Botic Van de Zandschulp vs Daniil Medvedev Odds & Prediction – US Open Men’s Singles Quarterfinals
- Of all the US Open men’s quarterfinalists, Botic Van de Zandschulp is by far the longest shot
- The 25-year-old Dutchman is a massive underdog in his match against No. 2 Daniil Medvedev
- Read on as we break down the matchup, and see if he has any chance to get to the semifinals
It appears people are going to have to learn how to pronounce the name of Botic Van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.
This is no small task.
But going from the qualifying to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament is a pretty monumental task in itself.
He will now face the best player he’s ever faced in world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev.
Van de Zandschulp vs Medvedev Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Q] Botic Van de Zandschulp (NED) | +9.5 (-110) | +1600 | O 27.5 (-115) |
| [2] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) | -9.5 (-110) | -8000 | U 27.5 (-105) |
Odds as of Sept. 7 at DraftKings
The Longest of Long Shots
Van de Zandschulp is the first man from his country to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Scheng Shalken in 2004.
And he’s already earned nearly as much ($425,000 US) at this US Open as he has in his entire career to date ($486,174).
Men's Quarter-finalists in #USOpen Debut (Open Era)
2021 @AlcarazCarlos03
2021 Botic van de Zandschulp
1993 Andrei Medvedev (L)
1986 Milan Srejber (L)
1982 Rodney Harmon (L)
1978 Johan Kriek (L)
1970 Brian Fairlie (L)Oscar Otte joins list if he defeats Matteo Berrettini today.
— ATP Media Info (@ATPMediaInfo) September 6, 2021
This is the first time the 25-year-old has ever even been to the US, in his life. He had never played a main draw of an ATP Tour or Grand Slam tournament before this season.
Van de Zandschulp is one of two (18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is the other) to make the US Open quarterfinals in his tournament debut this year.
He first hit the top 200 in November 2019. When he leaves New York – even if he loses Tuesday – he’ll be close to the top 60. If he can manage to pull off an incredible upset, he would be top 50.
It’s been a game-changing week.
Medvedev Just Rolling Along
Meanwhile, the 2019 US Open finalist, who is actually four months younger than Van de Zandschulp, has been strolling through the draw.
He has played 12 sets against highly competent players through the first four rounds. And he has won all 12. He hasn’t even been pushed to 7-5, much less a tiebreak, in any of them.
Given this draw, and the fact that his semifinal opponent will either be the rookie Alcaraz or the first-time Slam semifinalist Félix Auger-Aliassime, it’s hard to imagine he won’t be taking the stadium court on Sunday afternoon for the final.
Say it with us: Botic van de Zandschulp
Not too bad, @DaniilMedwed 😅 pic.twitter.com/VIAehC1u8x
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2021
And effort at pronouncing the name is commendable as well.
Botic Van de Zandschulp vs Daniil Medvedev Head-to-Head
| 25 (Oct. 4, 1995) | Age | 25 (Feb. 11, 1996) |
| Wageningen, Netherlands | Birthplace | Moscow, Russia |
| 6-3 | Height | 6-6 |
| 0 | Career ATP Singles Titles | 13 |
| No. 117 (Aug. 30, 2021) | Career High Ranking | No. 2 (March 15, 2021) |
| No. 117 | Current Ranking | No. 2 |
| $486,174 | Career Prize Money | $17,293,705 |
| 9-5 | 2021 Won/Loss record | 44-10 |
Match No. 8 for Van de Zandschulp
As the No. 6 seed in the qualifying, Van de Zandschulp didn’t face anyone ranked higher than him. Still, he was a couple of points away from elimination in the final round against Enzo Couacaud of France.
He also was down two sets to none against Carlos Taberner of Spain in the first round of his first US Open main draw. But he prevailed in five sets.
And he was UP two sets to none, on his way to an unlikely quick dismissal of dogged No. 11 seed Diego Schwartzman before the Argentine made a comeback. But Schwartzman only had enough energy to even it at two sets apiece; Van de Zandschulp won 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1.
He’s played 27 sets of singles in this tournament, compared to Medvedev’s 12 relatively routine sets.
Who will be the fresher player? That one’s an easy call.
Can the Dutchman Take a Set?
In addition to Schwartzman, Van de Zandschulp also upset No. 8 seed Casper Ruud of Norway in the second round.
Even if Ruud is known at this stage as a clay-court player, that’s still a fairly monumental win. But he has to be running on fumes at this point.
And Medvedev is a master at running his opponent around, pulling the puppet strings, and pulling the trigger on a winner when he sets up the opportunity.
[crospsost]It’s hard to see what the Dutch player will be able to come up with to truly hurt him, which is why he’s unlikely to take a set.
But taking him +8.5 games (at +155), if you believe in the underdog, might be worth a play.
Best Bet: Medvedev to Win in Three Sets (-310)
Stephanie gets the straight dope from the tennis insiders. On court, she has represented her country internationally. A BA in journalism led to years on the MLB beat and a decade covering tennis globally. She's written for Postmedia, the Guardian, the New York Times and also publishes OpenCourt.ca.
