This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
Second-round U.S. Open action continues Thursday from the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Top-10 seeds could be in trouble against opponents who have shown a penchant for pulling off major upsets, while a pair of young Russians will look to continue their rapid ascents toward the top of the WTA game.
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
Jordan Thompson (+175) vs. Hubert Hurkacz
Hurkacz has battled injuries recently, as he hurt his knee at Wimbledon and subsequently injured his calf in Cincinnati less than two weeks ago. While the world No. 7 is 5-2 since hurting his knee, his 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) first-round win over 188th-ranked Timofey Skatov here was Hurkacz's first straight-sets victory over that span, and even that one didn't exactly come easily. While the big-serving Pole hasn't had his A-game recently, Thompson has been pretty close to his this summer, posting a 13-5 record since the start of Queen's Club just before Wimbledon, with four top-20 wins in that stretch. The 30-year-old Aussie has risen to 32nd in the rankings, just two spots from his career best, but Thompson missed out on a seed because of the cut-off date for U.S. Open seeding.
Fabian Marozsan (+600) vs. Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev came into this tournament on a three-match losing streak (two on hard courts) and wasn't at his best in the first round, dropping a set to 66th-ranked Dusan Lajovic in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 win. Marozsan has developed a reputation for stepping up in big moments, as he burst onto the scene by beating Carlos Alcaraz in Rome last year, and the 24-year-old Hungarian has reached two quarterfinals and two more fourth rounds in his first seven Masters 1000 main draws. The 51st-ranked Marozsan also got to the third round of the Australian Open this year, notching a top-30 win over Francisco Cerundolo along the way. Medvedev has had some issues with his second serve this year, so if Marozsan catches the No. 5 seed on a poor serving day, the underdog has the potential to give the 2021 U.S Open champion serious problems.
Honorable Mention
Sofia Kenin (+550) vs. Jessica Pegula
U.S. Open Odds: Lock It In
Mirra Andreeva (-425) vs. Ashlyn Krueger
Andreeva is still at her best on clay, but the 17-year-old prodigy has more than enough hard-court game to get by the 59th-ranked American Krueger, who came perilously close to ending Shuai Zhang's lengthy losing streak before ultimately emerging with a 0-6, 6-1, 7-5 first-round victory to hand Zhang her 23rd consecutive loss. Andreeva has already climbed to 23rd in the rankings at age 17, and the French Open semifinalist showed she's ready to compete with the best on hard courts as well by pushing world No. 1 Iga Swiatek to 7-5 in the third set in the quarterfinals of Cincinnati after beating two top-15 players to get there. Andreeva's elite movement and variety should help her continue to improve on her impressive 26-11 record this year.
Diana Shnaider (-330) vs. Clara Tauson
Shnaider has been one of the top players on the WTA Tour the past couple months, with two titles and a WTA 1000 semifinal in Cincinnati in her last six tournaments prior to the U.S. Open. The 20-year-old Russian has climbed all the way up to No. 18 in the rankings, and she showed no signs of slowing down in her 6-0, 6-1 bludgeoning of Nadia Podoroska in the first round. The 21-year-old Tauson is a talented young player in her own right, but the Dane has regressed to 67th in the rankings after reaching a career high of No. 33 over two years ago, and Tauson's just 2-8 in her last 10 matches.
Honorable Mention
Arthur Fils (-275) vs. Gabriel Diallo
U.S. Open Predictions: Value Bets
Matteo Arnaldi (-165) vs. Roman Safiullin
Arnaldi's up to a career high ranking of No. 30 thanks to his Masters 1000 semifinal showing at the Canadian Open earlier this month. The 23-year-old Italian has a solid all-court game, but hard court looks like Arnaldi's best surface, as he's 15-10 on hard courts in 2024. Safiullin's ranked 57th and is just 12-19 in ATP Tour level matches this year, including 7-9 on hard courts. The Russian won a hard-court Challenger event earlier this month but didn't face a top-90 opponent there, so he hasn't shown much evidence this year that he's capable of going toe to toe with a player of Arnaldi's caliber.
Yulia Putintseva (-175) vs. Xinyu Wang
Putintseva's having one of the most underrated seasons on the WTA Tour in 2024, as she has made two WTA 1000 quarterfinals (one on hard court), plus two additional hard-court Round of 16 runs at the WTA 1000 level, in addition to notching a signature win over Swiatek en route to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. The crafty world No. 32 was unfazed by a tough first-round draw here, knocking off big-hitting teenager Linda Noskova 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the first round. Putintseva is seeded 30th, but Noskova is actually the higher-ranked player at No. 25, as she jumped 10 ranking spots after the U.S. Open seeding cutoff date. The 40th-ranked Wang is a relatively tough second-round draw, but Wang came into this tournament having dropped three of her last four matches and barely escaped with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 first-round win over 119th-ranked Arina Rodionova, so Putintseva certainly looks to be in better form at the moment.
Honorable Mention
Mariano Navone (-105) vs. Daniel Evans
