The US Open singles third round continues on Friday. The women’s doubles also continues with the first match featuring Venus and Serena Williams as doubles partners again.
Here are my best bets for Friday of the 2026 US Open.
2026 US Open Second Round Best Bets
Serena Williams & Venus Williams ML (+184) vs. Maya Joint & Chan Hao-ching
This is an incredible match at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night. There should be some great tennis, but it’s really incredible because the US Open crowd will get to see something many thought they would never see again. Two of the best players in the history of the sport, the iconic Venus and Serena Williams, will be playing as doubles partners again at the US Open. The sisters have won 14 major titles as a doubles partnership, in addition to their extensive accolades in singles.
The duo last played doubles at a major together in 2022. That was considered a big comeback, as Serena Williams had not played doubles at the US Open since 2014 prior to that appearance. The two players both took leaves from the sport and semi-retired at different times, making it nearly impossible for them to play together again. Both players have made various appearances in singles and doubles at various tournaments over the last couple of years, but their timelines have finally aligned to return together.
Serena Williams won a match in mixed doubles, playing alongside Carlos Alcaraz, earlier in this tournament. Meanwhile, Venus Williams played singles as well, but got knocked out in the first round. The Williams sisters reunited for the first time a couple of weeks ago at the Cincinnati Open to get ready for New York. They had a tough opening-round match there against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, eventually losing in a tiebreaker. However, they looked like they belonged on the court with two young and talented players.
In this opening US Open match, they face Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching. Chan is an experienced doubles player, but her best days are behind her. Joint, on the other hand, is a very young player trying to find her way. These two are a new partnership, having played just nine matches together. To put things into perspective, the Williams sisters have played 127 professional matches together as a doubles partnership, and many more in non-professional settings.
I will roll with the experience and the magical story here. The New York crowd will be at full voice supporting the legendary Williams sisters. The duo should win the key points and, in turn, the match.
Parlay: Ben Shelton ML vs. Denis Shapovalov & Frances Tiafoe ML vs. Valentin Vacherot (-111)
This is a parlay on the two American men that should get it done tonight. Ben Shelton is facing Denis Shapovalov at Arthur Ashe Stadium tonight. Shelton is the highest-ranked American man in this tournament and is looking to make a deep run in what seems like a very winnable field. For first and second-round matchups, Shelton has had two decent tests against Tallon Griekspoor and Hubert Hurkacz. He has taken care of both players in four sets and should beat Shapovalov as well. Shelton just won an ATP 1000 title in Canada and has proven he can beat almost anyone in the world consistently. He is 4-0 all-time against Denis Shapovalov.
Frances Tiafoe is peaking at the right time. He just made the Cincinnati Open final before heading to New York. After a five-set thriller in the opening round of this US Open, he took care of business in three sets in the second round. Tiafoe should get the win against Valentin Vacherot at Louis Armstrong Stadium tonight. Tiafoe has made the quarterfinals in three of the past four years at the US Open and thrives in this environment. Meanwhile, Vacherot has never made it past the third round in a major in his career.
