Emma Raducanu vs. Sofia Kenin US Open Prediction, Odds, Tip

Emma Raducanu faces Sofia Kenin. Our US Open odds series includes our Raducanu-Kenin prediction, odds and tips. Find out how to watch Raducanu Kenin.

What a fascinating match in the first round of a major tennis tournament. Two former major champions battling in the round of 128. This isn't a quarterfinal or a semifinal. This is a first-round match between Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, and Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion. Both women will always be major champions, and no one can take that away from them. But they both agree on another obvious respect: Neither player has come particularly close to winning a second major title. Both players have been plagued by injuries and the difficulty of performing consistently on tour each year. They're both still young — Kenin is 25, Raducanu 21 — so they have time to adapt as they go. Still, the simple fact is that future success at the elite level isn't a given for them. They're not established top-10 players. They've had their moments, but right now both are looking for the form they had when they won major titles a few years ago.

Raducanu flashed her 2021 championship form at Wimbledon. She was excellent in Week 1 before losing midway through the tournament. She probably has more potential, but Kenin has a well-deserved reputation as a player who, even when she loses, forces her opponent to win. This is a really interesting matchup that should generate a lot of different betting opinions.

Here are the odds for the Raducanu-Kenin US Open, courtesy of FanDuel.

US Open odds: Emma Raducanu-Sofia Kenin

Gameplay:

Raducanu -4.5: -112
Kenin +4.5: -118

Money line:

Raducanu-360

Kenin +280

How to win the first set:

Raducanu -260

Kenin +205

Total number of games in the game:

Over 20.5: -122
Below 20.5: -110

Total number of games won:

Raducanu over 12.5: -110
Raducanu under 12.5: -122

Kenin over 9.5: -112
Kenin under 9.5: -118

How to watch the US Open

Time: 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT — game will not start earlier, but could start later if previous games run long

Television: ESPN, ESPN Plus

Stream: (Click here for a free trial)

Why Emma Raducanu will win

Raducanu showed at Wimbledon that she has more game, more weapons and more ways to win a point than Kenin. Kenin is a little more limited in terms of her overall arsenal of shots. Raducanu can manipulate turns and angles a little better and at the highest level of tennis, that means something. It's not an inconsequential or unimportant detail.

With a 4.5 game lead, Raducanu just needs to make sure she wins two sets by some margin. A score of 6-4, 6-3 is a cover for Raducanu. That's not a landslide, but it's a comfortable win. If she wins one set 6-3, she just needs to win the other set by two games, be it 7-5 or 6-4. That seems very doable here.

Why Sofia Kenin will win

Kenin may not win the match outright, but she will face Raducanu. She is four years older, but at 25 she is far from a greybeard in tennis terms. Kenin can still hit the ball hard and cover the court, and poses questions for Raducanu that she may not be able to answer so easily. As long as each set is close – two games or less – Kenin is successful. A score of 6-4, 6-4 is a ticket in the bag for Kenin supporters in that spread.

Final prediction and selection between Emma Raducanu and Sofia Kenin

We're not sure we can pick a clear winner, which means we're confident this match will be close. If the spread was 3.5 games for Raducanu, we'd fold, but at 4.5 games, that's a good number for Kenin. A score of 6-4, 6-4 or 6-4, 7-5 seems just about right, and Kenin will cover if that's the final score.

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Final Emma Raducanu-Sofia Kenin Prediction and selection: Kenin +4.5 games