Tennis Betting Tips: All systems go at Flushing Meadows

The US Open main draw gets underway on Monday and I for one am looking forward to all the drama the next two weeks are going to bring. There are some cracking matches coming our way, and as usual, I pick out three to make up my tennis betting tips for the day.

Including a market from what could be one of the contests of the day in Ben Shelton vs Dominic Thiem, you will find my selections below.

Tennis Odds

Holger Rune to beat Brandon Nakashima 3-1 @ 3/1

This ought to be a fascinating clash and one that should have no shortage of impressive shots. Young Holger Rune demonstrated some of his best tennis of the season at Cincinnati in the build up to this Grand Slam and he was a point away from reaching the final.

Brandon Nakashima will be a huge test for him in this first round because he currently has a 2-0 head-to-head record over the Dane. Nakashima has also been impressing on the hard court, with some top-20 scalps against Andrey Rublev (twice), Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

Both players will be confident heading into this meeting. And while Nakashima will have the backing of the home crowd, I think Rune will build on his performances at Cincinnati to come out on top here in four sets.

Matteo Berrettini -9.5 game handicap against Albert Ramos-Vinolas @ 8/13

The last thing an out-of-form veteran wants in their opening round at a Grand Slam is to face a player in form. That is the scenario for 36-year-old Albert Ramos-Vinolas as he faces Italian Matteo Berrettini.

The Spaniard has lost four of his last five matches and it was only two weeks ago that he was beaten in the second round of a challenger event, losing in straight sets to Andrea Collarini. His last match on this surface was back at the Australian Open, when he was beaten in two sets again, this time by Casper Ruud.

In contrast, Berrettini has won four of his last five matches and recently claimed titles at the Swiss Open and Austrian Open Kitzbuhel. He has only played once since winning the latter and that was in a first-round defeat to Rune at Cincinnati in three sets.

Berrettini is the much stronger player of the two, and he should win this match comfortably, so I have gone for him to win with a -9.5 handicap.

Ben Shelton to beat Dominic Thiem 3-1 @ 12/5

2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem returns to Queens for the last time as the Austrian is set to retire at the end of the season. This looks likely to be his final ever Grand Slam match, and it is fitting that it is here.

He has been drawn to face American Ben Shelton for the second year running, and the veteran will be hoping for better fortune this time around. He had to retire at the beginning of the second set, and if this is to be his final shot on this stage, he will want to go out fighting and play the whole match.

Sadly for him, he is up against a player in good form and who is much fitter than he is. As a sentimentalist, I think Thiem can conjure up one last grand performance and take a set from Shelton, but ultimately I think the home player will emerge victorious. I have Shelton to win 3-1.

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