Ricky Dimon
Monday would normally be the start of the U.S. Open. However, now the tournament begins on Sunday – just like the Australian Open and French Open. With Day 1 in the rearview mirror, it’s time to turn our attention to the next order of play. It’s a jam-packed lineup that includes Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, Frances Tiafoe, Venus Williams and Madison Keys.
Let’s take a look at the best bets to be made on the Day 2 schedule, and also be sure to check out my best outright bets on both the men’s and women’s sides.
Parlay: Anna Kalinskaya ML over Clervie Ngounoue and Andrey Rublev ML over Dino Prizmic (-137)
Kalinskaya is in outstanding form. She advanced to the final in Washington, D.C., the third round in Montreal and the quarterfinals in Cincinnati. Ngounoue is a decent rising American talent, but she isn’t yet ready for the big stage. This Russian duo looks to be in great shape on Monday. Prizmic did well to qualify for the U.S. Opem main draw, but he hasn’t been playing great – certainly not at a level that suggests he can challenge a top-15 opponent. Rublev is a 4-time U.S. Open quarterfinalist and he has not lost prior to the third round at this tournament since 2018.
Holger Rune -1.5 sets over Botic van de Zandschulp (-140)
This is a horrible spot for Van de Zandschulp. The Dutchman just played in the Winston-Salem final on Saturday evening, when he lost a very physical final against Marton Fucsovics. Since he is in the bottom half of the U.S. Open draw, Van de Zandschulp has to play on Monday instead of Tuesday. That means he gets only 1 day off – a very quick turnaround in between events. Adding insult to injury, he has to face the opponent against whom he suffered an absolutely epic meltdown in the 2023 Munich final. Count on Rune winning this one with ease, possibly even in straight sets.
Lloyd Harris -2.5 games over Sebastian Baez (-125)
Baez is a laughable 38-58 all time on hard courts (indoors included). To put it simply, the Argentine is pretty much hopeless on any surface other than clay. Outside of Roland Garros, Baez’s only good Grand Slam win is over Borna Coric in round 1 of the 2023 U.S. Open. It’s a much different story for Harris. The South African has won 285 matches in his career on outdoor hard courts. He made a run to the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows in 2021 and has to be feeling good there once again after successfully qualifying for the main draw.
