Tennis best bets for the US Open – Friday, September 1st
The US Open is the final major of the year and it’s arguably the most exciting of the four Grand Slams. There’s just something special about this tournament being played in Flushing Meadows, New York, where the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center serves as one of the greatest venues in the sport. The drama of the night matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium can’t be replicated anywhere else. And there’s a lot of buzz heading into this year’s tournament, with young stars Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek looking to defend their titles. Plus, the return of Novak Djokovic should be thrilling to watch. With that out of the way, I’m hoping to continue dishing out winners over the next two weeks, so make sure you keep reading for my tennis best bets for Friday, September 1st.
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Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Tommy Paul
It feels like something is a little off with these odds. Paul has played much better tennis than Davidovich Fokina in recent months. He’s also 2-0 against the Spaniard in his career and both of those victories came in big tournaments this year. Paul beat Davidovich Fokina in a tight three-set battle at the Australian Open, and he followed it up with a straight-set win over him in Miami. When you combine all of that with the fact that a lot of bettors will simply want to put their money on an American, the oddsmakers definitely could have gotten away with hanging a number in the -175 range on Paul. And my thinking is that they like Davidovich Fokina’s chances and can’t afford to overexpose themselves to sharp bettors.
On top of this looking like a fool’s gold line, Davidovich Fokina is also just playing some good tennis in New York thus far. He beat both Marcos Giron and Juan Manuel Cerundolo in straight sets, while Paul was shaky in wins over Stefano Travaglia and Roman Safiullin. If that version of Paul shows up against Davidovich Fokina, you’ll be happy that you went against the grain and didn’t make the easy pick.
Bet: Davidovich Fokina ML (+100)
Caroline Wozniacki vs. Jennifer Brady
Not only did Wozniacki beat Petra Kvitova on Wednesday, but she did it in straight sets. Wozniacki had a first serve percentage of 68.0% in that match, which is wildly impressive. And while it might be unsustainable, I think it’s a great sign that Wozniacki served so well under those conditions. She hasn’t played many big matches since returning to the tour, but she looked super comfortable out there. Now, I think there’s no real ceiling on what she can accomplish moving forward.
Considering how well Wozniacki played against Kvitova, I’d be somewhat surprised if she can’t find a way to get by Brady. Brady is yet another player that is making a comeback, but Wozniacki is the more talented player between these two. And I think it’s by a pretty wide margin. I also think that Brady might not have the crowd fully in her corner, even though she’s an American. Wozniacki is a fan favorite and there will be people in the crowd that want her to win. That would take away one of Brady’s few advantages in this match.
Bet: Wozniacki ML (-140)
ADDED PLAYS:
Aslan Karatsev ML (+125 – 2 units) vs. Ben Shelton
Elise Mertens +1.5 Sets (+165 – 2 units) vs. Coco Gauff
Dominic Stricker ML (-150) vs. Benjamin Bonzi
Sorana Cirstea +1.5 Sets (-140 – 1.5 units) vs. Elena Rybakina
2023 Overall Record: 267-245 (+36.70 units)