Women's Tennis

The final Grand Slam of the calendar year, the 2024 U.S. Open, will start on Monday.

On the men's side, Novak Djokovic is the defending champion.

On the women's side, it's Coco Gauff.

At 19 years of age, she became the youngest American player to win the U.S. Open since her idol, Serena Williams (1999 U.S. Open).

The U.S. Open not only carries heavy weight for Djokovic and Gauff, who are looking to defend 2,000 points, but also the largest purse in tennis history.

The 2023 U.S. Open's total purse was $65 million; this year, it's at a record-high $75 million.

2024 U.S Open

When: August 26 - September 8

Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.

Field: 128 players for each singles tournament

TV and Live Stream: ESPN and ESPN+

Prize Pool: $75 million

Top Earnings Breakdown (Men's and Women's)

• First Place: $3.6 million
• Second Place: $1.8 million
• Semifinalist: $1 million
• Quarterfinalist: $530,000
• Round of 16: $325,000
• Round of 32: $215,000
• Round of 64: $140,000
• Round of 128: $100.000

A year after distributing a then-record-breaking $65 million between all competitors, the stakes are even higher at $75 million.

On the men's side, 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite at +200 (bet $100 to win $200), according to Draftkings Sportsbook.

However, the third-seed has played just one match since losing in the 2024 Paris Olympic final and is in the same half of the draw as Jannik Sinner.

Sinner, who won the 2024 Australian Open, has been the top performer on the hard-court surface this year, and he enters the week fresh off a title run at the Cincinnati Open.

While the top of the draw is a race between the two, the bottom has one name that sticks out: Novak Djokovic.

The 37-year-old is aiming to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam and is the second favorite to win at +250.

On the women's side, Coco Gauff is the defending champion but the third favorite to win this year at +1100.

The 20-year-old is pitted in the same half of the draw as Aryna Sabalenka, who holds the shortest odds of winning it all at +230.

Sabalenka has won three of the last four hard-court Grand Slam tournaments and is a week removed from dominating opponents No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek and No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula at the Cincinnati Open.

While Sabalenka and Gauff highlight the bottom of the draw, the top seems to be fair game and includes a ton of dark-horse contenders.

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China's Qinwen Zheng defeated Croatia's Donna Vekić in straight sets Saturday to earn a gold medal in women's tennis singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Zheng, the No. 6 seed, beat No. 13 seed Vekić 6-2, 6-3 to become the first Chinese player to win Olympic gold in singles tennis.

Zheng's victory followed a stunning Olympic run that saw her save a match point against Emma Navarro and complete a semifinal upset No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek, during which she snapped Swiatek's 20-match win streak on clay.

Zheng opened the final by dominating the first set, winning despite several closely contested points as Vekić struggled with unforced errors.

During the second set, Vekic continued to struggle with errors as Zheng pulled out to a 2-0 lead.

Vekić begin to push back, eventually tying the set at 2-2.

The two fought to another tie before Zheng claimed the next two sets. She finished with a forehand drop shot to claim the win.

The gold medal is the first of Zheng's career, and caps off a season that saw her go to the finals of the Australian Open in January.

The victory marks just the second time in history Olympic gold has gone to a Chinese tennis player, following Li Ting and Sun Tiantian's doubles win at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Next up men's tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will face off for Olympic gold in the men's singles final Sunday following the women's doubles bronze doubles match.

The women's singles draw at the Paris Olympics has come down to its final match.

Sixth-seed Qinwen Zheng stunned Iga Swiatek in straight sets to reach the gold-medal match. The 21-year-old has her eyes on the prize, but first she'll face a tough matchup with Donna Vekic.

The 28-year-old, who achieved a career-best result this season (2024 Wimbledon semifinalist), has been dominant in her Olympic campaign, dropping just one set.

Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: the victor will be the first contestant from their country to hoist the Olympic gold in women's tennis.

Zheng will likely enter as the favorite, though not much separates the two, paving the way for what should be a thrilling final.

Below, you can find information on how to watch Saturday's final.

Date: Saturday, August 2

Start Time: 9:30 a.m. ET

Live Stream: Peacock

Vekic and Zheng will face each other for the third time in their careers (tied 1–1). Zheng won the last meeting in three sets in Zhuhai last year. Vekic came out on top in their first meeting, a 2021 Round of 32 clash in Courmayeur.

While Zheng is coming off the biggest and most improbable win of her career, Vekic has also shown that no moment is too big.

Notably, the Croatian advanced to the 2024 Wimbledon semifinal and has continued to excel.

Both players possess tremendous firepower from their groundstrokes, but it may be Zheng's defense that is the game-changer.

The 21-year-old is playing with incredible momentum, and if she's able to perform close to her semifinal match, this is hers for the taking.