ATP US Open 1/16-Finals
Rublev – Lehecka: 30.08.2024 Time TBA
H2H: 2-2
Andrey Rublev has won four of his last five matches. Two weeks ago in Cincinnati, Rublev lost in the quarterfinals against Sinner in three tight sets. A week before that, Andrey reached the final in Montreal, when he lost against Popyrin in straight sets. Those two solid performances gave him much needed self-confidence coming into this week. Here in New York, Andrey won his first round performance against Seyboth Wild in straight sets. Yesterday in the second round, Rublev defeated Rinderknech in five sets as we predicted. Andrey was 0-2 down, but managed to stay calm and turn the match around. Last year in New York, Rublev lost against Medvedev in the quarterfinals.
Jiri Lehecka has won four of his last five matches. Here in New York, Fucsovics retired mid-match against Lehecka in their opening match. Yesterday in the second round of the tournament, Lehecka pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in US Open history. He was 0–2 sets down, and 0-3 down in the third set. Lehecka fought until the very end, and ended up winning the match in five tough sets, after spending over four hours on the court.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Rublev is the slight favorite in this matchup. Andrey showed great tennis after he was 0-2 down against Rinderknech. We believe that he will continue in that fashion against Lehecka as well. On the other hand, Jiri had two rough matches. We believe that Rublev´s experience will prevail in this match.
That being said, Rublev covering the games handicap is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Andrey Rublev -4.5 games handicap @1.83 @bet365
Popyrin – Djokovic: 30.08.2024 Time TBA
H2H: 0-3
Alexei Popyrin has won four of his last five matches. Two weeks ago in Montreal, Alexei upset everyone and won the title. Here in New York, Popyrin won both of his matches in straight sets, and showed great tennis. Alexei is looking to go deep here in New York, to get closer to the top 20 in the rankings. Last year in New York, Popyrin lost in the first round against Stricker in four tight sets.
Novak Djokovic has won eight straight matches. The last match he played before the US Open was three weeks ago in Paris at the Olympic Games, where he found the way to win against Alcaraz in the final and win the gold medal for his country. This was his final chance to complete his career. Novak showed us why he is the best player under pressure. With this gold medal, Djokovic has won everything. Here in New York, Novak defeated Albot in easy straight sets as we predicted. Yesterday in the second round, Djere retired mid-match against Novak. Djokovic is the defending champion here in New York.
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Novak is the big favorite in this matchup. Popyrin has played great tennis so far. Looking at their head-to-head matches, we can see that Alexei knows how to play against Novak. We expect him to keep this match tight.
That being said, Popyrin covering the games handicap is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Alexei Popyrin +6.5 games handicap @2.00 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
