Mens' Singles

Rafael Nadal has never gone past the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows, but he goes into the tournament as red-hot favourite on the back of an outstanding season. Much to my peril, I have been opposing the Spaniard on hard courts (and grass) this season, and although his generally defensive style still makes him vulnerable against an in-form opponent, I can't see who can challenge him.

With Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the same half of the draw, in my opinion, Nadal is a near certainty to reach the final. His only challenges will come in the form of the likes of David Ferrer and David Nalbandian, who he should dispatch with relative ease, although a potentially tough semi-final against British hope Andy Murray awaits.

The fact remains that with Nadal's improvement this year, there are very few players who can even come close to challenging him in the best of five sets format. There are plenty of players who can nick the odd set off him - the likes of Richard Gasquet are immensely talented - but the problem is maintaining your highest standard of play for at least three sets against the machine that is Nadal.

Womens' Singles

To the WTA, where there is a rather more open feel to the draw. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic head the betting, with each player available at single figure prices. However, with these four players all in the same half of the draw, it looks like a bit of a minefield to say the least.

Instead, we'd much prefer to have Elena Dementieva on our side. In the opposite side of the draw, the Russian is coming off the back of victory at the Olympics, which will give her a huge confidence boost. Dementieva has a decent draw, with only Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic having the potential to cause her serious problems. Although Demi may meet the ever-mercurial Anna Chakvetadze in the fourth round, her fellow Russian has suffered from nerves and inconsistency to the extent that it would be no shock to see her go out early.

I'm happy to take Dementieva as some each-way value.

Elsewhere, I am keen on Dinara Safina to win the first quarter. The Russian has enjoyed a spectacular season so far, and has shot up the rankings. Arguably the most consistent player on tour at the moment, Marat Safin's younger sister is high on confidence and is second favourite to win the tournament outright. It's hard to disagree with odds of 7.0 for Safina to win the US Open, but with a potential semi-final clash against either of the Williams sisters, followed by a potential final against our outright pick in Elena Dementieva, it will be very tough indeed for her to lift the trophy in just under two weeks' time.

Instead, I am happy to take Safina to win a quarter which only includes Ana Ivanovic and Alize Cornet as potential threats. Although Cornet will have her backers at 15.0, she is yet to go deep into a Grand Slam and Safina's experience and power should see her through that potential encounter. Ivanovic enjoyed a fantastic start to the season, including a maiden Grand Slam win at the French Open, but instead of pushing on from that success, she suffered an early exit at Wimbledon and has been inconsistent at the best of times.

NJ's Bets:

Back Rafael Nadal to win the US Open - 5pts @ 2.4 (E/W, 1,2, 1/2) (Sportingbet)

Back Dinara Safina to win the first quarter - 2.5pts @ 2.5 (Betdirect)

Back Elena Dementieva to win the US Open - 2.5pts @ 11.0 (E/W, 1,2, 1/2) Boylesports