Serena Williams is out of the women’s U.S. Open Tennis Championship next week so the betting market is wide open. Defending champion Kim Clijsters leads the odds with former champion Maria Sharapova not far behind. The two women met in the Cincinnati Masters final, which Clijsters won in three sets. Clijsters has four tour wins this year while Sharapova has two.

Another player to keep in mind for the U.S. Open is World #2 Caroline Wozniacki, who lost to Clijsters in the final last year. She offers good value with former winner Venus Williams. Without Serena playing, Venus can shine again and may be the best value bet of the year. Third in the odds is World #13 Victoria Azarenka, who won the Stanford Classic last month beating Sharapova in the final. But, she had an early exit at the Cincinnati Masters losing in the first round.

Two players offering some nice each-way value are 2010 French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur and former World #1 Ana Ivanovic. Stosur has played consistently well in Grand Slam events and worked her way up to sixth in the world rankings, despite playing with a slight injury. Ivanovic has fought her way back into the tennis world and is ranked 39th but reached three semifinals in 2010, including in Cincinnati last week. Serena has been a powerhouse all year and won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, but her injury provides a welcome opportunity for someone else to make the spotlight and offers great betting value for the U.S. Open. She is recovering from surgery on her foot after she cut it on broken glass at a restaurant in July.

U.S. Open Women’s Tournament Winner (provided by William Hill)

Kim Clijsters: 3/1

Maria Sharapova: 7/2

Victoria Azarenka: 7/1

Caroline Wozniacki: 8/1

Venus Williams: 8/1

Svetlana Kuznetsova: 10/1

Elena Dementieva: 20/1

Vera Zvonareva: 20/1

Jelena Jankovic: 25/1

Samantha Stosur: 25/1

Ana Ivanovic: 25/1

Flavia Pennetta: 40/1