Alex Popyrin
The young Aussie has had the best year of his career to date, winning 9 singles matches and earning a ranking of #105. The highlight of his campaign was undoubtedly an impressive display at the Aus Open, where he pushed Lucas Pouille to 5 sets in the Round of 32. He has had an average hardcourt season to date, going 3-3 in main draw matches since Wimbledon. This will be his first appearance at Flushing Meadows, although his tall frame and powerful serve should prove effective in these conditions.
Federico Delbonis
The Argentine vet has carved out a nice niche on tour, entering this tournament with a ranking of #67. He is 14-18 on the season, with the majority of his matches coming on his preferred surface of clay. His history at the US Open isn’t all that impressive, compiling just a 2-4 record for his career.
Prediction: 4 Sets $2.60
Popyrin enters this one as the relatively strong $1.55 favourite, which seems about right. The conditions are definitely more suited to his style of play, although I see this one going either way. Neither of these men has been incredibly consistent throughout their career, so I can’t see a straight sets win. Instead of backing the over, I like this match to have exactly 4 sets, paying out strong odds of $2.60.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
The young Greek has had an outstanding 2019, earning himself a top 8 seed for this tournament. He has compiled a very strong 37-18 record, winning 2 titles and $3 million in prize money on the season. His hardcourt season hasn’t been the greatest, losing each of his last 3 competitive matches. He doesn’t have huge US Open pedigree, making the second round in his lone main draw appearance last year.
Andrey Rublev
This Russian young gun has also had a stellar season, going 19-13 to earn a ranking of 43. In many ways, he is very unlucky to come up against an opponent of Tsitsipas’ quality in the first round. He has had a decent last stretch on hardcourt, making the Quarters at both Cincinnati and Winston-Salem. He is 4-3 for his career at the US Open, making a surprise Quarter Final appearance in 2017.
Prediction: Tsitsipas -1.5 Sets
While he does have a tough round 1 draw, Tsitsipas has really shown his immense quality on hardcourt of late. His game is really suited to this surface and I don’t see Rublev getting a look in on his serve. I also like his defensive ability and knack for winning tie-breaks if we get some close sets. It looms as a relatively tight affair but I’d be surprised if it takes him more than 4 sets to get the job done.
Having touched on the Tsitsipas match earlier, his individual price of $1.44 really helps to beef up this multi. John Isner has a great record in his home slam and I expect him to overpower Guillermo Garcia Lopez, who is really more of a clay-courter. Likewise for Marin Cilic, who is enjoying another stellar campaign and returns to the scene of his maiden grand slam win. Combine each of these 3 men at strong $2 odds and we’ve got a decent day 2 multi.