Leylah Fernandez vs Aryna Sabalenka Odds & Prediction – US Open Women’s Singles Semifinals
By Hayley Graham in Tennis
Published:
- Leylah Fernandez and Aryna Sabalenka will face off in the semifinals of the US Open on Thursday, September 9th
- This will be the first meeting between these two players
- Continue below for odds, a preview, and our best bet prediction for this semifinal match
The first semifinal is all set in New York as Canadian Leylah Fernandez will take on Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
Fernandez is writing her own Cinderella story at this year’s US Open, as she’s upset three seeded players in her last three matches. With her quarterfinal win, Sabalenka booked her spot in her second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, following her Wimbledon semifinal appearance in July.
Sabalenka enters this match as the heavy favorite to move onto the finals, but where’s the best bet? Take a look at the odds, as well as a breakdown of how each player made it to this point, with our best bet prediction.
Leylah Fernandez vs Aryna Sabalenka US Open Women’s Singles Semifinals Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leylah Fernandez | +4.5 (-102) | +320 | Ov 21 (+102) |
| [2] Aryna Sabalenka | -4.5 (-132) | -420 | Un 21 (-112) |
Odds as of September 8th at FanDuel
A Cinderella Story
Canadian teenager Fernandez has been on a incredible run over the past week and a half. She hasn’t had a whole break through 2021 season, but she’s put herself on the map in New York.
She started creating a buzz in the third round where she defeated Osaka in three sets. She then went on to defeat 16th seed Angelique Kerber, and most recently fifth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 3-6, 7(7)-6(5), which earned her a spot in the final four.
If you haven’t seen the most exciting player at the US Open, 19-year old Leylah Fernandez, you’re truly missing out!! She just beat her 3rd ranked opponent and is on fire 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. She’s captivating the world! @leylahfernandez
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 7, 2021
In just her seventh major tournament of her young career, Fernandez was able to break the Olympic bronze medalist in the first set, and go on to win a total of four breakpoints.
The 19-year old completely shocked Svitolina who had trouble returning her serve. Fernandez was able to utilize the full court to record the win.
She’s now the youngest US Open semifinalist since Maria Sharapova in 2005.
Sabalenka’s First Career US Open Semifinal
The World No. 2 is on the hunt for first Grand Slam final appearance, as she appears in her second Grand Slam semifinal of 2021. Sabalenka is having a career defining season, as she entered the tournament with a 38-14 record, and two titles.
She most recently defeated 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets, dominating in a 6-1, 6-4 win in just under an hour and a half. She was able to convert four of 10 breakpoints, and record 21 winners, while her opponent only recorded 14.
ACE FOR THE WIN 🔥
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka advances to her first career #USOpen semifinals. pic.twitter.com/JKxBhkwFCo
— ESPN (@espn) September 8, 2021
The 23-year old did record three of her five double faults in the first game of the match, which made for a shaky start, but she managed to still hold serve, which made a big difference. From then on out, Sabalenka was able to just continuously build momentum and keep the intensity up.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first meeting between these two players, with their head-to-head currently sitting at 0-0.
Leylah Fernandez vs Aryna Sabalenka Head-to-Head Stats
| 73 | WTA Standing | 2 |
| 19 | Age | 23 |
| 1 | Career Titles | 10 |
| 98/63 | Career W/L | 265/134 |
| 1 | YTD Titles | 2 |
| 17/15 | YTD W/L | 38/14 |
| 0 | Head-to-Head Wins | 0 |
Best Bet
On paper Sabalenka seems like the easy bet here to move on to the finals, but you can’t write off Fernandez that easily. The teenager is riding the high of a lifetime as she’s not only shocked the tennis world and her opponents, but herself as well. She really has nothing to lose here.
An issue that could arise for Sabalenka is the lack of serve control. The 23-year old has recorded 17 double faults in her last two matches, with only seven aces. Fernandez herself hasn’t had the best go with serves over the past couple of matches. This could be the deciding factor in this game.
Sabalenka does enter this match with quite a bit more experience that the Canadian. With that being said, that could also be said for the past three, if not all the opponents Fernandez has faced at the US Open, and she’s found a way to beat them.
This will be a tough match between these two young players, but the best bet looks to be that the
Best Bet: Ov 2.5 sets (+154)
Sports Writer
A graduate of Sport Media at Ryerson University, Hayley is the ultimate student of sports. Whether she is playing it, watching it, debating it, or writing it, it's safe to assume sport consumes the majority of her life. She has worked both internationally and with the NBA.
