US Open Day 2 Best Bets & Predictions: 3 Picks for August 31
The U.S. Open, the fourth and final Grand Slam of the tennis season, continues with first-round action on Monday. Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka are among those taking the court. Here are the best bets to be made on Day 2 in New York City. Also check out my US Open men's singles best bets and US Open women's singles futures picks.
US Open Parlay: Learner Tien ML over Nuno Borges and Sara Bejlek ML over Cristina Bucsa (-111)
This is a nightmare matchup for Borges. The Portguese would match rather break down an inconsistent big hitter than run into a counter-puncher like Tien who can -- and has -- defeated Borges at his own game. Tien has won both of their previous meetings and has taken all five sets against Borges -- including a straight-setter at the Australian Open earlier this year. The lefty from the USA made a run to the Montreal semifinals earlier this month and looks poised to go deep at Flushing Meadows. Meanwhile, Bejlek is coming off a semifinal appearance at the 1000-point tournament in Cincinnati, where she toppled Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys before falling to Coco Gauff. Bucsa, on the other hand, is 2-10 in her last 12 matches.
US Open Best Bet: Matteo Arnaldi ML over James Duckworth (-166)
Duckworth arrives in New York as a question mark after retiring from his Winston-Salem semifinal match against Arthur Fery due to an apparent thigh injury this past Friday. Even if the Aussie is healthy, he doesn’t have much time off following a long week in which he played five hard-court matches. Adding insult to injury, Arnaldi is not the kind of opponent you want to face when struggling physically. He is a defensive stalwart who makes opponents hit ball after ball, as just as he did oer and over again on his way to the Roland Garros semifinals less than three months ago. Arnaldi has also enjoyed success at the U.S. Open, where he reached the fourth round in 2023 and the third round in 2024.
US Open Prediction: Tamara Zidansek +3.5 games over Maria Timofeeva (+100)
Timofeeva withdrew from her second-round match in Monterrey last week because of a back injury. That – it goes without saying – is far from ideal going into the U.S. Open. The Uzbek had been 1-4 in her last five matches heading into Monterrey and needed a pair of third-set tiebreakers to get through her two qualifying matches. Zidansek has momentum after successfully qualifying for the U.S. Open main draw, taking down former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the final round. Taking the Slovenian on the money line is also a strong play.
