US Open - Stephens v Williams

Sloane Stephens has been a profitable little player for us thus far in the US Open and we see no reason to change a winning strategy ahead of her match with Venus Williams.

As we noted in our quarter-final column, Stephens missed the 2016 with a foot injury - with surgery meaning an extended absence from the game for nine months. Since then she has been playing catch up, and this is her third successive semi-final, following participation at this stage at the Rogers Cup and in Cincinnati.

Facing Venus Williams looks a decent match up for Stephens - she won their only previous meeting in 2015 - a match played on clay. Stephens has looked sharp this week - sharper than Williams in our view - so it is a surprise to see her marked up as the outsider in this one.

The younger of the pair can be backed at 8/5 against the 37-year-old, and Venus could be the more tired.

2pts Sloane Stephens to beat Venus Williams at 8/5

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