Line Calls, presented by FanDuel: Can Coco Gauff produce a magical US Open run?

Coco Gauff lost a tough one against her doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, in the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open, as she fell 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in a match that lasted two hours and 24 minutes. Gauff had her chances to win that match, so she surely left Canada a little disappointed. But winning two matches, with one coming over 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova that included a second-set bagel, was a nice way for Gauff to follow up her title run in Washington, D.C. Now, I like the 19-year-old to make a deep run at the US Open.

Gauff is currently going off at +1400 odds to win it all in Flushing Meadows. I’m not sure the American will ultimately get the job done, but I do think a run to the semifinals or final is very realistic. And at her long odds, you would be in a great position to hedge and guarantee a big payout if she were to make it that far.

Gauff recently added the legendary Brad Gilbert to her team, and the move has paid off in a big way thus far. The American’s forehand isn’t leaking errors quite as often, and it has even looked like a weapon in some moments over the last couple of weeks. That makes her a completely different player than the one we saw earlier in the summer, and a focus on footwork has been a huge part of her recent success.

The reality is that there aren’t many players that would have a huge edge over Gauff right now. Iga Swiatek, who is probably my favorite bet to win the US Open, is the only player that I think can easily wipe the floor with Gauff. But the next tier of players in the women’s game is somewhat flawed. We just saw Aryna Sabalenka lose to Liudmila Samsonova in Montreal, and Elena Rybakina hasn’t yet proven that she can win matches in New York—and she also happens to be a player that struggles to stay healthy.

It just doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that Gauff will enter the sport’s elite in the final portion of the 2023 season. And I think she has the game to win a US Open, which is why I’d advise putting a little something on this. This is mostly a play I’m looking to hedge later on in the tournament, but Gauff would have a legitimate shot at winning if Swiatek ends up getting upset somewhat early. She made it to the quarterfinals here a year ago, and she’s a better player today than she was then.

Bet: Gauff To Win US Open (+1400)