The US Open is here and tomorrow's order of play looks insane!
I’ve found value on two of Monday's matchups: Sakkari vs Wang and Mertens vs Kudermetova.
Read on to find my first round US Open predictions for Monday, August 26.
Note: Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing tennis matches and seeing tennis odds.
First Round US Open Predictions
Maria Sakkari (-430) vs Yafan Wang (+315)
11 a.m. ET
Maria Sakkari hasn't competed since the Olympics (clay), where she lost in the round of 16 to Marta Kostyuk. The 29-year old is 253-174 for her career on hard and 9-6 in 2024, but she hasn't played on the surface in months.
Sakkari is a physical player who is quick around the court. And the Greek has a fairly powerful serve alongside a huge forehand that she utilizes to dictate play. With that said, her backhand is prone to breaking down and she doesn't have the rally tolerance she once had, hitting some poor errors at times. This is especially the case when Sakkari is attempting to play offense.
In addition, the Greek has mediocre variety and isn't the most comfortable moving forward in the court.
Yafan Wang, on the other hand, has played 10 matches on hard courts this summer, going 6-4, including her most recent straight-sets defeat to Sara Sorribes Tormo in Cleveland. The Chinese is 17-12 on hard courts this year and an impressive 285-167 as a professional.
Wang doesn't do anything special, but she plays solid baseline tennis. The 30-year old hits her spots on serve and can hit with power when given a baseline opening, but she doesn't have overwhelming power. Wang spreads the court well, has a high rally tolerance and gets excellent depth on her groundstrokes. She can defend and neutralize points effectively.
In addition, the Chinese is an intelligent player, understanding point construction and shot selection. But, it must be said that she does lack variety.
Sakkari is coming into this match undercooked, having not played at all in a few weeks and not on hard courts in months. And she's facing someone who has put in great preparations for this event.
Wang should, at times, be able to keep points alive until she can get the ball onto the Greek's weaker backhand.
While Sakkari should do some damage with her forehand, the Chinese also has the defensive skills to blunt Sakkari's pace and neutralize points, frustrating her. Sakkari will likely then press on her forehand in a desperate attempt to hit through Wang, with the unforced errors piling up.
Pick: Over 20.5 games (-110 via FanDuel)
Elise Mertens (-137) vs Veronika Kudermetova (+114)
3 p.m. ET
Elise Mertens last competed in Cincinnati (hard), falling in three sets to Marta Kostyuk in her opening match. Mertens has gone 2-3 during the summer hard-court swing, with a 12-11 record on the surface in 2024. For her career, the Belgian is a strong 299-160 on hard.
Mertens plays a tricky style. She is fit and anticipates where her opponents are going well. The 28-year old is fairly solid from both wings, but she can play with a higher rally tolerance and with more pace from her backhand. She employs strong variety and is an excellent net player, having won four Slams in doubles.
The problem for the Belgian is that her forehand can be a liability at times and she doesn't have immense power.
Veronika Kudermetova's only match on hard courts this summer was in Monterrey, losing in a shocker to Maria Lourdes Carle. Despite a 213-153 professional-mark on hard courts, the Russian has been in miserable form this season, going 12-18 overall, including a 4-9 record on hard. She's lost four of her last five matches across surfaces.
When in form, Kudermetova gets ahead with her fairly big serve and dominates with her heavy forehand. She puts her opponents on defense from this wing, positioning herself in offensive areas of the court. And the 27-year old is the two-time defending winner of the WTA Finals in doubles (once alongside Mertens), showing her net prowess.
Kudermetova has been overhitting way too often with her forehand and her backhand has been entirely too shaky. The Russian's rally tolerance, and her confidence, is in shambles.
This is a great matchup for Mertens in her current form. Kudermetova has been erratic from the ground, with even her forehand misfiring more often than usual. This makes the forehand-to-forehand exchanges less scary for the Belgian.
And Mertens should dominate in the backhand-to-backhand exchanges, as she has significantly more control from this wing compared to the Russian.
In addition, Mertens' excellent variety, especially her slices, should befuddle Kudermetova, who is already struggling with her consistency when the ball is in her strike zone.
Pick: Mertens ML (-137 via FanDuel)
