Chip it in!

On the women’s and men’s sides, the opening day of the 2010 US Open was packed with plenty of exciting tennis. As always, on the show courts Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, and the Grandstand, was where most of the focus was on. Of course, on the outside side courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there was also some great tennis. As the 90+-degree weather, the action was just as hot. The sports betting odds also got heated up.

At 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time as young American Melanie Oudin faced Olga Savchuk in the first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 2010 US Open officially kicked off. Oudi easily defeated her qualifier opponent 6-3 6-0 in less than an hour and she had a Cinderella story last year by reaching the quarterfinals. Kim Clijsters, women’s defending champion took out Greta Arn 6-0 7-5 in the following match. At Arthur Ashe Stadium, Andy Roddick concluded the day session with a convincing routine victory over Frenchman Stephen Robert 6-3 6-2 6-2.

Venus Williams and Roger Federer were featured in the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Venus Williams stepped out on the court and defeated Roberta Vinci 6-4 6-1, after a brief opening ceremony in front of more than 20,000 fans.

Against the 5′7” lefty Brian Dabul, Roger Federer cruised through his first round match 6-1 6-4 6-2. In fact, during the second set, Federer was so relaxed in this match that he hit an incredible winner on the run and between the legs. As Federer showed off his swinging arsenal to the New York City night crowd, at times, the match seemed like a show rather than a competition.

Some other eye-catching results included five set victories by fifth seed Robin Soderling and 17th seed Gael Monfils, outside of Arthur Ashe Stadium. To Paul Henri Mathieu, 2001 US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt lost a five set match.

Top players Samantha Stosur, Francesca Schiavone, Victoria Azarenka, and Elena Dementieva were all victorious on the women’s side. Unseeded Dinara Safina lost her first round match to Hantuchova 6-3 6-4. Safina was the first seed here last year.

As the first two matches ended with retirements by Evgeny Korolev and then by 27th seed Fernando Gonzalez, the fans at court 13 were very disappointed.

Every year, the U.S. Open rolls around and sports fanatics everywhere are forced to pick a tournament favorite. The questions are: where do you stand when it comes to picking the athlete that you feel will come out victorious?

The number one pick, also the reigning champion for the past 5 years, is none other than Roger Federer. He has won 16 Grand Slam single titles, which is more than any other male player. So far this year, Federer has played in four tournaments, with a win at the Australian Open over Briton Andy Murray.

Giving Roger Federer a run for his money is Andy Murray. Murray was defeated by Federer earlier this year at the 2010 Australian Open. This defensive, counter-puncher is young, determined and, being recognized as “the first British man to reach more than one Grand Slam final in 72 years”, is going to come out swinging.

Rafael Nadal is no stranger to the game or to the U.S. Open. Being labeled as one of Federer’s top rivals, Nadal knows that he must come out and give it his all, which makes him a very big threat on the court.

Following closely behind Rafael Nadal is going to be Novak Djokovic. This Serbian native won the Australian Open back in 2008 and, for the first time ever, defended his title at the 2010 Dubai Tennis Championship after winning it in 2009.

And lastly, don’t forget about Andy Roddick. Coming in behind Federer in the U.S. Open for so many years, he is not going to go down easily. Although he did not win the Australian Open this year, he did pull of a victory over world #11, Fernando Gonzalez.

The Monterrey Open International tournament, the hard court women’s tennis tournament is coming up soon in the tennis world. The tournament with a prize money of around $220,000 and having a draw of 36 is usually held at the tennis club in Sierra Madre and begins on March 1st. It is all a part of the WTA tour and is held in association with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Betting odds are always available.

Youngster Marion Bartoli dominated the Monterrey Open in 2009.  She beat out the unseeded Li, who took an early lead but Bartoli went on a spurt from there, winning eight of nine games. Li knocked off the top seeded Agnieszka Radwanska early in the competition.  Bartoli came away with her fourth career singles title and hit some great shots on that tour.

Tennis stars such as Jelena Jankovich from Dubai, and Melanie Oudin from the U.S.A will likely to be seen this year. Being played in last year’s US Open, Melanie made headlines last year. With her fantastic play and after that year’s US Open, Melanie won the hearts of America and went from rank 70 to 44. As some of the most renowned professional women’s players get ready to compete, this year looks to be just as promising of a tennis thriller. Get in on the action with sports betting at your favorite online sportsbook.