US Open Day 7 Picks, & Best Bets, Including Djokovic, Shelton, Wozniacki & More
Sunday’s US Open card marks the beginning of the fourth round, with eight matches split evenly between the men and women taking to the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center courts in Queens, New York.
Novak Djokovic will hope to keep his bid for a historic 24 major title alive when he takes on Croatia’s Borna Coric for a place in the quarterfinals. While Taylor Fritz will face rising Swiss star Dominic Stricker, Frances Tiafoe will take on Rinky Hijikata, and Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton will go head-to-head in an epic all-American showdown for a spot in the quarterfinals.
On the women’s front, favorites Iga Swiatek, Belinda Bencic, and Karolina Muchova are back in action, along with American star Coco Gauff, who takes on unretired Carolina Wozniacki in a fascinating showdown for the generations.
As ever, we here at Bookies.com will be covering the action, cherry-picking the best matches on the day’s slate to spot for your daily .
So without further ado, let’s take a deep dive into Sunday’s action and spot the best bets with our US Open Day 7 predictions, complete with from the most trusted .
US Open Day 7 Best Bets
Frances Tiafoe vs. Rinky Hijikata
Frances Tiafoe has had a ridiculously easy draw through the early rounds and he advances into the fourth round having dropped just one set against Adrian Mannarino in the R32.
Things appear to be continuing in the same vein as he prepares to take on wild card Rinky Hijikata, the 22-year-old Aussie who is through to his first-ever R16 at a major.
Hijikata capitalized on a section of the draw that opened up with the upset of American Sebastian Korda in the first round. He’s avoided facing a seeded player until now.
Tiafoe presents the Aussie’s toughest test yet, and more than likely, it’s going to be an uphill battle for the greenhorn from Down Under. In three, the American is on to the quarterfinals.
US Open Best Bet: Tiafoe to win in straight sets (3-0) at
Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton
Get your popcorn ready for the all-American showdown between Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton on Sunday. With the 26-year-old Paul playing some of the best tennis of his career and 20-year-old Shelton bursting onto the scene this year with a verve and swagger that has captured the imagination of tennis betting fans, this is a showdown worth spotting.
Paul ended Shelton’s stunning debut at the 2023 Australian Open when he defeated the swashbuckling youngster in four sets in the quarterfinals 7-6 (6), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, and he’ll be hoping for a repeat on home soil.
If there’s one advantage that Paul has, it’s that he’s a dogged competitor and a tough out. He demonstrated it best when he stormed back from two sets down to beat Roman Safiullin in the R64.
However, Shelton is a rising star of the game and is arguably the future of American tennis. He has effortless power and a strong baseline game that can do some serious damage against Paul, especially seeing as he’s clocked a lot of time on the court through the first three rounds and probably isn’t as fresh or spritely as his countryman.
Moreover, if Shelton takes the lessons from his loss to Paul Down Under, as well the lessons from the rest of his up-and-down season up to this point, then an upset may well be on the cards – which is a tempting bet at the very generous +240 odds with bet365.
US Open Best Bet: Shelton to win
Taylor Fritz vs Dominic Stricker
Taylor Fritz breezes through the first three rounds without dropping a set, but he’s yet to face a serious challenge in his section of the draw.
Hoping to stop his march into the quarterfinals is 21-year-old Swiss qualifier, Dominic Stricker, who already has a major upset to his name, beating No. 7 seed Stefanos Tsistipas in the second round. That said, Stricker was pushed to the brink in his last two matches, going the distance against Tsitsipas and then Benjamin Bonzi.
Stricker is in the midst of a Cinderella run and while he has the chops to give Fritz a serious run for his money, push him to four or five sets, even, one has to consider fatigue could be a factor in the end.
US Open Best Bet: Over 34.5
Novak Djokovic vs Borna Gojo
Novak Djokovic is coming off a surprisingly tough match against compatriot Laslo Djere, who forced him to five sets under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night. By the time the match ended, it was 2 a.m. and Djokovic couldn’t get off the court fast enough to begin recuperating his 36-year-old body.
Next up is a relative unknown in Brona Gojo, a qualifier who capitalized on a section of the draw that opened up with the first-round upset of Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the R16 in his third appearance in the main draw of a grand slam.
This is going to be the biggest match of Gojo’s career, having to play against Djokovic in the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium with a spot in the US Open quarterfinal on the line. Call it a sneaking suspicion, but this might be too steep of a climb for the 25-year-old Croatian.
US Open Best Bet: Djokovic -8.5
Iga Swiatek vs Jelena Ostapenko
In one of the more surprising head-to-heads, Jelena Ostapenko leads Iga Swiatek 3-0, having beaten the World No. 1 twice on a hard court and once on grass. And yet, the bookmakers are cornering this match heavily towards Swiatek.
Clearly, Ostapenko, a former French Open champion, has the game to beat Swiatek, especially on a faster surface. The Latvian plays high-risk power tennis, meaning she will often blow hot and cold from tournament to tournament. However, when she’s on, she’s formidable.
Punters can back Ostapenko in a wide range of markets to give Swiatek arguably her toughest test of the tournament. However, it may be worth backing the upset here. Yup, you heard it here first.
US Open Best Bet: Ostapenko to win
Coco Gauff vs Carolina Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki is the feel-good story of the US Open. The former World No. 1 and Australian Open champion returned to the WTA Tour in August, after a three-year absence during which she got married and had two children, and in only her third tournament appearance, she defies expectations to reach the fourth round of a major.
Next up for Wozniacki on her fairytale run is American teenager Coco Gauff, a legitimate contender for the US Open title. Wozniacki is sure to be up for the clash, but with oddsmakers spotting the 33-year-old a 5.5 game handicap, the writing may be on the wall.
