We're on to the second round of the US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
There's so much to play for as two players look to turn around some disappointing seasons and we'll take a look at each of them as valuable underdogs. Here are my Wednesday US Open betting predictions for Rublev vs. Rinderknech and Shelton vs. Bautista Agut.
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Wednesday US Open Betting Predictions
Andrey Rublev (-575) vs Arthur Rinderknech (+425)
1 p.m. ET
Arthur Rinderknech did what he does best on Monday. He grit his teeth and pulled himself out of a two sets-to-one deficit to reach the second round of the US Open for a fourth straight time.
Now comes the tricky part, with Andrey Rublev standing in the way of him replicating his third-round run from a season ago.
The World No. 6 hasn't had the best season, though he did muster up some form heading into the US Open with an appearance in the Montreal final. Still, he has seemed to take a step back as his second serve is still a massive liability and his backhand is beginning to desert him more often.
Rublev has made the quarterfinals here in two straight years, but the runs haven't been without adventure. He was pushed to five sets twice in the first three rounds in 2022 and last year dropped a set in three of his first four matches before bowing out to Daniil Medvedev. Also, Rublev's first-round win here over the lowly Thiago Seyboth Wild was hardly convincing as he went to a tiebreak in the second set and wrestled away the third, 7-5.
Rublev's track record at the Grand Slams is good, but that doesn't mean he's avoided playing down to competition. Rinderknech is a fighter, drawing from the lessons he learned playing college tennis at Texas A&M, and for whatever reason, he's quite enjoyed competing at this particular event.
The two have met twice in their careers, with Rinderknech taking a set off Rublev at last year's US Open before losing a tight. 7-6, 6-4 match to him at the Citi Open this year. I expect this one to be close with Rublev continuing to serve well, at least when he lands his first delivery, and Rinderknech should lean on his heavy serve to keep pace.
Pick: Over 36.5 (-120 via DraftKings)
Ben Shelton (-500) vs Roberto Bautista Agut (+380)
2 p.m. ET
Beating Roberto Bautista Agut seems to be something of a rite of passage for young American tennis players, and Ben Shelton became the latest to do so at this year's Australian Open.
That match was hardly without its twists and turns, however, as the Spaniard pushed the second set to a tiebreak before losing the third, 7-5. That's been a common theme for Shelton this year as he's struggled on return and played an erratic brand of tennis. We saw some of that Monday as a weak Dominic Thiem held on to his serve rather easily before the match eventually felt out of reach late in the second.
Unlike Thiem, Bautista Agut won't give many errors away to Shelton and will make him win from the back of the court. That is a recipe for a very laborious match for the American, and I think Bautista Agut looks to be up for the challenge with his recent form.
No, the former top-10 player isn't as good as he used to be and dropped three straight matches prior to his first-round win over Luca Nardi. However, those losses came in close fashion — going the distance each time — and it's hard to fault Bautista Agut for losing to a very in-form Thanasi Kokkinakis and the talented Holger Rune.
I trust the return and baseline game of Bautista Agut a considerable amount more here, and like this match to go over the total as Shelton attempts to problem solve on Wednesday.
Pick: Over 37.5 Games (-110)
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