Serena Williams, of the United States, serves to Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Besides the record attendance and viewership monster figures, ticket sales for Wednesday’s night session starring Serena Williams were up 300 percent, as reported by frontofficesports.com. The average prices for Round 2 in general increased from $135 to $228, the data website noted of the impromptu farewell tour that saw record figures for TV viewing, continuing into her second round.
Besides the usual viewer, Serena Williams’ last run is sending betting bookmakers into a frenzy.
“For Wednesday’s match, Williams found herself in rare territory on sports books, the site noted. “She’s around a +200 underdog for her match against Kontaveit. Of course, that has attracted the attention of Williams’ betting faithful. The 40-year-old is seeing upwards of 70% of the bets and 63% of the money at Caesars and DraftKings,” frontofficesports quoted.
Williams’ career will come to a close when she exits the US Open — whether by way of loss or Grand Slam No. 24. Many around the country are betting that won’t happen just yet — and some very brave ones think she won’t lose at all!” the website said, amazed.
Quoting Adam Budelli, spokesperson for StubHub, it was noted that ticket sales had seen a “huge jump” in interest for Round 2 since Williams’ win in the opener. Her second round win takes the jubilating juggernaut further.
#Serena isn’t lacking 🗣️support at the #USOpen pic.twitter.com/SyCn5BX1VL
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2022
“Her performance has driven up both prices and ticket sales for the second round, according to StubHub. The Wednesday night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium — which includes Williams’ match at 7 p.m. ET — saw a 75% increase since Monday night and accounts for almost 40% of ticket sales for the entirety of Round 2. The Wednesday night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium — which includes Williams’ match at 7 p.m. ET — saw a 75% increase since Monday night and accounts for almost 40% of ticket sales for the entirety of Round 2,” the website said.
Analysing the prices and sales that have increased significantly from 2021, it was observed that compared with the same night session last year, sales for Wednesday were up almost 300%. “That’s contributed to an overall increase, where ticket sales for the entirety of Round 2 have jumped close to 50% compared with last year. Average prices for Round 2 in general have also increased from $135 to $228. Despite the demand, however, Budelli said there are still “plenty” of tickets available.”
“Williams has the most US Open future bets at multiple sportsbooks,” it added. There’s wild leaps of faith too, given her pedigree. “It would be great for her to end her career as US Open champion, it would be one of the greatest sporting stories ever.”
Notes of caution were there aplenty too, as frontofficesports noted. “Books might be taking action on Serena’s story having a happy ending — but her play in recent months isn’t convincing everyone.
Caesars: Highest percentage of bets (25%) and money (20%).
DraftKings: 1st in bets (26.1%),and 2nd in money (12.6%) behind Iga Swiatek (45.4%).
PointsBet: 5th in bets, 4th in money (10%); Swiatek leads both (31.3% and 38%).
Online books aren’t the only ones feeling the heat: A source at Las Vegas’ Westgate SuperBook told Front Office Sports that bets on Serena at +5000 have “created some liability for us,” it said.
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DraftKings Director of Race & Sportsbook Operations Johnny Avello told frontoffice sports: “She was 45-1. Now she’s 22-1. And they’re gonna keep betting her two to win the whole thing, thinking that maybe this is her last hurrah. People know her pedigree and that when Serena’s motivated and focused, she’s capable of anything, even if she hasn’t played for a while,” Pullen says. “If she gets past this match, it’s just going to build and build.”