2015 US Open Men`s Tennis Betting Preview

Us Open

Tennis
Published: 30/08/2015

With the draw complete, we can now look ahead to the final Grand Slam of the year at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in New York.

As well as producing some talking points, the draw also gives pundits and bettors the chance to try and plot the most likely courses of the tournament favourites. So let’s take a look at how this year’s men’s event may pan out.

Potential banana skins

Of the big name players in the men’s draw, Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal have certainly been handed the toughest first round draws. The Scot will have to overcome colourful Aussie Nick Kyrgios if he is to progress to round two, but he can take heart from the fact that he has beaten the 20-year-old twice already in Grand slams this year.

As winner of the Emirates Airline US Open Series title, Murray could be in for a bumper bonus if he also wins this tennis major. The Emirates title is handed to the top scoring player during the US hard court season and entitles the winner to a $1m bonus should they also win the US Open. If Murray triggers this bonus, he will receive the biggest ever payout in tennis history. However, the Brit may have to beat Stan Wawrinka, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic if he is to secure his second US Open crown and his third Grand Slam title overall.

Meanwhile, Nadal will have to navigate his way past Borna Coric in the first round if he is to set up a potential quarter-final meeting with Novak Djokovic. In their one and only meeting so far, it was the 18-year-old Croatian who prevailed, winning in straight sets at last year’s ATP hard court event in Basel.

Having slipped down the rankings, Nadal can no longer count on avoiding the big names on the way to the semi-finals and may have to take on the Serbian World No. 1 if he makes it to the last eight. But before he can even think about that encounter, the Spaniard may have to face this year’s nemesis Fabio Fogini in the third round followed by a possible fourth round clash Milos Raonic.

Another top player with a less favourable draw is World No. 4 Kei Nishikori. The Japanese player will have to overcome talented Frenchman Benoit Paire in the first round before potentially facing a trio of Radek Stepanek, Tommy Robredo, and Gael Monfils on his way to a quarter-final against David Ferrer or Grigor Dimitrov. Should he make it that far, he will probably have to face Djokovic in the semi-final.

The big two

Roger Federer

After briefly losing his ranking position to Andy Murray last week, Roger Federer has re-established himself as World No.2 after winning his seventh Cincinnati ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown. The Swiss player must be happy with a draw that has produced what seems like a relatively easy path into the second week.

Apart from having to deal with a couple of big servers, the five-time champion should not be troubled until at least the semi-finals when he could encounter Andy Murray or Stan Wawrinka. If you are backing quarter winners, Federer looks like s good bet at 1/2 with bet365 to win the fourth quarter.

Novak Djokovic

Djokovic`s draw also looks quite straightforward, although a potential last eight clash with Rafael Nadal could prove to be interesting. Even with a Nadal-shaped obstacle in the way, there is no reason to suggest that we won’t be seeing the 2011 champion in the semi-finals again this year. However, this tournament remains Djokovic’s weakest Grand Slam and his position as clear favourite does not represent his pedigree in this event.

Predicting the unpredictable

Since Federer’s five-in-a-row rampage ended in 2008, the US Open has become an unpredictable event. In the last seven years, there have been six different winners, with Murray’s 2012 triumph the most recent success for a current top-seven player. However, the draw has once again left pundits predicting a Federer-Djokovic final. If you agree, you can get a price of 19/10 for this outcome at the betting exchanges.

However, it is worth considering that Federer has not won the tournament since 2008 and Djokovic’s only success came back in 2011. Recent years have shown that even the weather can play a massive part in who does well on the Flushing Meadow courts. So, where should you put your money?

If you want to back the field against Djokovic, BetVictor will give you a price of 8/11. Considering the fact that Djokovic has lost to Federer and Murray in the last two weeks and does not have a great US Open record, this bet looks like great value.

With Murray and Federer both in the bottom half of the draw, the 5/6 on offer from bet365 for the winner to come from that half of the draw also looks like a good value bet.

One to watch

American player Jack Sock has been knocking on the door of the big time for a while now. After bagging his first ATP title earlier this year, he will now be hoping to translate his good form into the Grand Slam events. He tends to perform well on home soil and is capable of troubling any top ten players that he might encounter. A quarter-final place is not out of the question for the 22-year-old.

Go To bet365
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Any odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of publishing (30/08/2015) but are subject to change.

30/08/2015     © Frixo 2024

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