Skip to main content
Tennis Betting News This Month | Australian Open Futures, ATP & WTA Finals Updates & Market Watch | September 2026

Tennis Betting News This Month | Australian Open Futures, ATP & WTA Finals Updates & Market Watch | September 2026

Bob Duff
By , Updated on: Sep 1, 2026
Tennis Betting News This Month | Australian Open Futures, ATP & WTA Finals Updates & Market Watch | September 2026

The 2026 US Open is in the books, and change was the order of the day in the tennis world. Alexander Zverev won his second Grand Slam title of the year. He beat Ben Shelton to win the US Open men’s singles title. Previously this year, Zverev was the French Open men’s singles champion. Those are the first Grand Slam titles won by the 29-year-old German.

On the women’s side of the ledger, Aryna Sabalenka not only failed to defend her US Open title, but the Belarusian player also relinquished her world No. 1 ranking. Elena Rybakina defeated Sabalenka in the US Open women’s singles final. The Kazakh player has also ascended to the WTA No. 1 world ranking.

This page tracks the biggest tennis betting storylines this month, including US Open results, futures movement and the players drawing the most attention from bettors in the tennis odds.

Before you place a wager, check our updated tennis betting sites page to compare sportsbooks, lines and futures markets.

You can also use our online sports betting guide for tennis betting basics, plus our recommended mobile betting apps if you want to bet on the go.

Latest tennis betting news you should know

Monkey Off Zverev's Back

Alcaraz looks to be back

Sinner on the mend

Time to fade the Joker

Triple play for Rybakina

Temper, temper Aryna

For years, carrying the reputation as the best player never to win a Grand Slam title, Alexander Zverev put that narrative to bed with a vengeance in 2026. Zverev entered the US Open with renewed confidence after winning Roland Garros and reaching the Wimbledon final. He was just as impressive in winning at Flushing Meadows, beating American fan favorite Ben Shelton in the final. The 29-year-old German has silenced his critics for good.
Carlos Alcaraz was seeing action for the first time in four and a half months when he played at the US Open. The former World No. 1 hadn't been on court since suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open. Although he didn't win the tournament, the Spaniard performed well. His ouster came in an epic five-set battle with eventual finalist Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals. Going forward, backing Alcaraz to go deep into tournaments isn't going to be a difficult decision.
The knee injury that kept world No. 1 Jannik Sinner out of the US Open appears to be healing very nicely. Video of Sinner practicing appeared on social media. In the video, Sinner is not wearing a knee brace or even strapping on his ailing knee. The Italian player intends to make his return to tournament tennis at the China Open in Beijing. That tournament begins on September 30. Sinner is the defending champion in this ATP 500 event.
With 24 victories, Novak Djokovic has won more Grand Slam men's singles titles than any other player. But betting on No. 25 coming along is looking more like a fool's play with each passing tennis season. Mariano Navone ousted Djokovic in the first round of the US Open. He hasn't won a Grand Slam title since the 2023 US Open. Falling to 12th in the ATP world rankings, it's the first time in 8,736 days that none of Djokovic, Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal have been ranked in the top 10.
Elena Rybakina ended Aryna Sabalenka's 99-week run as WTA world No. 1 two matches before dethroning her as US Open women's singles champion. She became the 30th woman to hold the No. 1 ranking and the first tennis player from Kazakhstan to be ranked No. 1 in the world. Rybakina also became the first player to clinch her spot in this year's WTA Finals.
First, Aryna Sabalenka lost her WTA world No. 1 ranking. Then she lost her US Open women's singles title. Finally, she lost her temper. While Rybakina was celebrating her US Open title, Sabalenka was destroying her tennis racket in anger and frustration. She was fined $7,500 for her emotional on-court outburst. Maybe Sabalenka's rage was understandable. For the first time since 2022, she didn't win a Grand Slam title. Sabalenka lost in both the Australian Open and US Open finals.

 

Usual suspects favored in Australian Open

Even though Zverev and Rybakina were dominant winners at the US Open, they are getting no love from oddsmakers in 2027 Australian Open futures markets.

In men's singles outrights, ATP world No. 1 Jannik Sinner is the even-money favorite. Defending Australian Open champion Carlos Alcaraz is the +150 second betting choice. Then comes world No. 2 Zverev at a distant +700. Novak Djokovic (+1600) and Ben Shelton (+2000) are next in this betting market.

In women's singles betting lines, Aryna Sabalenka is set as the +175 favorite. WTA world No. 1 and defending Aussie Open champion Rybakina is the +300 second betting choice.

Iga Swiatek (+500), Coco Gauff (+700) and Amanda Anisimova (+900) are also given betting lines shorter than +1000.

Draper out for the season

British player Jack Draper is the +2800 sixth betting choice in Australian Open men's singles future markets. That's an interesting betting line, considering the current status of Draper's health.

Battling through an injury-plagued 2026 tennis campaign, Draper recently announced that he was shutting it down and wouldn't play again in 2026.

Continuing issues with a bone bruise in his left arm forced Draper out of Wimbledon and the US Open. Tendinitis in his right knee kept the UK player out of the French Open.

Draper is aiming to return to the tennis court in competition at the start of the 2027 season.

ATP Finals contenders

Two of the eight spots for the Nitto ATP Finals are locked down. He may be No. 2 in the world rankings, but Zverev is atop the heap in the battle for the ATP Finals title.

Zverev is leading the way with 8,650 points. Sinner is next with 7,950 points. Both players have already qualified. Alcaraz, with his win in the Australian Open, remains in contention for one of the six remaining spots.

Shelton sits third in the standings with 4,430 points. Carlos Alcaraz is fourth with 4,050 points, followed by Flavio Cobolli (3,530 points), Frances Tiafoe (3,330 points), Arthur Fils (3,150 points), and Daniil Medvedev (2,780 points), who round out the current top eight positions.

Wild West of women's tennis

The beauty and the frustration of betting on women's tennis is that in any given week, it seems as though anyone can be the winner. Rybakina's US Open win prevented the four women's Grand Slam tournaments from being divided up among four players for the second year in a row.

This year brought two first-time Grand Slam winners. Mirra Andreeva won the French Open, while Linda Noskova won Wimbledon.

In 2025, Madison Keys (Australian Open), Coco Gauff (French Open), Iga Swiatek (Wimbledon) and Aryna Sabalenka (US Open) were Grand Slam winners.
Four different winners also emerged in 2023: Sabalenka (Australian Open), Swiatek (French Open), Marketa Vondrouskova (Wimbledon), and Gauff (US Open). There were also four different Grand Slam winners in 2021, 2019, 2018, and 2017.

Other than 2024, a first-time Grand Slam winner has emerged on the women's side every year since 2015.

WTA Finals far from set

While nearly half of the places in the ATP Finals are already secure, places in the WTA Finals remain mostly up for grabs. Only World No. 1 Rybakina has locked up one of the eight places in the season-ending championship.

If the WTA Finals started today, the remaining spots would go to Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Gauff, Andreeva, Elina Svitolina, Karolina Muchova, and Noskova.

The top seven players in the race leaderboard automatically qualify for the WTA Finals. The eighth spot goes to the highest-ranked Grand Slam champion of the year who is ranked No. 8-20 in the race and isn't already qualified. If the last Grand Slam champion is in position No. 21 and below, or all four major champions are in the top seven, then the next-highest ranked player at No. 8 takes the last spot.

Previous betting news

  • [September 1, 2026]: US Open Updates, Djokovic, Alcaraz out; Sabalenka bounced in women's singles
  • [August 31, 2026]: Carlos Alcaraz returned from a four-month wrist-injury layoff with a straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin. Aryna Sabalenka also opened her US Open title defence with a straight-sets victory over Camila Osorio.
  • [August 25, 2026]: Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic were eliminated in the first round of the US Open mixed doubles event by Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten.
  • [August 21, 2026]: Jannik Sinner withdrew from the US Open because of a right knee injury.
  • [July 2026]: Jannik Sinner won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon, while Linda Noskova claimed the women’s championship. Their victories reshaped the US Open futures market as attention shifted to the North American hard-court swing.
  • [June 2026]: Wimbledon Market Watch & Match Analysis
  • [June 2026]: Upsets galore change the betting lines in both men's and women's play at Roland Garros
  • [May 2026]: Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from Roland Garros with a wrist injury, reshaping the men’s futures market before the tournament began.
  • [April 16-23]: Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Barcelona with a wrist injury, while Jannik Sinner moves to world No. 1 and shortens in French Open markets.
  • [March 12-18]: Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka see French Open prices tighten as books react to early clay-court form and women’s market volatility.
  • [Feb. 23-March 2]: Jannik Sinner closes the gap in rankings and odds markets after a strong hard-court stretch before spring Masters events.
  • [Jan. 14-Feb. 12]: Carlos Alcaraz wins the Australian Open, strengthening his grip near the top of the men’s futures board heading into the clay season.

Tennis Sports News FAQ

Meet the author

Bob Duff

Sports betting journalist covering NFL, NBA, MLB, UFC, NHL, and major global events since 2016. Former columnist for MSNBC.com, The Windsor Star, and Postmedia. Covered the Super Bowl, World Series, Olympic Games, and FIFA World Cup. Author of 25+ books and contribut...

Online Sports Betting may receive compensation if you sign up through our links. Rest assured, we avoid biases and provide honest opinions on sportsbooks. Read our affiliate disclosure here.

Gamble Aware Logo
Strictly 18+ Only, Please Bet Responsibly
Online Sports Betting © 2026 Strictly 18+ Only, Please Bet Responsibly