The final major of the season is here, as the US Open kicks off from New York on Monday.
I'm targeting two first-round matches featuring two Americans — Sebastian Korda vs Marton Fucsovics and Brandon Nakashima vs Laslo Djere.
Dive in below to see the latest 2023 US Open odds and picks and my expert predictions for these two clashes.
Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing US Open matches.
US Open Odds & Picks
Sebastian Korda (-188) vs Marton Fucsovics (+150)
2:15 p.m. ET
After reaching the semifinals at Queen’s Club earlier this summer, Sebastian Korda said he felt as if he was one of the favorites entering Wimbledon.
Based on that quote, you would think Korda was having a monster 2023 when in fact the American has been inconsistent all season.
Not only did he lose in the first round at the All England Club, but he fell to world No. 528 Jiri Vesely in a match that wasn’t really all that competitive.
Korda has gone from ugly first-round defeats like the one to Vesely to marvelous results like a quarterfinal appearance at the Aussie Open and the aforementioned finish at the 500-event in London.
That’s what makes betting on Korda so difficult.
But in this spot — despite being on "home turf" — I’m going to fade the American.
He was forced to pull out of Winston-Salem last week after a marathon match against Richard Gasquet. An ankle injury was cited as the reason behind the withdrawal, and with him having to play on day one of the US Open, the turnaround is a rather quick one.
Meanwhile, I haven’t even mentioned Korda’s opponent, Marton Fucsovics.
The Hungarian doesn’t have a lot of reps on hard courts this summer, but he’s posted some strong victories this year (Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur twice, Denis Shapovalov) and has a solid history in New York.
Last year, Fucsovics reached the second round of the US Open before taking Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to five sets. In 2020, he made the round of 32 after defeating Grigor Dimitrov in five sets. And in 2018, Fucsovics took a set off Novak Djokovic in the opening round.
Korda just beat Fucsovics in straight sets last week, but his ankle injury and the quick turnaround present different angles that weren’t previously in play.
Even though Korda has been serving well (27th on tour in Serve Rating over the last 52 weeks), Fucsovics will always keep the pressure on the American due to his strong return game (18th on tour in Return Rating). Grinding out points is the last thing Korda will want to do coming off of an injury.
I think the Hungarian keeps this close and potentially pulls off the upset.
Pick: Marton Fucsovics +3.5 games (-120 via bet365)
Brandon Nakashima (-165) vs Laslo Djere (+130)
1:30 p.m. ET
Felix Auger-Aliassime has been one of the most disappointing players on tour this year, but Brandon Nakashima is right up there with the Canadian.
After winning the Next Gen Finals and capturing his first ATP title in San Diego in 2022, Naka was expected to take a big step forward this year — with the potential to become a consistent top 30-to-40 player.
Instead, the American has gone backwards; he’s 72nd in the world and is just 11-17 overall this year. He lost three matches in a row entering last week’s event in Winston-Salem and isn’t in good form as he gets set for the final major of the year.
However, I actually think the American will turn things around in this opening-round matchup against Laslo Djere.
Djere has produced a solid 2023 season, posting a 28-20 overall record while reaching the final in Hamburg and the semis in Austria in back-to-back weeks this summer.
However, most of Djere’s success has come on clay. In fact, he’s played in just one main draw hard-court tournament this summer as part of the US Open Series — and that came this past week in Winston-Salem.
Djere has also only won one match at the US Open in his career, and that came back in 2018 against Leonardo Mayer, who was forced to retire in the fourth set.
Meanwhile, Nakashima showed flashes of potential in last year’s event, defeating Dimitrov in straight sets and taking a set off of Jannik Sinner in round 3.
Naka and Djere haven’t faced off yet, but on this fast surface in New York and with the crowd behind Naka, the American has an advantage and the opportunity to turn his season around. I'm betting on Naka's ball-striking and serve from the 2022 US Open to return.
