US Open Tips: Day 3

Day 3: Feature Previews
Jeremy Chardy v Gael Monfils
The French contingent have had great success at Flushing Meadows in recent years and Monfils has been a standout. He made the semi’s last year and had previously made the quarters on another two occasions. This will be the 4th meetings between them with Monfils leading the H2H 2-1. Chardy won the most recent meeting two years ago at Wimbledon but that comes as no surprise with Monfils never making it beyond the 3rd round at SW19. They met here back in 09 with Monfils winning in straight and with Chardy not having played since Wimbledon The Wolf is expecting a similar result.
Best: Sets Monfils 3-0 ($1.80)


Marcos Baghdatis v Taylor Fritz
The home crowd will be right behind teenage American Taylor Fritz but as has been the case in recent week The Wolf is more than happy to back against him. He is 0-6 in Grand Slam matches and faces a man with a tonne of experience in best of 5 sets tennis. Moreover, Baghdatis will limit the amount of free points that Fritz can generate off his serve by making as many returns as possible thus extending the rallies – more bad news for the American. The Wolf is shocked to see Baghdatis as the outsider – especially after his run to the 4th round here a year ago.
Best: Baghdatis WIN ($2.00)


Ryan Harrison v Tomas Berdych
Surprisingly they have met twice already this season. Berdych was victorious on both occasions and maintains a perfect 3-0 record in their H2H. The Birdman has won 8 of the 10 sets contested but is coming off back to back losses. There have been signs of struggle since his return from a minor rib injury and the 6-0 bagel in the deciding set against Del Potro is concerning to say the least. The Overs is 3-0 in their previous encounters and that trend should continue. This one could get very interesting.
Best: Over 37.5 games ($1.80)


John Millman v Nick Kyrgios
A pair of Aussies clashing at Grand Slam level has been a thing of the past in recent years and these tow bring very different style of tennis with them to the court. Kyrgios is coming off a dramatic run at the Cincinnati Masters where he posted win sss over Goffin, Dolgopolov, Karlovic, Nadal and Ferrer before going down to Dimitrov in the final. He posted a 4-0 tiebreak record during the tournament and it is his serve which will again hold the key. The reason for this is his inability to break serve. Over the last year he has won just 18.3% of return games which leaves him down in number 69 for the respective statistic. It means we will continue to see long sets and several tiebreakers.
Best: Over 34.5 games ($1.85)


Borna Coric v Alexander Zverev
The Wolf was right on cue with his prediction that Zverev would struggle in his opening match. He was put under extreme pressure by Darian King and Wolfy is predicting a similar outcome when he faces Coric. Both are still just 20 years of age and although Zverev is the one who has been winning titles don’t be quick to write off the Croatian. He has wins over Murray, Isner and Thiem this season and posted win over Kyrgios and Nadal a year ago in Cincinnati. He was also the winner in the only meeting between the pair which was settle by a 3rd set breaker. Look for Coric to claim at least one set!
Best: Coric +6.5 ($1.85)


Kevin Anderson v Ernests Gulbis
Power and aggression is the name of the game when these two take the court. Their respective game plans are very simple… Try and make as many booming 1st serves as possible and look to hit a clean winner off the short reply. The rallies will be short and sharp and sets will be decided by a handful of points. Despite his dominance on serve Anderson’s tiebreak record over the last year is just 19-16 meaning we should see at least 4 sets of tennis in this one. With hotter conditions forecast both players will get plenty out of their serves. Overs!
Best: Over 38.5 games ($1.85)


Steve Johnson v Kyle Edmund
Edmund made a name for himself a year ago with a run to the 4th Round here and The Wolf warned us from a fortnight ago that we would be riding him in the early rounds. Johnson shapes as the perfect match up for the Englishman. They played a week ago at the Winston Salem Open and it was Edmund who came out on top. Johnson can be a tricky opponent with his serve and forehand but once you figure him out he can be easily frustrated. The American has lost 5 of his last 7 matches leading into the US Open and has failed to close out matches on multiple occasions after being in a winning position. Edmund has real fighting qualities. His last 4 defeats have gone the distance and the longer this match goes the more Wolfy likes Edmund.
Best: Edmund WIN ($1.91)


Jo Wilfried Tsonga v Denis Shapovalov
A huge month of tennis has seen 18 year old Shapovalov climb to number 67 in the rankings. Multiple titles on the Challenger Tour have helped generate enough ranking points to play several ATP Tour level events and he has made it count. His semi final run on home soil in Montreal was one of the highlights of the season. Back to back wins over Del Potro and Nadal are evidence that he has a boat load of talent but The Wolf says he is getting far too much respect in betting. Tsonga has made the quarters here in each of the last two years and he has already claimed 3 titles this season (Lyon, Marseille and Rotterdam). The Frenchman has made the 3rd round or better in 13 of his last 14 slams! Shapovalov’s time will come but it is not now.
Best: Tsonga -3.5 ($1.85)