The final Grand Slam of 2024 is officially underway! In this article, I’ll break down my US Open best bets for Day 2 in New York, featuring some of the biggest names on tour as Round 1 action continues.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Place your 2024 US Open bets on DraftKings Sportsbook!
Mackenzie McDonald OVER 9.5 Total Games Won vs. Jannik Sinner (-140)
In the world No. 1’s first match of the US Open… I’m picking a positive prop for his opponent?
That’s right.
I still expect Sinner to win this match with little to no doubt, and there’s a decent chance he does so in straight sets. However, Mackie McDonald is going to push him. He always does.
The UCLA product has played three career matches against Sinner. He’s won a set in two of them, and took the Italian superstar to a tiebreak in the other. In each of those contests — two of which came on hard court — McDonald won at least 12 total games. There’s just something about this matchup that benefits the American, despite the obvious talent gap.
It’s been a year full of ups and downs for Sinner. Despite holding onto the No. 1 ATP ranking since June, the only “significant” highlight of his season came in January with an Australian Open win. Since then, 2024 has been full of injuries and controversy. The 23-year-old enters this tournament fresh off a Cincinnati Open title, but it wasn’t the cleanest path to hoisting the trophy. Sinner only achieved one straight set win that didn’t feature a tiebreak across the whole event. He was taken the distance by Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev and pushed in the final by Tiafoe.
If Sinner was coming off five consecutive straight set victories I may feel differently about this prop, but his recent inability to dominate matches consistently gives McDonald a clear path to the over.
While you’re reading my US Open best bets, check out my full tournament preview with predictions!
Li Tu UNDER 8.5 Total Games Won vs. Carlos Alcaraz (-140)
Let’s take a moment to give Li Tu some credit. The Australian has played some solid tennis over the last few weeks, earning a first-round bid through impressive qualification play.
Unfortunately for Tu, I don’t think there’s anything he can do to stop the wrecking ball that awaits him on Tuesday.
Carlos Alcaraz isn’t just the best player on the planet right now, he’s also entering this tournament with a vengeance following recent poor performances. A gold medal match loss to Djokovic and a second-round defeat to Gael Monfils in Cincinnati have certainly left him eager to make a statement in Round 1. For a lot of players, poor form in tune-up tournaments may be a concern.
Not for Carlitos, as he suffered similar defeats in tourneys prior to Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year. We all know how those events played out.
Alcaraz boasts a ridiculous 1.31 dominance ratio on hard court over the last year and a 28.8% break rate. I expect a monstrous showing from the 21-year-old as he kicks off his campaign to win a third-straight Grand Slam.
Those are my US Open best bets for Day 2 in New York! Stay tuned for more picks later this week.
