Four of the best tennis players in the world remain in the men’s U.S. Open draw. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Alex Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev headline the semifinals on Friday.
Djokovic got past a tough Matteo Berrettini in his quarterfinal on Wednesday. He’s on his way to a calendar Grand Slam, but he faces his toughest test for some time against Zverev. US Open odds 2022 is also available for tennis betting markets.
Let’s check the latest, news, stats, injury reports, and odds for the US open.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Daniil Medvedev
Friday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Canadian superstar Felix Auger-Aliassime was in complete control of his quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz before the Spaniard pulled out with an injury.
It was a sudden and shocking ending to the match, which had promised so much. However, it means Auger-Aliassime rolls into the semifinal against Daniil Medvedev with fresh legs.
Medvedev scored a comfortable four-set win over Botic Van De Zandschulp, but the level of opposition increases significantly this Friday. The Russian hadn’t dropped a set until the quarterfinal, but he has been in control of his game.
Daniil Medvedev is back in the #USOpen semi-finals for the third straight year!
He ends Van de Zandschulp’s amazing run 6-3 6-0 4-6 7-5 pic.twitter.com/n1g4zbYuls
Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 7, 2021
Tennis odds have Medvedev at -600 to win, so he’s a commanding favorite. It’s a shorter line than we expected, but most people believe he is a Grand Slam winner in the making. We have little doubt Medvedev will win a Grand Slam and the 2021 U.S. Open odds could be his best chance.
He won the only previous meeting against Auger-Aliassime 2-1 in 2018, so he can use that experience to get an advantage. Medvedev said he wasn’t concerned with potentially playing Djokovic in the final.
“I don’t think about him, because as we saw, anybody can beat anybody. If he’s in the final, and if I’m there, I’m happy. He’s also happy, I guess,” Medvedev told ATP Tour. “I’m not going to root or cheer for somebody. I’m just going to enjoy the tennis and then prepare for the winner. It’s the same every match.”
We don’t see much value in the -600 odds, so we’re looking at the game handicap for value. The current line is -6, which has been backed into -120. Most of the support is for Medvedev and we’re not surprised.
He is capable of beating the underdog 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, which would cover the spread. We expect the line to move to at least -6½, so it could pay to jump on the opening line.
Pick: Daniil Medvedev -6 (-120)
Take a Look at 2 Other Analysis for this Week’s US Open Matches
Alex Zverev vs Novak Djokovic
Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Alex Zverev continued his excellent season with a win over Lloyd Harris in the quarterfinals.
The German breezed through to the final four with straight-sets victory. It looked likely that he would lose the first set when Harris served for the match in the tiebreak, but Zverev showed his class to win the set.
“He was serving incredibly, in the first set especially. I mean, I didn’t have a lot of chances on his serve and somehow managed to win that first set, loosened me up a little bit, and started playing a lot better,” Zverev said.
Back in the #USOpen semi-finals 🎾@AlexZverev closes out a 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-4 win over Harris.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/mmkVKZZJRK
ATP Tour (@atptour) September 8, 2021
He won 7-6, 6-3, 6-4, in what was a dominant display, but it’s about to get significantly harder and the sportsbook agrees. Zverev is the underdog to beat the top-ranked Djokovic, but bettors shouldn’t discount his chances.
If he keeps his mind on the game, Zverev can beat anyone in the game. Djokovic also has the pressure of trying to win the calendar slam.
Djokovic lost the opening set to Matteo Berrettini in the quarters but stormed away for a 3-1 win. The Serbian master was too classy for his Italian opponent, but if he starts poorly against Zverev, it won’t be so easy to produce a comeback.
The tennis markets have Djokovic as the -240 favorite, and rightfully so, but we like Zverev to cover the spread. He’s good enough to force a five-setter, which could bring the house down at Flushing Meadows.
Pick: Alex Zverev +4 (-120)
