Emma Raducanu – Ena Shibahara 24-08-2025

So here we are again; the Grand Slam. It doesn't get any bigger. And we can safely say that the next two weeks will be packed with drama, frustration and loads of quality tennis. As is always the case with the Grand Slam. And in New York we know we'll get a wild home crowd, in addition to courts that offer long exchanges. Read more about it here .

But the first week of a Grand Slam is always challenging. Not because it's hard to find good bets, but because you have to try to limit yourself. There's simply too much to tempt you. So from the opening day there will be 4-5 tips on the odds list, in addition to this analysis. That'll do. We'll take the rest in our tennis channel in Discord .

Emma Raducanu – Ena Shibahara

The US Open has been going on for a while for both of these two. While Shibahara has been fighting his way through qualifying, Raducanu has been through the much-talked-about mixed doubles tournament. But even though it's the Japanese player who has had the most to cheer about so far, we're pretty sure it's Raducanu who's cheering the loudest after this match.

Emma Raducanu – 2021 all over again?

No matter what Raducanu does, she's in the news. For the past six months it's been her partnership with Carlos Alcaraz, but now that the mixed doubles tournament is over, there's talk again of her chances of going to the top. Like she did in 2021. And the reason this is a thing right now is of course because she's playing very good tennis these days.

Riktinok ultimately lost in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati, but Kalinskaya, Anisimova and Sabalenka are three capable opponents. And especially in the loss to Sabalenka in Cincinnati, where she lost by the narrowest possible margin (7-6, 4-6, 7-6), she showed the world that she can give the very best match. And now that the mixed tournament is over, she can once again focus on the most important task; namely playing like she did in 2021.

Today's opponent will have little to offer against an in-form Raducanu. And on a surface she loves. The combination of stability from the baseline and aggressiveness in the right moments will be too much for Shibahara, and Raducanu will probably want to shorten the matches in the first week to have as much strength as possible left when week two starts.

Ena Shibahara – better in doubles than in singles

In fact, Ena Shibahara is no ordinary Grand Slam player. She has won the French Open, been to the final of the Australian Open and the semi-finals of both the US Open and Wimbledon. In doubles and mixed doubles. In singles, she has never made it past the first three qualifiers, while she made it to the second round of the US Open last year.

So here we have a fairly unwritten page, in a singles context. She also participated in the Olympics, but there too she tore at the first hurdle. Ena Shibahara is known for working hard, and her doubles experience makes her stable and good at the net. But against such a good player as Raducanu, the chances will be few, and the opportunities to go online rare. Here I think Ena Shibahara falls short.

Conclusion – game, set and match in under an hour?

It's a formidable task for Ena Shibahara here. Not only is she primarily a doubles player, but she's up against an in-form Raducanu, with a strong history here in New York. So what can bring down the Briton?

Nerves and pressure are something all tennis players have to live with, but Raducanu perhaps more than most. In addition, we know that this is the opening match for Raducanu, while Ena Shibahara has already played three matches. That could play into it.

But again; Raducanu and Alcaraz got a match in the mixed tournament before it was all over, and she has probably been practicing on the courts in the days leading up to the tournament. So the hope is that she has already settled in. And if she is mentally prepared for what awaits her, and focused on the task, the following games should be fine;

Tennis at 17:00: Emma Raducanu - Ena Shibahara: Under 20.5 games (1.65)