Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
U.S. Open second-round action will conclude on Tuesday with Rafael Nadal back on the court. Nadal struggled early in his opening match and now faces a much tougher opponent in Fabio Fognini. We have already seen plenty of upsets on both the men’s and women’s sides; could another one be in the cards? Victoria Azarenka, another multi-slam winner, will also be featured on Thursday.
There is plenty to choose from on another busy day at Flushing Meadows, so it’s time to check out my favorite plays. I am 6-3 through three days, so let’s keep it rolling!
Fabio Fognini +9.5 games over Rafael Nadal (-138)
Nadal is never fun to fade (especially not when he is my outright best bet), but when the spread is +9.5 games he can win comfortably and still not cover. That is likely what will happen on Thursday, when a familiar foe is on the other side of the net. Fognini trails the head-to-head series 13-4, but keep in mind that such a record is really not that bad given it’s Nadal we are talking about; most opponents would love to be 4-13 lifetime against him. Many tennis fans will remember their previous U.S. Open encounter, as the Spaniard led two sets to love only to see Fognini storm back and win in five. It remains one of the most infamous losses of Nadal’s career. The 36-year-old played only one match in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and he dropped a set to little-known wild card Rinky Hijikata on Tuesday. It’s not like he is in dominant form. Even if Nadal wins this in straight sets, Fognini should cover.
Borna Coric ML over Jenson Brooksby (+104)
Is this a winnable match for Brooksby? Yep. Should he be the favorite? Nope. Am I about to let an opportunity to back Coric as an underdog slip away? Nope. In what is sure to be a physical fight with with long rally after long rally, I will go with the guy who has a lot more experience, more confidence, and more stamina. Coric just won a massive tournament in Cincinnati and it should also be noted that he was a U.S. Open quarterfinalist in 2020.
Parlay: Victoria Azarenka over Marta Kostyuk and Dan Evans over James Duckworth (-108)
Azarenka-Kostyuk is a Belarus-Ukraine contest, and given the current climate in the world that automatically makes it a spicy one. But there’s more. Kostyuk has not held back when it comes to calling out Russia and Belarus in her interviews, while Azarenka found herself in the headlines last weekend when she wasn’t allowed to participate in the U.S. Open’s “Tennis Plays for Peace” exhibition. This is not just any ol’ second-round matchup, and I think the added element to it favors Azarenka. She is a two-time Australian Open champion, a three-time U.S. Open runner-up and has reached the semifinals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. The 33-year-old is a former world No. 1, too. She has been around the block; there’s nothing she hasn’t seen. Kostyuk, on the other hand, is just 20 years old and has been past the third round of a Grand Slam only once. And, quite simply, Azarenka is still the better player even though she is past her prime.
Evans-Duckworth should be straightforward. Their only previous encounter–also on a hard court–was a 6-2, 6-2 rout in favor of Evans, who destroyed Jiri Vesely 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in round one. The Brit generally plays well in New York, too; he reached the fourth round last summer and has advanced to the third round on three other occasions. Evans is No. 23 in the world and Duckworth hasn’t defeated anyone ranked that high since last November.
The Pickswise tennis handicappers are on hand throughout the entire tennis season, bringing you the best free expert Tennis Predictions and Picks from top events including the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
