The US Open continues to excite and tomorrow brings more scintillating showdowns!
I’ve found value on two of Thursday's matchups: Boulter vs Bouzas Maneiro and Haddad Maia vs Sorribes Tormo.
Read on to find US Open tennis picks for Thursday, August 29.
Note: Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing tennis matches and seeing tennis odds.'
Picks for US Open Tennis
Katie Boulter (-210) vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (+172)
1 p.m. ET
Katie Boulter came back to defeat Aliaksandra Sasnovich in three sets in the first round. It was a confidence boost to the Brit, who had lost a couple matches in a row leading up to this event. However, having hit 25 winners against 31 unforced errors, there's still work to be done.
Boulter is now an impressive 14-7 this year on hard courts, with a 222-145 mark for her career. The 28-year old has a decently-big first serve and a big forehand that she utilizes to dictate play. Boulter can play offense with her backhand as well, but she is a bit leaky from that wing. She is strongest with her big serves and powerful forehands.
However, Boulter's isn't as a consistent as earlier in the year and doesn't move nor absorb pace well.
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro rolled past Petra Martic 6-3, 6-0 to advance in New York. Bouzas Maneiro won 56% of her return points, 66% of her service points and was only broken once. The Spaniard, hitting 11 winners against nine unforced errors, was too solid for the error-prone Croat.
Bouzas Maneiro has gone a terrific 23-8 in 2024 and 75-35 as a professional. The 21-year old is solid from the ground, getting good depth. She doesn't have overwhelming power, but uses the court courts to get extra pop on her groundstrokes (compared to clay) and can hit into targets effectively with her forehand. She's fit, defends well and can turn defense into offense effectively.
However, Bouzas Maneiro's backhand can break down on occasion.
Boulter hasn't hit with the level of controlled aggression that she did earlier in 2024. And, given Bouzas Maneiro's rally tolerance and defensive skills, this could exacerbate the Brit's hit-or-miss play.
The Spaniard should get enough depth, as well, to keep Boulter from successfully dictating play. And Bouzas Maneiro has the control over her groundstrokes to effectively target Boulter's weaker backhand.
Not to mention that in extended rallies where movement becomes more important, the 21-year old has the clear edge.
Pick: Bouzas Maneiro +3.5 games (-120 via FanDuel)
Beatriz Haddad Maia (-350) vs Sara Sorribes Tormo (+260)
1 p.m. ET
Beatriz Haddad Maia made the final of Cleveland (hard) last week and came back to defeat Elina Avanesyan 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 to advance at the US Open. The Brazilian won 67% of her service points and 50% of her return points, although she did hit 22 winners against 27 unforced errors.
Haddad Maia has had a middling season, going 24-21 overall in 2024 and 13-11 on hard courts. This is much lower than her 470-243 overall career-record and 221-115 professional-mark on hard. The 28-year-old, at her best, is a physical player who is very fit, anticipates well and dictates with her lefty forehand.
She also neutralizes power effectively and turn defense into offense. And, while she does that fairly successfully, the Brazilian looks "off" this season. She isn't as physical as she used to be, has more neutral-ball errors and she doesn't look nearly as comfortable dictating play.
Sara Sorribes Tormo went just 1-1 during the summer hard-court swing, but played dogged baseline tennis in a 6-1, 6-3 first-round victory over Alexa Noel. Sorribes Tormo won 63% of her return points, 88% of her service points and was only broken once.
Sorribes Tormo has also been far from her best this year, going 13-19 overall on the season and 4-7 on hard courts. This is very different from her 406-273 career-record and 135-120 mark on hard courts. The 27-year old has lacked some depth on her shots and isn't quite as solid as usual. With that said, she still is incredibly consistent, supremely fit and absorbs pace extremely well. She turns defense into offense fast and showcases excellent variety, particularly her backhand slice.
While Haddad Maia leads the head to head 4-2, almost every match has been a war.
Haddad Maia has seemed more comfortable absorbing pace and counterpunching in recent matches, whereas Sorribes Tormo's softer game will force her to step up in the court more. The Brazilian has lacked precision and confidence when put in this position.
In addition, these points won't be quick and Haddad Maia will have to continue to produce high-quality shots. And this will be especially given the Spaniard's cutting backhand slice.
Pick: Sorribes Tormo +1.5 sets (-105 via BetMGM)
