The twelfth edition of ‘Round the Sports World in five minutes’ will talk you through the second leg of Benfica v Fenerbahce in the last round of Champions League qualifying, the ongoing US Open in tennis and Dutch Grand Prix over in the world of Formula One.
US Open
- Start: Already in progress (August 24-September 7)
- Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York
- TV Coverage: Sky Sports Tennis
- Fun Fact: Most 45-year-old tennis pros are either enjoying retirement, coaching or sitting in the commentary box. But not Venus Williams, who is making her 25th appearance at the US Open, the oldest player to feature here since 1981. What’s more, she’s in the singles draw, not the doubles.
Betting
No prizes for guessing which two players head the betting in the men’s draw at the US Open. Janik Sinner is the 2.1 favourite with 10Bet, with that man Carlos Alcaraz just a bit bigger at 2.65.
Novak Djokovic, who has won more Grand Slams than any other man in history, is a 13.0 chance, but he’s admitted he’ll find it almost impossible to beat both of those back-to-back in the semis and final, which he will probably have to do if he’s going to go all the way. British star Jack Draper at 19.0 and Alexander Zverev at 21.0 are next in the betting.
Even though the women’s draw is considerably more open, there are also two names dominating proceedings here, with Iga Swiatek at 3.45 and Aryna Sabalenka at 3.75, also with 10Bet.
But home support goes a long way, especially here in New York, so don’t rule out home favourite Coco Gauff, already a two-time Grand Slam winner at just 21, who is available at the odds of 8.5.
Summary
The tournament is already underway, having started on Sunday night UK time, and a previous winner has already exited, with Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 champion, falling to Benjamin Bonzi over five sets in the first round in a match that descended into chaos when a cameraman accidentally stepped onto the court on match point.
In the men’s draw, everyone is expecting another Alcaraz vs Sinner final, which is what happened at the French Open (won by Alcaraz) and then again at Wimbledon (won by Sinner) this year. But it may not be as straightforward as that.
Last year Alcaraz suffered a shock exit in straight sets in the second round at the hands of a relatively unknown Botic van de Zandschulp while a couple of weeks ago, Sinner retired at Cincinatti in the final against Alcaraz, apparently suffering from heatstroke, with high temperatures likely to be a big factor in New York over the next two weeks.
So, Draper, Zverev and Djokovic may have better chances than their odds suggest.
They love a ‘Cinderella story’ over in the US, and they don’t come bigger than Emma Raducanu’s win here in 2021, the first time a qualifier in the Open era won a singles title at a Grand Slam. After four years of injuries and loss of form, she’s looking back to her best and is already through to the second round, so she’s one to keep an eye on in the women’s draw.
Benfica vs Fenerbahce, Champions League Qualifying Second Leg
- Start: Wednesday, August 27, 20:00
- Venue: Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal
- TV Coverage: TNT Sports
- Fun Fact: Managers Bruno Lage of Benfica and Jose Mourinho of Fenerbahce are both from Setubal in Portugal. It is quite remarkable that two managers in charge of such a huge game are from there, considering it’s a city with just 90,000 inhabitants.
Betting
The 0-0 after the first leg suggests this is almost a 50/50 tie, but the bookies are seeing things very differently. Betfred makes Benfica just 1.53 to win the match and an even shorter 1.25 to progress to the Champions League, even if that involves extra-time or penalties.
Given Benfica have won five of their six matches so far this season without conceding, a win to nil at 2.6 should prove popular among punters.
Summary
Fenerbahce missed an excellent chance to be up in this tie when they played the last 20 minutes against ten men, after Benfica midfielder Florentino was sent off.
But Benfica held on and will now be confident that home advantage and their excellent form can see them through.
Both teams won at the weekend in their domestic leagues, and this is definitely the stand-out match in Champions League qualifying this week.
Dutch Grand Prix Formula One
- Start: Sunday, August 30, 14:00
- Venue: Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands
- TV Coverage: Sky Sports Formula One
- Fun Fact: Even though it’s an extremely popular event for both drivers and fans of motor sports, next year’s 2026 edition is likely to be the last for the foreseeable future, with the track deemed to need a makeover to improve facilities. If it’s removed from the calendar, it’s anyone’s guess as to when F1 will return to the Netherlands.
Betting
Men’s tennis isn’t the only sport dominated by two names, with Formula One a similar story as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris continue to battle out race after race for that World Championship title.
This time Piastri is the slight favourite at 2.4 with Bwin, with Norris hot on his heels at 2.5. Both of them finishing in the Top 3 is just 1.35 while a Top 3 finish for Ferrari man Lewis Hamilton is a 5.5 chance.
Summary
Despite Piastri being the favourite here, it was Norris who was in better form before the three-week summer break, winning three of the last four races and now only trailing Piastri by nine points.
This race is arguably the greatest party in Formula One, with Max Verstappen-mad fans going wild for their local hero, making plenty of noise, as if there wasn’t enough of it already at the circuit.
Described as an old-school track, it’s built between sand dunes and is extremely popular among drivers, who enjoy the undulating layout and tight corners. Rain is forecast, adding yet another element of intrigue, and that could well play into the hands of rain-specialist Verstappen.
Betting Tip of the Week
Benfica are yet to concede in six outings this season, winning five of them.
If they extend that to seven clean sheets in a row, you’d think it’s unlikely that Benfica will score three of their own, making under 2.5 goals a good-looking bet at 2.0.
Back Under 2.5 Goals in Benfica vs Fenerbahçe @ 2.0 with Betfred.
It’s very possible this match is the so-called ‘slow-burner’ or a ‘game of cat and mouse’ as the TV commentators like to call it, with neither manager wanting to show their hand too soon and not wishing to take unnecessary risks early on.
If that’s the case, all of 1-0, 0-0 or 1-1 scorelines at full-time come into the picture, which would also produce a winning bet, of course.
