US Open Women’s round one: Champ Serena out to make history

There are not many records Serena Williams hasn’t broken, but one in particular has somehow eluded her throughout her glittering career.

The American 21-time major title winner now has the chance to complete the Grand Slam, which is winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in the same calendar year.

Having already lifted the first three trophies in 2015, she is the heavy favourite with Coral, odds-on at 5/6, to defend her Flushing Meadows crown and be the third woman in history, and first since Steffi Graf in 1988, to achieve that feat.

World number one Williams faces a relatively straightforward first round clash in the singles draw against Russian Vitalia Diatchenko, and is highly fancied to beat her at 1/100.

The 33-year-old’s route to her fifth successive final has been made all the more easy after her bitter rival maria Sharapova withdrew from the tournament due to injury.

That certainly also opens up the top half of draw too, with the likes of Ana Ivanovic (4/11 for victory), Eugenie Bouchard (5/6) and teen Swiss sensation Belinda Bencic (1/14) all hoping to go far. They face tough respective first round opponents Dominika Cibulkova (2/1), Alison Riske (5/6) and Sesil Karatantcheva (13/2), though.

American home hopes Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams, meanwhile, are all in the same quarter as Serena, which they will not enjoy.

British number one Heather Watson will luckily avoid the defending champion until the quarters this time, if they both get that far, after eventually losing to her in an epic at Wimbledon this year. Guernsey-born Watson (4/7) opens her tournament against Lauren Davis.