A lot of flashy talent on display on Thursday at the US Open and not all of it comes in matches featuring some of the best players in the world. Let's take a look at a pair of matches that may not feature the biggest of names at the US Open tennis matches, but they provide both value and plenty of potential entertainment.
Here are my bets for Bellucci vs O'Connell and Fils vs Diallo in my Thursday US Open picks from the men's draw.
Match times are subject to change. Read here for advice on viewing US Open matches.
US Open Tennis, US Open Picks
Mattia Bellucci (-238) vs Chris O'Connell (+190)
11 a.m. ET
Another incredible matchup for the red hot qualifier in Bellucci, as he plays an out-of-form O'Connell who had the fortune of playing a serve-centric Nicolas Jarry in the opening round – who himself has been pretty poor since making the final of the Rome Masters event.
In that match, O'Connell was able to have his decent first serve look much bigger than it is thanks to the subpar return game of his opponent (and even then, its effectiveness began to wane as the match progressed). That won't be easy to replicate against the strong returner in Bellucci.
The one-handed backhand was also able to adjust and move to a slice heavy approach that ended up driving the tall Chilean nuts and caused him to net a lot of rally balls. Bellucci is a strong mover, can get up to those lower bouncing shots and uses plenty of topspin to get those back over.
Finally, the fact Bellucci is a lefty and can fire his forehands crosscourt into that shakier O'Connell backhand is another huge advantage.
Throw in O'Connell playing pretty poor of late outside of that opening round victory and this one has the makings of a lopsided encounter.
US Open Pick: Bellucci -1.5 sets (-122 via BetRivers)
Arthur Fils (-275) vs Gabriel Diallo (+220)
2:45 .m. ET
There are two parts to backing Fils as a favorite in this matchup. Though he can be error prone, thus making laying games somewhat dangerous (a reason not to go too large here), he is a guy who can match all of Diallo's strengths, while being someone that has just performed well over the last year or so at a much higher level. He's also far more athletic in getting around the court than his Canadian counterpart.
The other thing to consider is that Diallo spent a while on court in an absolute battle in the opening round, getting by Jaume Munar in four sets, but deteriorating a bit as the match wound down. He took a few medical timeouts and the worst part is it appeared to be a shoulder issue.
If his serve – one of this biggest weapons – is hampered in any way, he's in big trouble against the aggressive Fils, who can put him on the back foot in rallies right off the return.
US Open Pick: Fils -4.5 games (-110 via bet365)
