U.S. Open Odds & Sunday Betting Preview: Back Underdog Frances Tiafoe to Pick Up Another Victory

The tennis world saw another huge upset at the U.S. Open on Saturday, with unranked American Shelby Rogers (+600) taking out event favorite Ashleigh Barty.

Down 5-2 in the third set, Rogers stormed back to win the next four games before advancing to the next round in a tiebreak.

Novak Djokovic (-3000) dropped a set against Kei Nishikori, who looked like he had a shot at adding to the massive upset streak of the tournament, but the Serbian star came through in four sets.

Sunday's slate doesn't feature the same name-brand players as the prior day, but there are some intriguing matchups on the schedule.

Let's take a look at how I'm playing two of the contests.

Match times are subject to change.

Peter Gojowczyk vs. Carlos Alcaraz: 

5 p.m. ET

Kenny Ducey: After an incredible 8-2 run on the hardcourts this summer, Carlos Alcaraz needs to be a bit more respected than this line would indicate. The Spaniard has been playing some tantalizing tennis, which has translated on any surface with him ripping forehands all over the court and painting lines.

After taking out Stefanos Tsitsipas in a match he did every single bit to win, he faces a very weak opponent in Peter Gojowczyk, who has had a somewhat easy road to the fourth round of the U.S. Open.

Gojowczyk is a guy who thrives on slower surfaces, taking time to set up his points and can’t deal with constant power. It was impressive that he was able to take down Ugo Humbert in that regard, but it was hardly his own doing with so many errors coming from the other side of the net.

I don’t believe Alcaraz will afford Gojowczyk any free points and think the gap in talent should be quite wide. He’s shown the ability to stay on the attack in this tournament, never letting up and going for multiple breaks, so I think he should be a good candidate to cash the under.

Pick: Under 34.5 (+100) (PointsBet)

Frances Tiafoe vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime

7 p.m. ET

Kenny Ducey: After the biggest win of his career Friday, which came via a five-set thriller over top-five player-to-be Andrey Rublev, Frances Tiafoe said he doesn’t fear anybody. And it's pretty evident with the way he’s been playing.

From the jump, Tiafoe came out ripping the ball against Rublev and rushed the net to finish points without hesitation. The way he was playing, it really did feel like he could beat anyone in the draw. It was a monumental win and one over an opponent who was pulling off incredible shots left and right.

Tiafoe faces a very similar opponent in Felix Auger-Aliassime, who won’t relent with power groundstrokes and will continue to inject pace into rallies. Unlike against Roberto Bautista Agut, though, Tiafoe will answer with pace of his own and go blow-for-blow with Auger-Aliassime. I don’t think Auget-Aliassime will be comfortable in this match, and for Tiafoe it will be exactly like Friday’s affair.

I think there's tremendous value in taking Tiafoe, with a raucous crowd that should (and emphasis on should) be on his side. We know he gets up for matches like these, and I think he will come up with the goods time and time again and force his foe into errors.

It’s also worth highlighting how well he returned against Rublev; the first serve of Auger-Aliassime was a big weapon against Bautista Agut.

Pick: Frances Tiafoe (+155) (FanDuel)