The US Open second round begins on Wednesday. It has already been an excellent tournament, and the matchups will only get better as the rounds go on.
Here are my best bets for Wednesday of the second round of the 2026 US Open.
2026 US Open Second Round Best Bets
Parlay: Tommy Paul -1.5 Sets vs. Dino Prizmic & Frances Tiafoe -1.5 Sets vs. Rei Sakamoto (+122)
There are two big matches as the American men look to keep marching on through the US Open. They should both win comfortably in three or four sets in this second round.
First up is Tommy Paul. Paul is facing Dino Prizmic. Prizmic is the No. 102 player in the world and is just 21 years old. He has never made it past the second round of a major before and shouldn’t do it here either. Paul will have the home crowd at his back and should take care of business against an inferior opponent. Over the years, Tommy Paul has struggled to get over the hump in majors, but always seems to be efficient against lesser players in early rounds. Prizmic did well to win a five-set thriller in the opening round, but should be completely outmatched against Tommy Paul.
Frances Tiafoe won a five-setter in the first round, narrowly avoiding a major upset. That should have been a serious wake-up call for Tiafoe. He should come into this match against Rei Sakamoto with a determination to handle business more efficiently. Sakamoto is the No. 157 player in the world and had to get through three rounds of qualifying to even make the main draw here. In the first round, he won a five-set thriller, just like Tiafoe, to make the second round. That marked Sakamoto’s first career Grand Slam main draw win. While that was a great accomplishment for the 20-year-old, he should be totally outclassed here.
Maya Joint +1.5 Sets vs. Elina Svitolina (+185)
Maya Joint has been forged by fire in her young career. The 20-year-old was put on the biggest of stages at Wimbledon. She had to face the legendary Serena Williams in her return to the court in the opening round at the All England Club. Joint had to play in front of a massive crowd, all rooting for Williams, with a lot of media attention. She handled that moment well and beat the GOAT in three sets. Following that, she faced another fan favorite, Alexandra Eala, whom she pushed to three sets before eventually losing. That tournament will have done a lot for Joint to feel more comfortable playing on big stages like this.
It has been a great year for Elina Svitolina, but Joint should be able to steal a set. Svitolina was knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round and was pushed in the early rounds at Roland-Garros as well. While she certainly feels more at home on hardcourt, Svitolina did have to exit the Cincinnati Masters early with an injury just a couple of weeks ago. That ankle has been a recurring issue over the past few weeks and could flare back up at any time. Between all those factors, it’s worth a bet at this price on Joint to just win one set.
