2019 US Open Men’s 2nd Round Betting Preview

In the opening round of the 2019 US Open, four of the top ten seeds found themselves heading home after the very first match. Karen Khachanov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Roberto Bautista Agut and Dominic Thiem all fell. Sixth-seeded Alexander Zverev needed five sets to advance — if he had not won, that would have meant that half the top ten seeds were gone. Three of those top seeds came out of the same quarter of the draw, which means that the likes of Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime or even Nick Kyrgios (if he can hold his temper for five rounds) could end up in the semifinals on the men’s side. What can we expect going forward? Check out our thoughts before you lock in US Open 2nd Round betting on the upcoming rounds.

2019 US Open Men’s 2nd Round Betting Preview

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To be fair, Stefanos Tsitsipas had a tough opening match against Andrey Rublev. Rublev was the one who dealt Roger Federer a surprising defeat in Cincinnati. Tsitsipas’ loss to Rublev featured solid chances for both players, but Rublev was the one who took advantage of the majority, rolling to a four-set win. Tsitsipas had beaten Roger Federer earlier this year, down at the Australian Open, before advancing to the semifinals. After losing to Stan Wawrinka at the French Open, Tsitsipas has fallen off the table — this makes three straight losses in majors for him, as he also flamed out in the opening round at Wimbledon. Even so, Rublev is someone that you could ride for a while, given that he has wins over two of the game’s very best in his recent match play. He made the quarterfinals here two years ago and missed most of 2018 thanks to some back issues.

Who’s the Favorite?

Rafael Nadal made sure that John Millman would not make headlines in another first-round shocker at the US Open this year. Last year, he took down Roger Federer in the opening round; this year, though, Nadal won in straight sets, conceding just seven games overall in three sets. Now Nadal has a lifetime 15-0 record in the first round at the US Open. He held all of his service games, needing just 2:07 to complete the win. Nadal also won the Coupe Rogers in Montreal, his 35th ATP Masters 1000 title. He has made the semifinals of eight straight tournaments now, so when he faces Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round, he should be the heavy favorite once again. Kokkinakis had never won a match at the U.S. Open — and no match at any major since the 2015 French Open. Nadal beat Kokkinakis in 2014 at the Australian Open in straight sets in their only match.

Who Should Keep an Eye Out For?

Another player with some high hopes in the second round — but a little further down the favorites list — is Alexei Popyrin. He upset Federico Delbonis 6-1,7-5, 7-6 (7-5) to make his first appearance in the second round at a U.S. Open. The U.S. Open represents several other milestones for Popyrin as well: he is now in the top 100 in the world — and has earned direct entry into a tennis major for the first time. Now he has made the second round in all four majors this year. If you look at the scores, though, he rolled through the first set and then had to hold on from a series of service breaks to win. He faces Mikhail Kukushkin — who just upset Roberto Bautista Agut. With Popyrin on more of a general upward trend, though, I like Popyrin to post another upset in the second round. Another player down the list to look at for the second round is Matteo Berrettini, the 24th seed. He beat Richard Gasquet in four sets and now faces unseeded Jordan Thompson, who beat Joao Sousa in straight sets. Despite the damage that the high seeds took in the first round, those a little lower down the seeding lists are there for a reason, so the smart money follows Berrettini into the third round.