The final major of the Tennis calendar year, the 2026 U.S. Open started on Sunday,  August 30 with $108,000,000 in total player compensation at stake at the UTSA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, NY. The tourney will run through the Men’s Singles Final on Sunday, September 13.​

Also worth noting, the induction ceremony for Swiss legend Roger Federer and American star Mary Carrillo into the International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2026 was held at the UTSA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center over this past weekend on Saturday, August 29.

After playing on the red clay at Roland Garros and the soft grass at Wimbledon, most of the world’s best Men’s and Women’s pro players will look to end the year on a positive note on the hard playing surface at Flushing Meadows. But not everyone will be participating in the Big Apple.

Looking at the first three majors of 2026, Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina won at the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev and Mirra Andreeva won at the French Open, and Jannik Sinner and Linda Nosková won at Wimbledon, meaning six different champions heading into this US Open.

A year ago, Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka prevailed in this ITF Grand Slam event, and the two will look to be repeating that feat this year in Flushing Meadows, starting this week as the Main Draw 1 play continues in the Empire State.

A familiar name we may see playing as a Wild Card entry—the United States Tennis Association (USTA) left one spot open for her—is 44-year-old Serena Williams, an LA native who returned to the WTA and played at Wimbledon, where Maya Joint smoked her in the opening round.

Williams (858-156) has won the US Open Women’s Singles title five times (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014) as well as capturing the Doubles title twice (1999, 2009), both with older sister Venus Williams. The two are still competing these days, as they just did at the Cincinnati Open.

Qualifying Rounds for the US Open were contested from August 24-27, with the main Draw Reveal happening on August 27 and the Main Draw play starting up yesterday (August 30) and running through the Women’s Singles Finals (September 12) and the Men’s Singles Finals (September 13).

The world’s #1 ATP Men’s tennis player and Wimbledon Winner—his fifth Grand Slam—Jannik Sinner isn’t playing in this 2026 U.S. Open. And that sucks for fans and the tournament itself, but a nagging right knee injury forced the 25-year-old Italian to skip the event to begin healing.

It was first reported that Sinner would miss the final Grand Slam tournament of the year by Jose Morgando of the Lisbon Diario Record on Twitter (X). Sinner (44-3 in 2026, 93.6%) also passed on the Canadian Open and also sat out the Cincinnati Open, saying “my right knee is bothering me.”

Rotowire tabs Sinner’s return for November 2. Sinner reportedly received shockwave therapy at J|Medical Torino in Italy in mid-August to deal with the patellar tendon stress and inflammation in the hobbled knee.

Five-time US Open Women’s champ Serena Williams is also dealing with a bad right knee. Still, she’s 19 years older than the Italian sensation, and this could be her last Singles at Arthur Ashe Stadium should her body be up for it. Sinner will play in many more US Opens unless a meteor hits.

Sinner has won 6 titles so far this year, and it’s unclear when he might return. Sinner (‘Yes’) was trading as high as 67¢ at Kalshi in the US Open Men’s Singles Winner exchange on Friday, August 14, but a week later on Friday, August 21, the contracts were at 1¢ and essentially worthless.

At Polymarket, the story was similar, with Sinner getting as high as 60¢ before the crash. Anyone buying Sinner ‘No’ before this news made it into the public domain, and whether or not it’s someone who had insider information about Sinner’s ultimate decision is cloudy, but also clear.

On the VSiN morning show A Numbers Game with esteemed host Gil Alexander on Friday, August 21, Alexander revealed that Sinner had announced he would miss the US Open and suggested traders look at defending champ Alcaraz before his odds changed following the news about Sinner.

As it has been all season, the WTA circuit is more entertaining and better for sports bettors and prediction market traders, as there are closer to 10 ladies who could sneak up and win a tournament. In contrast, the Men’s have been reduced to the same tired quartet or injured Euros.

Where have you gone, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, and Andre Agassi?

At Polymarket in the 2026 Women’s US Open Winner, Aryna Sabalenka (22%) and Americans Coco Gauff (16%) were the top two choices, with Iga Świątek (14%), Jessica Pegula (9%), Naomi Osaka (6%), Mirra Andreeva (5%), and Amanda Anisimova (4%) following.

Next were Karolina Muchova (4%), Elena Rybakina (4%), Alexandra Eala (3%), Linda Noskova (3%), Elina Svitolina (2%), Barbora Krejčíková (1%), Diana Shnaider (1%), Belinda Bencic (1%), Qinwen Zheng (1%), and Madison Keys (1%). Here’s the 2026 US Open Women's Singles bracket.

💡Trading Thoughts: World #1 Sabalenka won here last year, defeating Anisimova, and both Europeans could shine again this fortnight. But keep your eye on Polish princess Świątek, who recently completed a North American hardcourt career sweep by winning the Toronto Open.

Rybakina is a Grass Queen, Pegula hasn’t been great in 2026, and young Americans Gauff and Osaka aren’t reliable, but both are in decent form now. Świątek is 8-5 lifetime vs Sabalenka. Świątek was 29-12 (71%) in 2026 heading into the CO Semis while Sabalenka was 40-9 (81.6%).

There have been seven different winners in the last seven Women’s majors, but we can probably expect one of those seven to win here this fortnight. Gauff looked great in winning the Cincinnati Open while Świątek has also been in great form. We may see a new #1 emerge after the US Open,

🎾2026 U.S. Open Women’s Singles Winner Pick: Iga Świątek, Yes 15¢

With Jannik Sinner out, the 2026 Men’s US Open Winner field becomes a little more wide open, but only so much in the minds of traders at Polymarket. 2025 US Open Men’s Singles winner and world #2 Carlos Alcaraz is now the favorite at 26%, followed by Russian Alexander Zverev (23%)

In the Wimbledon Final, ATP #3-ranked Zverev—the player we recommended backing before the tournament started in London—gave Sinner all he could handle, but ultimately lost in four sets, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4, to win on the grass of Wimbledon for a second time in his career.

Following, Taylor Fritz (8%), Arthur Fils (7%), Ben Shelton (7%), Felix Auger Aliassime (5%), Jakub Mensik (3%), Daniil Medvedev (3%), Frances Tiafoe (2%), Flavio Cobelli (2%), Lorenzo Musetti (1%), Jiri Lehecka (1%), Andrey Rublev (1%), and Alexander Bublik (1%).

Missing from the player markets at Polymarket was Spanish teen sensation Rafael Jodar (38-15 in 2026), but at Kalshi, the 19-year-old was available and trading at 6%. The kid is definitely worth a look and has a nice draw and now won’t have to face Novak Djokovic who was upset in his opener.

💡Trading Thoughts: Favorite Alcaraz has also been dealing with his own nagging injury (wrist), and the Spaniard has been hibernating all year and missed Wimbledon and has to be rusty? Alcaraz won the Australian Open (January) and the Qatar ExxonMobil Open (February), but has sat since.

Against Zverev, Alcaraz is 7-6, having won 4 of the last 5 meetings, including their last meeting in the AO Semifinals. Carlitos is not the same player here in late Summer as he was in Winter.

Along with Jodar, the 11th-ranked men’s player on the ATP, Arthur Fils (32-10) looks like a smart buy, but the 22-year-old right-handed Frenchman’s route to the Quarters doesn’t look as favorable as Jodar’s. They are on opposite sides of the draw. Here’s the 2026 U.S. Open Men’s Open bracket.

🎾2026 U.S. Open Men’s Singles Winner Picks: Arthur Fils, Yes 8¢​, Rafael Jodar 6¢​,

On Thursday, August 20, Kalshi reported that users of its prediction market in the Northwest state of Washington were suddenly shut off from the Sports, Elections & Politics, Tech & Science, Culture, and Mentions sections. Trading on Climate and Commodities was still being allowed.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown sued Kalshi and ordered them to shut down most of its operations. Kalshi was required to set up geofencing by August 19 and faces a complete, multi-source block by Wednesday (September 2) or be slapped with daily fines of $120,000.

In the Evergreen State—where Democrats have been the victors in the last 10 U.S. presidential elections—sports betting is limited to licensed tribal casinos, so no DraftKings or FanDuel for Washingtonians. The state does operate the government-run Washington Lottery.

Kalshi lawyers asked the Washington state court to reconsider or pause the ruling, citing the fact that other Designated Contract Markets (DCMs)—like OG Prediction Markets—do business under non-enforcement agreements, while Kalshi is now blocked. So we add another one to the list.

In a massive blow to the confidence of prediction markets and the contention that prediction markets (primarily the Sports categories) aren’t the same thing as gambling, Judge Ryan Nelson and the Ninth Circuit Court sided with regulators from Nevada in a severe ruling against prediction markets on August 28.​

Nelson cited Kalshi’s advertising on its own platform, declaring it “the first app for legal sports betting in all 50 states,” as the popular prediction market, along with fellow sports-event contract players Robinhood and Crypto.com, took another legal-appeal loss, this one in the Silver State.​

Nevada was and is the Mecca of sports gambling in the US. Hence, seeing prediction markets try to take a slice of its pie didn’t sit well with players like the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), Circa owner Derek Stevens, and the state’s gaming lobby, who don’t like the CFTC being PM God.​

Nine different Western states—Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawai’i. Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington—are affected by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling. But this is also a signal to some of the other states.​

Chairman of the NGCB Control Board Mike Dreitzer said, We are pleased with the Ninth Circuit’s ruling today in favor of Nevada. This completely vindicates what we've been saying all along. This is sports betting and needs to be properly regulated by the state.”​

“The Nevada Gaming Control Board has been regulating gambling in the state of Nevada for more than 70 years in accordance with the highest standards and best practices,” Dreitzer went on. We will continue to enforce Nevada law to safeguard gaming in our state vigorously.​

The win is the biggest for states and for Nevada in this ongoing pachinko-like legal ride, with one side saying Michael Selig and the Feds and the CFTC have jurisdiction. They are the final say-so, and the other side says it’s the States who should regulate (and tax) the prediction markets if legal.​

Categories like Crypto, Economics, News, and Weather are still open on Kalshi here in the Silver State, with Sports, Elections, and Entertainment all geofenced in Nevada, where trading on sports via Kalshi, Polymarket, Robinhood, or any other PM, DraftKings, or FanDuel is still illegal.​

No tax, no play is the mantra of states like New York, Nevada, and Washington, while Utah, Minnesota, and Kentucky seem to take a more moral stance. We will see where this all goes with a showdown between the two sides in the Supreme Court more than likely.​

The Supreme Court is scheduled to reconvene in Washington, D.C. on Monday, October 5.

Following the ruling by Judge Ryan Nelson of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, stocks of the online legal sports gambling giants FanDuel and DraftKings saw bullish momentum on Friday, August 28.​

Flutter Entertainment PLC (FLUT—NYSE) was up 7.13% to $101.78 per share on the New York Stock Exchange after the positive news, while DraftKings Inc. (DKNG—NASDAQ) was up 4.29% to $25.26 in Nasdaq exchange trading late on Friday, August 28.​

The 52 Week High of FLUT was $309.41 on August 28, 2025, with the 52 Week Low at $89.71 on August 5, 2026. The 52 Week High of DKNG was $48.78 on September 5, 2025, with the stock’s 52 Week Low trading at $20.46 on March 30, 2026.

We looked at the 2026 NFL Rushing Yards Leader market in our last issue of The Prediction Report, so let’s now analyze the Pro Football Receiving Yards Leader exchange at Kalshi. Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase (14%) was the early choice of traders, followed by Rams WR Puka Nacua (23%), Seahawks standout WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (13%), and Lions WR Amon-Ra St Brown (8%).

Following in this vibrant and fun market ($96,1103 volume August 30) were Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb (7%), Broncos WR Jaylen Waddle (7%), Texans WR Nico Collins (7%), new Patriots WR A.J. Brown (5%), Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (5%), and Falcons WR Drake London (4%).

Other longshots? Ravens WR Zay Flowers (3%), Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka (3%), Cowboys WR George Pickens (3%). Giants WR Malik Nabers (3%), Raiders TE Brock Bowers (2%), Chargers WR Ladd McConkey (2%), and Jets WR Garrett Wilson (2%). Chase is #1 pick in most Fantasy leagues.

💡Trading Thoughts: Like the 2026 NFL Rushing Leader market, this is a fun (and fair) market which will see ebbs and flows over the next six months and be subject to injuries. There is no hype or voting here—whichever player has the most yards running the football in the NFL wins. Simple.

There will be no messing with temperature gauges or stealing from the president's script here. Last season—where 19 players ended with over 1,000 receiving yards—Super Bowl champions WR Smith-Njigba led the pack (1,793 yards), finishing with 78 yards more than the Rams' Nacua.

Raiders TE Bowers will be targeted a lot this season, but he is coming off an injury-plagued season and doesn’t have a proven QB getting him the pigskin. The Rams look loaded, and Nacua never disappoints, and he fell short in 2025, so expect him to be focused. His QB is Matt Stafford.

🏈2026 NFL Receiving Yards Leader Picks: Puka Nacua, Yes13¢, Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Yes 12¢

There is a massive and surely entertaining three-game NL Central series that starts today (Tuesday) at Wrigley Field (Grass) in Chicago between the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers (85-51), led by NL MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong, and the Chicago Cubs (77-59).

If the Cubs (39-28 at Home) can sweep the Brewers (38-27 on Road) at the corner of Clark and Addison, the NL Central race will tighten up. Should Milwaukee win all three games, the BrewCrew will likely win the division again while the Cubs will be an NL Wild Card entry.

The scheduled starters for Game 1 of this series are LHP Matthew Boyd (8-2, 4.15 ERA) for the Cubs and LHP Robert Gasser (3-5, 4.79 ERA) on Tuesday (TBS, Brewers. TV, MLB.tv, Marquee Sports Network, 7:40 EDT/6:40 CDT/4:40 PDT).

Game 2 will be on Wednesday, September 2 (MLB.tv, Brewers. TV, 7:40 EDT/6:40 CDT/4:40 PDT), with the getaway-day Game 3 set for Thursday, September 3 (FOX, 7:15 EDT/6:15 CDT/4:15 PDT). Jake Bauers (.273/22/72) and Milwaukee lead the season series, 4-2 heading in.

💡Trading Thoughts: The Cubs went 7-6 against the Brewers last year, and both teams are better than they were 365 days ago, with PCA enjoying a breakout season and Milwaukee RHP Jacob Misiorowski (13-5, 1.68 ERA, 0.76 WHIP) showing how fast a 6-foot-7 man can throw a baseball.

Milwaukee won the first 3 games of this series, sweeping the Baby Bears in the Windy City in May (19 RF-5 RA), with the Cubs winning the last two games in Milwaukee (MIL 6 CUBS 2, CUBS 8 MIL 2, CUBS 4 MIL 3). The Miz has shut down Chicago twice already this season (May 19, June 26).

⚾MLB Brewers-Cubs Tuesday Pick: Brewers

One of the better games on the 2026-27 NCAA DI College Football Week 1 schedule will see John Mateer and #10 Oklahoma facing Bryce Underwood and #16 Michigan at Michigan Stadium (FieldTurf) in Ann Arbor, Michigan early on Saturday (FOX, 12 EDT/11 CDT/10 MDT/9 PDT).

Michigan Stadium screams College Football. As the largest stadium ever built in the US and the biggest in the Western Hemisphere, you are always part of a 100K crowd, yet just an ant in a massive stadium watching ants of different colors march up the green turf.

At Kalshi in the Oklahoma vs Michigan winner market, Big Ten Conference legends Michigan (50%) and Big 12 Conference icons Oklahoma (50%) were as split as it gets. The Michigan win by over 1.5 points (Yes) was at 48¢, with the Over 45.5 Points Scored trading at 53¢ at the exchange.

💡Trading Thoughts: Michigan has a new Head Coach in Kyle Whittingham (UTAH) and will want to start the season out right, but scheduling the Sooners may have been a mistake. Oklahoma is 2-0 lifetime vs. Michigan in low-scoring games, averaging just 28.5 PPG in a small sample size.

But we can learn from these two teams meeting less than a year ago in the Week 2 meeting at Norman, where the Sooners won 24-13, and with the same two dudes (Mateer and Underwood) at QB—proving that not everyone transfers—where Oklahoma looked very much in control.

Michigan’s top rusher that day, Justice Haynes (125 yards), transferred to Georgia Tech. In the game, OU won the Total Yards (408-288), Time of Possession (32-28), and 1st Down (22-12) and led all the way despite losing the TO battle (MICH 0, OKLA 2). The Wolverines scored just 1 TD.

Michigan (27.5 PPG in 2025, #77) was statistically worse than Oklahoma (31.2, #47) last season, and the Sooners D (15.5 PPG, #7) was better than the Wolverines D (20.4 PPG, #29). The Big Ten may be better than the Big 12 in football, and this is at The Big House, but OU is better than UM.

🏈College Football Oklahoma-Michigan Saturday Pick: Oklahoma, Yes 51¢

➠”In the next issue of The Prediction Report, we look at the upcoming 2026 Midterm Elections on the first Tuesday in November in a special issue that looks at the current balance of power in Washington, D.C., the House of Representatives and Senate races in Congress, as well as the Gubernatorial elections and some high-profile House and Senate races.”