The US Open is currently underway at Flushing Meadows, and tennis expert Evan Psarras has provided us with his best betting plays of Day 8.
Time off was supposed to make it difficult for Alcaraz in his return to top-level tennis but he sailed through the opening win. He has dropped just the one set and has improved his return game with each match. The defending champion converted 7 of 15 break opportunities in the win over Wu and has the advantage of a commanding record over Paul in recent seasons. Alcaraz has won the last five meetings against the American which includes straight sets victories at the French Open last year and Australian Open at the beginning of this season. Paul would have had a better chance if this was the opening round of the tournament. Three matches in, Alcaraz has played his way into the tournament and will be winning in straight sets.
Tip
Best Bet: Sets Alcaraz 3-0 ($1.98)
Anticipated this being a 4th Round matchup when the draw was released and we can be assured that this one will take place under lights on a feature court. That will suit Tiafoe as Medvedev has played all three of his matches in the tournament during the day session. The courts play slower in the evening and the heavier conditions will prevent him from being as effective both on serve and from the baseline – or 5 metres behind where he is a lot of the time. Medvedev does hold a 6-2 advantage in the H2H bit ‘Big Foe’ is in the best form of his career. We also know that big crowds can get to Medvedev and they will play a part in this one.
Tip
Best Bet: Tiafoe +1.5 ($1.90)
Michelsen has built his success behind winning a high percentage of 1st serve points and that has been the theme for him so far at the US Open. Expecting him to have a tougher time doing so against Etcheverry as the Argentine has generated 18 breaks of serve in the 10 sets of tennis he has played this week. Credit to Michelsen for his wins over Nakashima and Merida but I cannot take the short price on offer for a player that has never been beyond this point at a major and lost in the first round at 5 of his previous 6 Grand Slam appearances. Would rather be on Etcheverry with the start and for the outright win.
Tip
Best Bet: Tomas Martin Etcheverry +1.5 Sets ($2.20)
All three of Tsitsipas’ matches have followed the same script. He has lost the opening set but regrouped to win the next three sets and do so with relative ease. The new partnership with Mouratoglou seemed to be working wonders as he looks to be playing with confidence – something that was a hallmark of his game when entrenched in the top 5 of the rankings. At his best, one could argue that Stefanos is the third best player remaining in the draw behind Alcaraz and Zverev. Shelton was shaky in the opening two sets of his win over Shapovalov but the Canadian ran out of steam. That will not be happening with Tsitsipas and I think he is a great bet to cause an upset. Think he should be closer to even money.
Tip
Best Bet: Tsitsipas +3.5 ($1.95)
