Ricky Dimon
We have reached the business end of the 2025 tennis season’s 4th and final Grand Slam. The quarterfinals of the US Open will kick off on Tuesday, when the men’s singles schedule is headlined by a showdown between Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic. On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula are among those taking the court. Let’s get into my US Open best bets for Tuesday, September 2 in New York.
US Open best bet: Taylor Fritz +1.5 sets over Novak Djokovic (-126)
Odds available at Fanatics Sportsbook at time of publishing.
The 10-0 head-to-head advantage for Djokovic cannot be entirely discounted, but it really shouldn’t be the deciding factor in the outcome of their 11th meeting. Djokovic is 38 years old now, and Fritz has never faced this version of Djokovic. The Serb isn’t “washed” as the kids say these days, but he is no longer in his prime. His results confirm as much. Djokovic is down at #7 in the rankings (3 spots behind Fritz) and he has not advanced to a major final since Wimbledon last summer. He has not looked great so far this fortnight, either.
Fritz, on the other hand, is 25-5 in his last 30 matches dating back to the start of the grass-court swing and he has looked great in New York. The 2024 U.S. Open runner-up could be headed back to the semis. At the very least, he should be able to bag 2 sets.
US Open prediction: Jessica Pegula -1.5 sets over Barbora Krejcikova (+106)
Odds available at Fanatics Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Barbora Krejcikova produced the comeback of the tournament — and perhaps of the year – in her 4th-round match against Taylor Townsend on Sunday. The Czech veteran saved 8 match points before prevailing 1-6, 7-6(13), 6-3 in 3 hours and 4 minutes. That’s all well and good for Krejcikova, except for the fact that it won’t be easy to recover either mentally or physically.
Pegula does not have a ton of offensive firepower, but the 31-year-old American is a rock-solid baseline who can take advantage of vulnerable opponents by making them beat themselves. Like Fritz, Pegula was the US Open runner-up in 2024. She thrives in front of the home crowd at this event. I’ll back her to win with relative ease on Tuesday.
Get the best odds on our Fritz and Pegula US Open predictions with Fanatics Sportsbook, where new users can click here to sign up now and secure $250 in FanCash INSTANTLY when they make their first $50 wager.
US Open pick: Carlos Alcaraz vs Jiri Lehecka Under 32.5 games (-120)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Carlos Alcaraz may not be looking quite as dominant as Jannik Sinner, but the 2nd-ranked Spaniard is in fine form. He did not lose a single set in his first 4 matches and only 1 set went to a tiebreaker. Alcaraz is 43-2 in his last 45 matches dating back to the start of the clay-court swing. The 5-time Grand Slam champion beat Jiri Lehecka earlier this summer on the grass courts of Queen’s Club. It went 3 sets, but that was on grass – on which the margins in any match are generally smaller. Alcaraz’s other victory over Lehecka was a straight-set result (also at Queen’s Club).
In the quarterfinals of a slam, this matchup should not be as competitive as it was at a much less important ATP 500 tournament. Top players like Alcaraz are simply far more motivated at Grand Slams. As for Lehecka, he has played in only 1 slam quarterfinal and he lost it in straight sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2023 Australian Open.
