Ricky Dimon
First-round action at the U.S. Open concludes on Tuesday, when Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are among those taking the court. I compiled a 3-0 record on Monday, so let’s keep the momentum going!
Here are my favorite bets for Day 3 schedule, and also be sure to check out my best outright bets on both the men’s and women’s sides.
Jaqueline Adina Cristian +3.5 games over Danielle Collins (+115)
Collins is pretty much an automatic fade at the moment. The 31-year-old was plagued by a shoulder issue earlier this month in Cincinnati and was just blooping in her serves during last week’s prestigious U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament. There is no reason to think she is healthy for the start of singles. The American is 1-4 in her last 5 matches dating back to Wimbledon – with nothing more than a defeat of world #98 Viktoriya Tomova during this stretch. As for Cristian, she also may not be on playing her best – but she at least reached the third round in Montreal a few weeks ago. Give me the Romanian to win outright.
Matteo Arnaldi ML over Francisco Cerundolo (+118)
Cerundolo is a major question mark at the moment. The Argentine reached the fourth round at the recent Toronto Masters, but it ended in retirement because of an abdominal problem. That does not bode well for his chances in New York. Even when healthy, Cerundolo has never gotten past round 2 at this event. Meanwhile, Arnaldi reached the U.S. Open fourth round in 2023 and the third round 12 months ago. He is an underrated hard-court player and clearly loves this tournament in particular. The Italian should really be favored in this one – I have him winning it even if Cerundolo is 100 percent.
Anastasia Zakharova -2.5 games Elina Avanesyan (-137)
Avanesyan has won…wait for it…1 match since Miami in mid-March. That victory came over world #474 Andreea Prisacariu. Avanesyan has not beaten anyone ranked better than #95 since February. There is no reason to have any faith in her – especially on a hard court. The Romanian has always played her best on clay. Since they both of these women started their careers in 2018, Zakharova has won 133 matches on outdoor hard courts; Avanesyan has won 45. It should also be noted that Zakharova is coming off a semifinal showing in Cleveland last week. The Russian has plenty of momentum; Avanesyan has none.
