Alcaraz vs Opelka Prediction, Pick, Odds, US Open Best Bet

Carlos Alcaraz and Reilly Opelka square off in the first round of the US Open on Monday, Aug. 25. The match will tentatively start at 9:10 p.m. ET — or after the conclusion of the Venus Williams-Karolina Muchova match — and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Coming off winning the Cincinnati Masters, Carlos Alcaraz begins his quest for his second US Open title tonight against the underdog Opelka. Can Alcaraz navigate a tricky first round against the American serve bot?

Find my Alcaraz vs Opelka prediction and best bet below, plus the latest US Open odds.

Alcaraz vs Opelka Prediction, Odds, Over/Under, Spread, H2H

Alcaraz vs Opelka Preview, Prediction

Opelka Betting Preview: Serve Bot Trending Up

After nearly being out two years because of hip and wrist injuries, Opelka is healthy again and playing solid tennis (23-17 overall this year).

The American is a far cry from his career-best ranking of 17th on the ATP Tour, but he's slowly moving up the rankings and currently sits at 66th.

Inconsistency has been the name of the game for Opelka this year, though.

He recorded a top-10 win over Alex de Minaur in Cincinnati, but then he dropped the next match to 71st-ranked Francisco Comesana. In the tournament before that in Toronto, he topped Tomas Machac before losing to Learner Tien in the following round. In Washington, 172nd-ranked Murphy Cassone took Opelka into three sets.

Serving is still the main strength for the 27-year-old Opelka, who's been considered one of the top bots on the tour for years alongside John Isner, Ivo Karlovic and Milos Raonic, among others.

Alcaraz Betting Preview: Eyes on the Prize

Alcaraz won the lone hard-court tournament he played this summer (Cincinnati), taking a 5-0 lead against Jannik Sinner in the final before the Italian retired.