US Open Odds, Best Bets: Francisco Cerundolo Live Against Andy Murray (August 29)
Shi Tang, Elsa/Getty. Pictured: Francisco Cerundolo and Andy Murray.
- Andy Murray takes on Francisco Cerundolo on day 1 at the US Open.
- Jon Reid breaks down the intriguing battle.
- See how he's betting the match below.
The final Grand Slam event of the season is upon us, as most of the top players in the tennis world have arrived in New York City to battle it out for a spot in the record books.
Monday's opening round features 64 singles matches, so there is plenty of action to choose from.
Let's delve into a pair of matches from Monday's action.
Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing the US Open.
Andy Murray (-155) vs. Francisco Cerundolo (+128)
11 a.m. ET
To start, the first-round encounter between Andy Murray and Francisco Cerundolo.
The veteran Brit is listed as a decently-sized favorite in this one, and I'm not too sure he should be.
Historically, he's been a much better hard-court player than the Argentine, but Cerundolo has shown incredible signs of progress in 2022 off of his preferred clay courts and developed some impressive surface versatility.
Having shocked the tennis world and made the semifinals in Miami, Cerundolo lost his two matches at the Masters events leading up to the U.S. Open, but he took a set in each match.
Finally, Murray showed in Washington that when dragged into long matches in tough conditions (heat and humidity wise), he can really struggle. He was defeated at that 500-level event by Mikael Ymer and was hunched over consistently as the match wore on.
With New York's weather expecting heat and humidity to kick off the day, and the best-of-five sets format for the men, I wouldn't be surprised to see Murray struggle as the match wears on.
I'll back the underdog here, as he's shown he's much better on hard courts than in previous years and he has the biggest weapon on the court in his forehand.
Pick: Cerundolo ML (+128 via PointsBet)
Alex Molcan (-172) vs. Thiago Monteiro(+140)
2:30 p.m. ET
The other match of the opening day from Flushing Meadows I want to take a look at features Alex Molcan and Thiago Monteiro.
While the market clearly sees this as a match between two clay-court lefties, I don't think Molcan is getting the respect he deserves.
Monteiro's serve and forehand combination will always ensure he's able to find his fair share of holds on the surface, but he doesn't have a whole lot more to offer in his game on the surface and he's struggled to find many strong outright wins.
Molcan, on the other hand, has made the jump from the Challenger circuit to the main tour this year – having recognized that he needed a bit more aggression in his game to survive at the highest level.
While this has meant a few more unforced errors in his game, he has become much more adept at playing on the hard courts, where he used to be a clay-court specialist.
Despite possessing a .500 record this year, about half his wins have come as an underdog, which further illustrates that the market still doesn't seem to be giving him as much credit as he deserves.
With the return skills to apply pressure in Monteiro's service games and a more dynamic game from the baseline, Molcan should get this done without needing to go the distance.
Picks: Molcan -1.5 sets (-110 via DraftKings)
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