US Open Betting / Gary Boswell / 02 September 2008 /

Gary Boswell burnt the midnight oil to watch the Williams sisters in action on Monday night. They clash on Wednesday in the quarters but the last woman standing may well be none other than Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva. Here's why...

Although three Western European women have reached the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadow (and there was even a British woman in the third round for the first time in twelve years!), you could be forgiven for asserting that it will be a showdown between the Eastern Europeans and a sole American in the US Open singles semi-finals this year.

That sole American will of course be a Williams sister, courtesy of their meeting for the seventeenth time on the professional circuit. Serena's return to number three in the world rankings put them in the same half of the draw.

Which sister will prevail this time? The odds are saying Serena at [1.77] in the match betting with Venus out at [2.2] The all-time head to head stands at eight each with Venus having won three of the last four following a straight run of six wins for Serena during her halcyon years of 2001-2006.

The back-to-back Wimbledon titles in 2007 and 2008 have acted as the catalyst for a return to dominance for older sister Venus. Serena has a 2-1 lead in previous US Open bouts though and it is fair to say that Venus has recently shown signs that the years are catching up with her. Serena is arguably slowly shrugging off the leg and back injuries that dogged her after her grand slam win in Australia in 2007.

Not surprisingly, the sisters continue to dominate the outright betting despite the fact that one of them will definitely not be featuring in the semi-finals! It's [3.25] to back Serena and [4.5] Venus, to guarantee a smile on the face of those Star Spangled banner bearers.

However, the signs are there to suggest that opposing the sisters is the wise play. The current hot form was brought into this tournament by the Russians following their medal clean sweep in Beijing. Elena Dementieva has breezed her way into the quarters despatching Chinese star of Beijing, Na Li in just 62 minutes in Round four. Her speed around the court is ideally suited to the hard surface and her ferocious top spin forehand whiplash has opponents seriously stretching to get anywhere near it.

She won nine straight games off Serena in Beijing which looked at the time to be a watershed moment for the 26 year-old Russian who has always been a bridesmaid in the majors.

The confidence the gold medal has given her is oozing over the Flushing Meadow courts and she is showing no sign of the failure to close out games that has previously dogged her career.

She faces Swiss millionaire Patty Schnyder in the quarter-finals and on the face of it would seem to justify her [1.26] favourites price. Current form and majors record seriously points to Dementieva whilst Schnyder is widely perceived as a player for whom the money she made early in her career was enough. The last time she reached the US quarter finals was a staggering 10 years ago despite the surface definitely being her favoured one.

The best she's ever achieved is a semi in Australia in 2004. Hence the match price of [5.0] and it would take an optimist to consider backing her in the outrights even at the stunningly long price of [150.0].

That said, there has also always been a perception that Schnyder had the game if only she could find the hunger. Her style of play is very similar to Dementieva's and in the head to heads over the years, Schnyder actually has a 5-3 lead on the surface. Balance that against an overall 9-7 in Dementieva's favour and the fact that the Russian has won the last three meetings since she found the fabulous form that has propelled her forward. You see why the prices are as they are. Schnyder is also now 29 years old and this could conceivably be her last ever chance to achieve what she promised as a youngster.

If Schnyder is a deserved outsider against Dementieva, then Italian Flavia Pennetta is bordering on a no-hoper as she meets the red hot Russian Dinara Safina. Pennetta comes as very much a current form possibility. She brushed aside Petrova and Mauresmo with consummate ease to get here. Her price is subsequently a cautious [70.0] in the outrights which doesn't really reflect the fact that Safina is 4-0 in their personal head to head.

The young Russian silver medallist is now nearly as long as she's been all tournament at [6.8] presumably because it has been spotted that even if she gets past Pennetta, she then has to face a Williams sister to get to her first US Open final. She's very much the rising star, though if you think the American's days are numbered. That [6.8] might still be long.

The last quarter-final features world number two Jelena Jankovic against Austrian surprise package Sybille Bammer, who can be backed at [5.6] in the match betting. Jankovic has a 6-1 head to head lead (Bammer's only win coming back in 2006) and will be widely considered a certainty at [1.22] to book a semi-final place.

The Betfair multiple on Jankovic,Demientieva and Safina making the semis is [1.81] whilst if you think the shocks that dictate women's tennis are going to continue here, you can combine Bammer,Pennetta and Schnyder for a staggering [100.13] treble.

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