2021’s Biggest Sports Betting Upsets of the Year

• Covid-19 continued to impact sport throughout 2021, but there was a degree of normality as fans returned to games and seasons were played in full
• There were upsets across the sporting world with the Atlanta Braves defying the odds to win the World Series and Emma Raducanu breaking records to lift the US Open
• Let’s reflect on the biggest sports betting surprises of 2021

The pandemic continued to disrupt sport in 2021, but sports bettors and athletes returned to something resembling normality. Crowds were present for the majority of events around the world, bringing back atmosphere to sports venues, which thankfully replaced the eerie silence of empty stadia and arenas in 2020.

This was something close to sports as we remembered them, though Omicron had a major impact the final few weeks of the year. Protocols for Covid-19 remained a regular topic in sports discourse, yet major leagues and tournaments were completed, and largely managed to stick to schedule.

It’s time to refresh our memories and look back on the biggest sports betting upsets of 2021.

Biggest Sports Betting Upsets of 2021

Raducanu Becomes the Queen of Queens

Emma Raducanu played her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2021. She became the youngest British woman to reach the Fourth Round in the Open Era in front of an adoring home crowd. Expectations were already high for another teenage tennis phenom, but no one expected what Raducanu delivered at the US Open just a couple of months later.

A few weeks before her 19th birthday, Raducanu had to qualify to even make the main draw at Flushing Meadows. Once she got there, her play was flawless. Just 15 games were dropped across the first four rounds. Seeds Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari were seen off in straight sets in the quarter and semi-finals respectively.

Raducanu met fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez in the final – this was the first women’s singles major final in the Open Era between two unseeded players. Fernandez had already got the better of Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina.

As impressive as Fernandez had been throughout, she was no match for Raducanu, who once again won without dropping a set. Tennis’ record books were rewritten, as Raducanu became the first qualifier, male or female, to reach a major final.

me & my spoty🥰i’m honoured just to be amongst the other great nominees, let alone win. Thank you to everyone who voted & supported this entire year!♥️ pic.twitter.com/F8whumBXAq

— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) December 20, 2021

The final, and Raducanu’s victory, was unprecedented. The Brit started 2021 without a Grand Slam appearance. She finishes it as one of the faces of tennis around the world.

Jacksonville Somehow Win a Game

The Jaguars have made headlines for the wrong reasons in 2021 (most of which has been down to Urban Meyer). Following an almighty tank effort in 2020, Jacksonville landed Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 Draft, but the first overall pick has underwhelmed as a rookie on a team riddled with dysfunction on and off the field.

Were they intentionally tanking again? Or was this just a franchise that didn’t have a clue how to win games any more?

"The Jaguars were so enamored with Urban Meyer that they almost didn't go thru the hiring process like they should have last year"

~@PSchrags on the Jaguars interviewing coaches #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/Iqv3pTMPDP

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 29, 2021

The Jaguars own a 4-11 ATS record on the year, which makes it all the more astonishing that they staged one of the biggest upsets of the 2021 regular season. Jacksonville was 14.5-point dogs for their matchup with Buffalo in Week 9, who owned a 5-2 record.

Buffalo’s Josh Allen had a rough game, in large part because of Jacksonville’s Josh Allen. The game provided a quirky piece of NFL trivia – it was the first time a player sacked a quarterback with the same name.

The Jags’ defense was epic from start to finish, twice intercepting Allen and holding Buffalo’s high-powered offense to just six points. It wasn’t a classic, and this win might hurt the Jags long-term given its impact on their draft position, but this was a massive sports betting upset.

Chaos Opens the Door for Ocon

Starting down in eighth, Esteban Ocon was +50000 to win the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Alpine had not been anywhere near the podium, with Ocon recording a best finish of seventh prior to his against-the-odds win in Budapest.

History is made 😮

What a result, and what a race!

A first F1 win for Esteban Ocon and a first F1 win for Alpine 👏pic.twitter.com/syYtmnHBGu

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 1, 2021

First corner carnage left Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Lando Norris out of the race. Max Verstappen had significant damage, but managed to continue. Lance Stroll, Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Leclerc got tangled up.

The race was red flagged, leaving a bizarre situation with Lewis Hamilton as the only car on the grid with everyone else opting to change tyres. Hamilton pitted soon after the restart, leaving Ocon in the lead.

Your turn, @alo_oficial, what were your Top 3️⃣ moments of 2021?#Alpine #F1 #Formula1 #EstebanOcon #FernandoAlonso #EO31 #FA14 #A521 pic.twitter.com/MlV46vhnQm

— Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) December 28, 2021

With some help from his teammate Fernando Alonso, who held up Hamilton in the latter stages, Ocon drove through to the end of the race to claim his first Formula One win. It was the Enstone team’s first win since 2013, and Ocon’s first chance to stand atop the podium in any series since 2015.

This F1 season will be best remembered for the farcical scenes at the final race. While the Hungarian Grand Prix was a pivotal moment in the title battle, it also provided a Sunday of history for Ocon and Alpine. Even Michael Masi couldn’t take this one away.