Katie Boulter v Aliaksandra Sasnovich: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Partner Authors Updated: 26 Aug 24 13:49

There is a potential cracker in store when Katie Boulter opens proceedings on Stadium 17 on Tuesday with a US Open first-round clash with qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Boulter is seeded 31st for the final Grand Slam tournament of the year and she deserves much respect for her efforts in having maximised her efforts in recent seasons.

Where Boulter has given her absolute all, the same probably cannot be said about Sasnovich, who has always been blessed with huge potential, but has had to watch her fellow Belarusians Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka hog the limelight.

Being shorter than her Fed Cup team-mates has probably not helped her cause, but Sasnovich still has much to offer on the women’s tour and it may just be the case that her best times still lie ahead, even at the age of 30.

After three fine wins in qualifying for Sasnovich, she is expected to make life tough for Boulter and, while the Briton is favourite by virtue of her higher ranking,, she may be a false market leader and punters should be aware of that.

Katie Boulter v Aliaksandra Sasnovich

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Katie Boulter v Aliaksandra Sasnovich betting tips and predictions

Aliaksandra Sasnovich +3.5 games handicap - 8/11

Sasnovich’s game looked in such good order in qualifying that she is not easy to dismiss, even though she is not expected to survive her main-draw first-round encounter with 31st seed Boulter.

She was victorious in straight sets in all of her US Open qualifiers against seasoned campaigners Harmony Tan and Heather Watson then Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, and that is an impressive effort by any standards.

Don’t forget Sasnovich has always possessed the potential and the talent to prosper.

But for whatever reason, she has not fulfilled her promise, particularly on the big stage, although at the age of 30, there is still time for her to find more in her later career.

Perhaps her fine effort in qualifying is a sign that things may be on the change for Sasnovich. Only time will tell and usually things change little for players approaching their later years.

However, even taking that into account, there’s no arguing with her form right now and the fact that the outsider already has three excellent results behind her at Flushing Meadows and it’s not like Boulter is a world-beater.

Leicester native Boulter has done superbly well to step things up in the last couple of seasons. She fights for all she is worth on court and if her opponent is just too good, then so be it.

It’s just possible that Sasnovich might be playing too well for Boulter to keep tabs on right now, so there looks every reason to side with the qualifier with a handicap start of 3.5 games.

Aliaksandra Sasnovich to beat Katie Boulter - 13/8

Backing Sasnovich to win at least one set at 4/7 is definitely an option at a decent price for more cautious punters, but if she has impressively won her last three matches on this terrain in straight sets, then why shouldn’t the qualifier continue that trend with a double-quick victory over Boulter?

That’s possible, of course, but renowned battler Boulter is no stranger to sharing the first two sets in a healthy number of her matches.

Instead of just chancing the outsider winning in straight sets, it may be wiser for punters simply to be happy with backing the outsider to prevail.

Taking into account Sasnovich’s form and potential - she has always been a serial underachiever and should have risen higher than 29th in the world - world number 32 Boulter could be more vulnerable than the prices might suggest.

Sasnovich has made at least the third round of all four Grand Slam singles tournaments and the last 16 of the French Open and Wimbledon.

Boulter, meanwhile, has made it to the third round of only Wimbledon and the US Open and this will be only her third main-draw attempt at Flushing Meadows.

Clearly, this is a big opportunity for underdog Sasnovich to gain a victory in the opening round of a Slam and, while Boulter will huff and puff for all she is worth, the outsider’s quality may just swing the verdict her way.