This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
The first round of the U.S. Open begins Monday from the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. A player who recently recovered from injury still has discounted odds despite showing good form in the lead-up to the U.S. Open, while a talented American takes aim at knocking off a top-10 seed.
All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds on some of these matches by checking mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, or any of the other best sports betting sites. We offer exclusive sign-up bonuses for some of those sportsbooks in states where sports betting has gone live.
All men's singles matches at Grand Slams such as the U.S. Open are best of five sets, while women's singles matches are best of three sets. A mix of players' previous hard court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities, both among favorites likely to cruise to victory and underdogs ready to pull off upsets. The aforementioned underdogs are highlighted in the Upset Alert section, the Lock It In section covers players who can safely be viewed as overwhelming favorites, while the Value Bets section recommends enticing options in matchups that are considered closer to toss-ups.
U.S. Open Picks: Upset Alert
Tamara Korpatsch (+230) vs. Moyuka Uchijima
The 63rd-ranked Uchijima has spent most of the year racking up wins at the ITF level, but she hasn't fared well at the highest level of competition, winning just two of her last 10 WTA Tour-level matches. Korpatsch has struggled to an 8-21 record in 2024 and dropped to 109th in the rankings, but the 29-year-old German has won her first-round match at four of the last five Grand Slam events, while Uchijima has only one career Grand Slam main draw win. Given Korpatsch's edge in experience and comfort on this big stage, this match should be much closer to a toss-up than the odds suggest.
Diane Parry (+160) vs. Xiyu Wang
Parry tends to bring her best tennis at the biggest tournaments, as the former junior world No. 1 has already been to the third round at three of the four Grand Slams at age 21, and she has a chance to complete the set at this tournament. It usually takes a high-level performance to beat the 62nd-ranked Frenchwoman, as seven of her last eight losses have come against players who have been ranked in the top 10 at some point, and the other was against a former top-20 player. Both Parry and Wang have reached a career-high ranking of 49, and while the 23-year-old Wang currently has a six-spot edge in the rankings, Parry has a superior record in 2024 at 24-18 compared to Wang's 19-20 mark.
Honorable Mention
Laslo Djere (+320) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff
U.S. Open Odds: Lock It In
Jiri Lehecka (-200) vs. Marton Fucsovics
Lehecka got off to a stellar start in 2024, winning a 250-level title in Adelaide and reaching a Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Indian Wells on hard courts, then making a Masters 1000 semifinal in Madrid on clay. Unfortunately for the 22-year-old Czech, he sustained a back injury in Madrid that sidelined him for over three months, but Lehecka excelled in his return to action at Cincinnati, beating Daniil Medvedev before falling in a third-set tiebreak to eventual finalist Frances Tiafoe in the Round of 16. Even with all the missed time, Lehecka still occupies a top-32 spot in the rankings and earned a seed at the U.S. Open. Fucsovics has been a tough out in big tournaments over the years despite never cracking the top 30 in the rankings, but the 79th-ranked Hungarian has lost a step at age 32. He's just 2-7 since the start of May and lost first round at each of the three previous Grand Slams this year. Even if Lehecka isn't at full fitness for a five-setter, he's unlikely to need more than four to get through this match based on the level we've seen from the rising star in 2024.
Casper Ruud (-350) vs. Yunchaokete Bu
Ruud has a reputation as a clay-court specialist, but he's 19-6 on hard courts in 2024 and made the U.S. Open final in 2022, so the world No. 8 has no problem playing at a high level in these conditions. He's unlikely to face much of a challenge from the 123rd-ranked qualifier Bu, who hasn't played an ATP Tour-level match all year and is making his Grand Slam main draw debut. Bu has had success on the Challenger circuit, but his only career ATP Tour-level victory came last year via retirement.
Honorable Mention
Marta Kostyuk (-240) vs. McCartney Kessler
U.S. Open Predictions: Value Bets
Amanda Anisimova (+140) vs. Qinwen Zheng
Zheng reached the Australian Open final but didn't have to face a top-50 opponent on her path there, and she's just 4-6 against top-50 competition on hard courts in 2024. She won a pair of clay court titles recently, including the gold medal at the Olympics, but the world No. 7 fell in her second match in Cincinnati in her lone hard-court tune-up heading into the U.S. Open. Anisimova's back in the top 50 on the heels of a superb showing at the Canadian Open, where she defeated four consecutive top-20 opponents to reach the final. That streak included a victory over Aryna Sabalenka, so Anisimova has demonstrated that she can go toe to toe with anybody. The 22-year-old American has underachieved since her French Open semifinal showing in 2019, but she's still one of the most talented players on the planet and seems to finally be back in a good place both physically and mentally.
Miomir Kecmanovic (+120) vs. Yoshihito Nishioka
Kecmanovic has been a tough out in Grand Slams, as the Serb is 6-3 in majors this year, with losses to Carlos Alcaraz, Medvedev and Jannik Sinner. He'll be celebrating his 25th birthday Saturday (the same day Anisimova turns 23) and hopes to still be in the draw then. Kecmanovic has dropped to 53rd in the rankings after reaching a career high of No. 27 last year, but he's a solid hard-court player who has made the Round of 16 at the Australian Open twice. The 51st-ranked Nishioka's a slight favorite after picking up a 6-4, 7-5 win over Kecmanovic in Cincinnati recently, but the 5-foot-7 lefty has struggled to make headway at the biggest tournaments, with a 1-6 record in his last seven Grand Slam matches.
Honorable Mention
Luciano Darderi (+105) vs. Sebastian Baez
