz is playing for the first time in over four months, but there is no Jannik Sinner in his path.
With this being such a long layoff since Alcaraz last played, he is not the big favorite he would normally be in a Sinner-less field. He is still the favorite because if he plays his best, nobody in this field can touch him. However, Zverev is nearly a co-favorite with Alcaraz. The other primary challengers are Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton. Behind them, there is a group of players all on the same tier: Rafael Jodar, Arthur Fils and Taylor Fritz. That is the tier I am looking to target with my best bet.
Best Bet: Arthur Fils to win (+1200)
Arthur Fils has the potential to be one of the best players in the world. However, he has yet to break through at a Grand Slam. Fils has beaten high-level competition in the past, making the semis at the Miami Open and Madrid Open this year, then winning his first career ATP 1000 title in Cincinnati a few days ago. In his young career, Fils has struggled with injuries, and that has not allowed him to get serious momentum going. However, this run of play, culminating in the Cincinnati Open title, is the best tennis of Fils’ career so far.
In his young career, Arthur Fils has 11 wins over top-10 players, with four of those coming this year. That includes victories over Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and FAA, three of the top players in this field. He has yet to beat Carlos Alcaraz, but this could be the chance to take him down while Alcaraz is not at his best.
If Fils survives the first couple of rounds, where he will be a big favorite, he would face Ben Shelton in the fourth round, assuming Shelton also makes it there. Fils is more than capable of beating Shelton, who has been very streaky this year. Fils would then need to take down Alcaraz in the quarter-finals. However, there is a real chance that Alcaraz doesn’t make it there in his current condition.
This is a bet on the upside of Arthur Fils, which seems unlimited. It is also a bet against Carlos Alcaraz, hoping he is severely overpriced in this market in his current form after being away for over four months.
Top American at the 2026 US Open
There is a great mark on DraftKings Sportsbook on which American man will go the furthest in this tournament. Ben Shelton is a very slight favorite ahead of Taylor Fritz. The second tier has Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul. While there is a third tier with Brandon Nakashima and Learner Tien.
Those top three players are the only real contenders for me. Paul has a potential second-round matchup with Alexander Bublik and a third-round matchup with Carlos Alcaraz, giving him a brutal path. Ben Shelton should also not be the favorite here. Shelton’s play has been a bit inconsistent and he also has a tough draw. Between Tallon Griekspoor, Hubert Hurkacz and Denis Shapovalov or Cameron Norrie, he potentially has three really tough matches to start the tournament. Even if he survives that, it would set up a meeting with Arthur Fils in the fourth round.
Frances Tiafoe has been finding his form as of late and has a decent draw in this tournament. He is a two-time US Open semifinalist and seems to always rise to the occasion in New York. That makes him a solid bet at +500. However, my pick to make it the furthest of the American men is Taylor Fritz.
Taylor Fritz is playing great tennis as of late. Over his last six tournaments, he has made three finals and won a title. He also had a nice run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon before losing to Alexander Zverev. Fritz also has a great draw in this tournament. His first big match would be against Flavio Cobolli, who is not nearly as strong on hardcourt as he is on clay or grass. Fritz should make it to at least the fourth round, and if he beats Cobolli, he would be into the quarterfinals.
That quarterfinal matchup would most likely be against Felix Auger-Aliassime. However, Auger-Aliassime is a player that I am fading at this tournament. He could be knocked off before that quarterfinal, and if not, Fritz should beat him in that spot. That would most likely set up another match against Alexander Zverev in the US Open semifinals for Fritz.
Taylor Fritz is the only active American male to make a US Open final, having done so in 2024. He has made at least the quarterfinals at three straight US Opens, and seems to be the most dependable of any American men’s tennis player. For those reasons, I’ll back Taylor Fritz to win this market as the top American male.
