2022 U.S. Open tennis odds: Serena Williams now fifth favorite to win final tournament, next faces Ajla Tomljanovic Friday

It's the first full weekend of college football in the United States and Major League Baseball has officially hit its stretch run as we enter September, but the biggest story in sports right now is in tennis. All-time great Serena Williams is into the third round of the U.S. Open. Williams has said this could be her final tournament. She was +5000 to win this tournament when played opened Monday but is down to a +1400 fifth favorite at Caesars Sportsbook and taking massive overall action ahead of her pending retirement. She next faces Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday.

"It's extremely unique to have such a sports icon at long odds you would never have gotten in their prime," Caesars Sportsbook vice president of trading Craig Mucklow told ESPN, adding the house took five times as many bets on Williams than Kontaveit. "This is a great story and the longer the run continues, the more action we'll see backing Serena, for sure."

While Williams was expected to win her first-round match against little-known Danka Kovinic, she was a +200 underdog Wednesday night in New York against world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit. Williams won the first set in a tiebreaker before being dominated in the second set 6-2. Had the 40-year-old (41 later this month) run out of gas? Absolutely not. She rolled in the third set 6-2 to advance to the third round.

"There's still a little left in me," she said on the court when it was done. "I love a challenge, I love rising to the challenge. I haven't played many matches, but I've been practicing really well, and my last few matches, it just wasn't coming together. ... The last couple matches here in New York, it's really coming together."

It was Williams' 367th victory at a Grand Slam tournament, extending her record among women, and her 103rd win at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the most by any player on the court. It was also Serena's first win over a ranked/seeded player in any tournament this year, although she has only played six total matches. The 26-year-old Kontaveit has won five titles since August 2021.

The stars have been out for both of Serena's matches so far – Tiger Woods was in attendance on Wednesday – and the U.S. Open is breaking attendance records because of her. A record total of 29,959 fans entered the National Tennis Center for the night session in Flushing Meadows on Wednesday. It was the second such record set in three evenings, breaking Monday's 29,402 mark. TV ratings on ESPN are also off the charts for her matches.

Serena has 23 Grand Slam titles, the most in the Open era but one behind Margaret Court for the all-time mark. Williams is a six-time U.S. Open champion (last in 2014), tied with Chris Evert for most in the Open era.

The time for Friday's match against the unseeded Tomljanovic has not been set as of this writing – it's all but a lock it will be in prime time again. The 29-year-old Tomljanovic, born in Croatia, has beaten unseeded Karolina Muchova and Evgeniya Rodina in three sets each so far in New York and has never won a singles title on Tour (Serena has won 73). She's ranked No. 46 in the world and is +6500 to win the U.S. Open – and grew up rooting for Williams.

Williams and Tomljanovic have never met. Serena is a -160 favorite and the winner will face an unseeded player in Round 4: Luidmila Samsonova or Aleksandra Krunic. Serena would certainly be favored against both. 

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