We're onto Day 2 of the US Open, but for those of you who love non-stop action like me, fear not! We still have 64 matches between the men's and women's draws to be decided today!
Here are a few bets for Fruhvirtova vs Lepchenko and Putintseva vs Noskova in my Tuesday US Open predictions from the women's draw.
Match times are subject to change. Read here for advice on viewing Wimbledon matches.
2024 US Open Predictions
Brenda Fruhvirtova (-167) vs Varvara Lepchenko (+133)
2:15 p.m. ET
I want to start by saying that after a long suspension and then some tumultuous times trying to rebuild her ranking, it's admirable that Lepchenko has kept battling and worked her way back into the top 200 at the age of 38.
That said, this isn't the best matchup for her.
Fruhvirtova is one of the prodigies of the women's game (along with Mirra Andreeva, who has burst onto the tour in an even more pronounced way) and her season has been a decent one, despite a recent injury issue.
Most importantly, when you look at her losses, we see the likes of Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, Katie Boulter and even Xiyu Wang (a few times via retirement). Those are all established players on the WTA circuit and they all possess the ability to drive play with big groundstrokes and serves. That's something Lepchenko won't be able to do, as her strength is really in hitting a flatter ball that can be tricky to deal with and working angles.
That's not a game that should trouble Fruhvirtova too much. I think we've seen this line move this much over the injuries we've seen Fruhvirtova deal with this season and while that's certainly worth considering, one must ask if that's being over-indexed at this point with the moneyline all the way down to -150.
Pick: Fruhvirtova -2.5 (-118 via BetRivers)
Yulia Putintseva (-120) vs Linda Noskova (-105)
2:15 p.m. ET
With how well Putintseva has played this season and the potential for Noskova to go deep any given week, regardless of how tough her draw is, this match is quietly one of the better ones we see on the Tuesday schedule.
Monday we backed the Monterrey finalist to keep the strong play going in New York City. Now we're looking at the Monterrey champion in Noskova, and I'm going to go the other way with this handicap.
Unlike Lulu Sun, the young Czech has been tasked with an all-courter who is very strong on hard courts, makes a ton of balls and has tightened up her service game this season, with a more aggressive approach to her first forehands.
The rally tolerance of Putintseva is what intrigues me most about picking her to send the teenage counterpart packing in the opening round.
As strong as the serve and backhand are for Noskova, she still has problems with unforced errors. That's a weakness you don't want to have when playing someone like Putintseva.
In fact, as impressive as her runs in Adelaide, Melbourne and Monterrey have been this season, those 13 wins account for 46% of her wins in 2024. Needless to say, three tournaments don't makeup 46% of her total number of events played.
She's had a lot of early exits and has lost plenty as a favorite to boot. The market recognizes her talent, but I think it struggles to accurately incorporate her struggles to play a more sustainable game.
Pick: Putintseva ML (-120 via DraftKings)
