US Open Men’s Singles Day 1 Odds and Picks – August 30
By Stephanie Myles in Tennis
Published:
- The bottom half of the US Open men’s singles draw gets under way Monday, Aug. 30.
- Showers and thunderstorms are expected on and off all day, so expect delays
- No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev and No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas are the highest-ranked players in action
Two matches involving marquee players with unfortunate draws highlight the first day of play in men’s singles at the US Open Monday.
Former champion Andy Murray has to face No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, one of the favorites in the tournament.
And Nick Kyrgios, his ranking down to No. 85 and his left knee a question mark, gets the very steady Roberto Bautista Agut, the No. 18 seed.
Both would be significant upsets if they happen. The odds for Kyrgios (+145) are much too favorable, considering the best-of-five-set format.
US Open Men’s Singles Day 1 Odds – August 30
Monday Matchups | Odds |
---|---|
Ricardas Berankis (LTU) vs [11] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) | +400/-550 |
[Q] Peter Gojowczyk (GER) vs [23] Ugo Humbert (FRA) | +360/-500 |
Jiri Vesely (CZE) vs Kevin Anderson (RSA) | +290/-380 |
Thiago Monteiro (BRA) vs [24] Daniel Evans (GBR) | +275/-350 |
[Q] Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) vs [12] Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) | +700/-1200 |
Facundo Bagnis (ARG) vs Taro Daniel (JPN) | +140/-170 |
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs Benoit Paire (FRA) | +120/-150 |
[Q] Henri Laaksonen (SUI) vs John Millman (AUS) | +150/-185 |
Feliciano Lopez vs [LL] Bernabe Zapata Miralles (ESP) | +120/-145 |
[30] Marin Cilic (CRO) vs Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) | -340 /+265 |
[5] Andrey Rublev (RUS) vs [Q] Ivo Karlovic (CRO) | -4000/+1300 |
[19] John Isner (USA) vs [WC] Brandon Nakashima (USA) | -180 /+145 |
[16] Cristian Garin (CHI) vs Norbert Gombos (SVK) | -390/+295 |
Pedro Martinez (ESP) vs James Duckworth | -335 /+255 |
[LL] Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) vs Pablo Andujar (ESP) | -180/+145 |
[Q] Marco Trungelliti (ARG) vs [29] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP) | +500/-700 |
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) vs Adrian Mannarino (FRA) | -200/+160 |
Marcos Giron (USA) vs [Q] Antoine Hoang (FRA) | -425/+320 |
Andy Murray (USA) vs [3] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) | +750/-1400 |
[8] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) | -1400/+800 |
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) vs Radu Albot (MDA) | -425/+320 |
[Q] Botic Van De Zandschulp (NED) vs Carlos Taberner (ESP) | -255/+205 |
[15] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs [WC] Sam Riffice (USA) | -2500/+1000 |
[Q] Alex Molcan (SVK) vs [Q] Cem Ilkel (TUR) | -340/+265 |
[Q] Kamil Majchrzak (POL) vs Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN) | +190/-235 |
Dominik Koepfer (GER) vs [Q] Quentin Halys (FRA) | -235/+190 |
[26] Cameron Norrie (GBR) vs Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) | -180/+150 |
Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) vs Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) | -105/-115 |
Guido Pella (ARG) vs [32] Filip Krajinovic (SRB) | +255/-320 |
Frances Tiafoe (USA) vs [Q] Christopher Eubanks (USA) | -500/+360 |
[18] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) vs Nick Kyrgios (AUS) | -180/+145 |
Richard Gasquet (FRA) vs [2] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) |
Odds as of Aug. 29 at DraftKings
Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Prediction
Ruud has been making his ranking on clay this summer. And, indeed, his career winning percentage on the dirt is 71.4 per cent. On hard courts, it’s 40 per cent.
But at 36, Tsonga is playing out the string at this point, and may not even be healthy. He’s won just one match in nine attempts this year – and that was back in March, against a player three years his senior (Feliciano Lopez).
It’s probably better to remember him in the good old days.
His last match was at Wimbledon, where he was up two sets to one to Mikael Ymer but fell in five. That was nearly two months ago.
Best Bet: Under 3.5 sets (-165); under 31.5 games (-115)
Andrey Rublev vs Ivo Karlovic Prediction
At 42, the fact that Croatian giant Karlovic even qualified for the US Open, winning matches on three consecutive days in the draining heat and humidity, is already a big victory for him.
He probably deserved a friendlier first round, but the draw gods have spoken.
HEDUNNIT! Next Gen 42yo Dr. Ivo qualifies in style for the USO main draw with a 6-3 7-6(5) win over [Q]15 seed Yuichi Sugita.
I hope this proves once and for all that you should never retire @ivokarlovic! pic.twitter.com/0eMZgjAzcx
— Wilfy (@whitelinefervor) August 28, 2021
At -4000, Rublev is the overwhelming favorite. And for good reason, although he’ll be facing the Karlovic serve for the first time.
But Karlovic, who dropped 66 aces in seven sets in the qualifying, can make things interesting in the props.
A 7-6 score in the first set sits at +275 (over 12.5 games, which is the same thing, is at +300).
Best Bet: over 32.5 games (-115)
Cameron Norrie vs. Carlos Alcaraz Prediction
Norrie, the No. 26 seed, is having an impeccable “breakout” season at age 26. He’s at a career-high ranking of No. 29, and boasts a 37-18 record on the season.
But Alcaraz, who just turned 18 in May, is an up-and-comer from whom much is expected.
Gen X 🤝 Gen Z
Ivo Karlovic (b. 1979) & Carlos Alcaraz (b. 2003) are the oldest & youngest players in the men's singles draw. pic.twitter.com/uovE9hdm57
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2021
He also is at a career high (No. 54), and has posted some excellent wins the last two weeks on the U.S. hard courts. He reached the semifinals at the Winston-Salem ATP tournament this past week. He’s played just eight best-of-five matches, but he’s 4-4.
Norrie’s career numbers are better on clay (as are Alcaraz’s), and he’s sub-.500 in best-of-five matches at 14-18.
Best Bet: Alcaraz in the upset (+150)
Sports Writer
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.