12The first day of the US Open was filled with upsets and thrillers, and I think the second day should have equally as much excitement in store.
I'm seeing some value in two matches in particular which may not be the main attractions but should help folks take home some money.
Let's jump into the US Open matches.
Note: Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing US Open matches.
Hubert Hurkacz vs. Oscar Otte
2:15 p.m. ET
Hubert Hurkacz and Oscar Otte will meet for the second time this year — and the second time in their careers — when they take the court third on Court 5 at the US Open on Tuesday. If it's anything like their first meeting, we should be in for a treat.
In that match, Otte was able to nick the second set off of Hurkacz before a tight third set. Throughout, both men were very difficult to break with Otte's big serve getting him through some pressure spots.
That match took place on the hard courts at Indian Wells, where the ball skids off of a sandpaper-like surface. These courts at the US Open are much quicker and much friendlier to the server, which should help Otte stay right there with Hurkacz.
The German hasn't exactly had a dynamite season, but he should have fond memories of Queens. After winning three straight three-set qualifying matches a season ago, he ran through three tough opponents and took a set off of former semifinalist Matteo Berrettini before a bad fall derailed his momentum and led him into defeat.
Otte is a talented player with a big serve who has come close to defeating Hurkacz in the past. That should really help him out in this match, as should the conditions.
Hurkacz isn't a great returner, and I think this could easily be a tight match with a few crucial moments. There's no reason Otte should be this sizable of an underdog, and I think a fair price on him to win a set would be close to -150.
Picks: Otte +2.5 Sets (-110 via FanDuel)
Fabio Fognini vs. Aslan Karatsev
3:30 p.m. ET
This is what we love to see: a battle between two of the most hated players in the betting community. Neither of these two have exactly been the most reliable, but I do think this match has a clear right side.
Fabio Fognini has made a trip to the second week of the US Open before, and while he's not an amazing hardcourt player, he seems to be the steadier of the two at the moment.
The Italian seems motivated to salvage something from the final years of his career, grinding out qualifying matches this summer to some level of success. He managed to get into Montreal and Cincinnati, and while he won only one match he did put a real scare into Holger Rune and Andrey Rublev — one of the best hard-courters in the world.
Karatsev couldn't be on shakier ground at the moment with five losses in his last six. While it seemed he had really improved his game and brought it back to a relatively high level as recently as two months ago, he's been reverting to his error-prone ways in recent matches.
Fognini should play the cleaner tennis of the two, and really out of principle in a match like this you need to be taking the player at plus money. It's the right thing to do.
Pick: Fognini ML (+110 via FanDuel)
