Lessons Learned as US Open Unfolds

So far in the US Open, little has unfolded over the course of the initial rounds that would change the long-term tennis odds for the tournament.

That’s not to say, however, that there haven’t still been plenty of lessons to be gleaned from the opening days of action.

Juan Martin del Potro, for one, the sixth-seed in the tournament, suffered a scare at the hands of Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the first round, dropping the second set of the match and needing a hard-fought overtime to eke out the clinching fourth.

Despite his 12:1 odds of winning the US Open and having already won the tournament once back in 2009, del Potro needed to be at the top of his game if he hopes to contend with the likes of the Big Four. His first appearance showed no such preparedness, and it wound up costing him against Lleyton Hewitt, 6-4 5-7 3-6 7-6 (7/2) 6-1.

Reigning US Open winner Andy Murray remains a popular favorite all over the sportsbooks, having not only won the tournament last year but Wimbledon earlier this summer, as well. His 4:1 tennis futures, though, trail both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Both Nadal (2010) and Djokovic (2011) have won the US Open previously and boast 7:4 odds and 2:1 odds of doing so again in 2013, respectively.

Not surprisingly, all of Murray, Nadal and Djokovic -- and Roger Federer, to boot -- made it through the first round unscathed, not dropping so much as a single set.