The opening day of the US Open sees some big names on show across Flushing Meadows on Monday as the final Grand Slam of the year gets underway in the Big Apple.
All of the show courts are well populated and there are plenty of matches for us to get stuck into including the clash of the first round which opens up the night session.
Arthur Ashe Stadium
The Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza gets things underway when she takes on the American player Varvara Lepchenko. Former winner Marin Cilic is the first male seed on show. He plays another home player in Tennys Sandgren before the day session is rounded off by Venus Williams taking on Viktoria Kuzmova.
After the opening ceremony the night session begins with what may just be the match of the entire tournament as Simona Halep takes on Maria Sharapova in a superstar tussle. Alex Zverev rounds off the day when he takes on Darian King.
Louis Armstrong Stadium
Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova takes on the once dangerous Jelena Jankovic to being proceedings on the second show court. They are followed by the big serving John Isner who plays Pierre-Hugues Herbert and then comes a tasty looking match between Sloane Stephens and the 2015 finalist Roberta Vinci. The night match sees Jack Sock in action. He faces Jordan Thompson.
Grandstand
The Americans come thick and fast on the show courts on Monday and another one opens up on Grandstand when Steve Johnson takes on Nicolas Almagro. Jo Konta is up second when she plays Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia before another American comes along when Sam Querrey faces Gilles Simon. The play is concluded with Caroline Wozniacki facing Mihaela Buzarnescu.
Court 17
Two Americans open up on this court when Lauren Davis plays Sofia Kenin before Jo-Wilfried Tsonga faces Marius Copil. They are followed by the Australian star Thanasi Kokkinakis who will play Janko Tipsarevic with the final match on the court seeing the eleventh seed Dominika Cibulkova. She plays compatriot Jana Cepelova.
Best of the Rest
I can speak from experience when I say it is worth having a ground pass on the opening day of this tournament and those who have one will see some good players around the lesser courts. Kevin Anderson is one player who will be out on Court 5 along with 2016 quarter finalist Lucas Pouille.
Gilles Muller vs Bernard Tomic will get plenty of attention out on Court 10 while British eyes will be on Court 4 as Heather Watson opens up against Alize Cornet. There is another tasty match on Court 7 when Denis Shapovalov faces Daniil Medvedev with Caroline Garcia, David Ferrer and Ana Konjuh all seeded players on show there.
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Men’s Betting
I’m going to take two in the men’s draw on the opening day. One of the matches I am really looking forward to is the one between Denis Shapovalov and Daniil Medvedev. These are going to be stars of the future, if they are not the present, so I am expecting a full on tussle here especially as they might not be on until quite late. The atmosphere under the lights in New York cranks up a notch and you usually get both guys giving their all as a result. I like the look of over 39.5 games here. Both men are likely to dominate with serve for long periods so a fourth set should be enough to see this covered.
I’m also going to take Jordan Thompson with the handicap of 5.5 games against Jack Sock. In theory I should have the guts to take Thompson, who won their only previous meeting in the Davis Cup, to win this one. He has made some finals in Challenger events recently and winning momentum can be key. Jack Sock always flatters to deceive on the big stage but I guess with the crowd behind him he might be inspired. If Thompson does lose you would think there will be tiebreaks in play here so that game line looks perfectly high enough for him to ride.
Women’s Betting
I like three with the women on Monday. Camila Giorgi is my first bet. I like Italians in this tournament and if you look back through recent years one always has a lengthy run. I guess it is because New York feels a little like home. She takes on the Wimbledon semi-finalist Magdalena Rybarikova for the second time in a matter of weeks. Giorgi won their previous meeting in straight sets and I’ve seen little since to suggest the Slovakian will turn such a heavy beating around.
Ana Konjuh and Ashleigh Barty are two of the better young players on the women’s circuit so their meeting will get plenty of attention I’m sure. I fancy it will be a long match too. Konjuh had injury concerns recently but then she pushed Dominika Cibulkova close last time out so she should be fine. We know she can play on hard courts after she made the final in Auckland at the beginning of the year. Barty is playing well too so there could be little to separate these two which makes the 21.5 game line appealing.
Finally I can’t ignore the star match up. There is no doubt in my mind that Maria Sharapova shouldn’t be at this tournament but my outrage that she is should be short lived as I expect her to be shown the door emphatically by Simona Halep. Sharapova has only played one match since the middle of May and she was taken the distance before pulling out before the next round. Halep has not just been active she’s been making the latter stages of events and hitting the ball well. Her fitness and competitive sharpness should see off Sharapova.
Tips
Back D.Shapovalov vs D.Medvedev – Over 39.5 games for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with BetVictor
Back it here:
Back J.Thompson (+5.5 games) to beat J.Sock for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Betfred
Back S.Halep (-3.5 games) to beat M.Sharapova for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Betfred
Back them here:
Back C.Giorgi to beat M.Rybarikova for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with William Hill
Back her here:
WON – Back A.Konjuh vs A.Barty – Over 21.5 games for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with 888sport
Back it here:
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