We're set to resume the second round of the US Open from Queens on Thursday, and I'm eyeing two under-appreciated underdogs who have been competing at a high level and have a great chance of pulling an upset.
Here are my US Open tennis picks for Kokkinakis vs Borges and de Minaur vs Virtanen.
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US Open Schedule, US Open Tennis Picks
Thanasi Kokkinakis (-150) vs Nuno Borges (+120)
12:30 p.m. ET
Nuno Borges never truly gets the respect he deserves, but I have done my best over the last year to sing his praises when I can.
The 27-year old burst on to the scene late after playing college tennis here in the United States, and despite hailing from Portugal he has done his best work on hard courts over the last two seasons with a 38-22 record across all levels.
This is a classic letdown spot for Thanasi Kokkinakis after securing a win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, and after playing a considerable amount of tennis over the last month and a long one in the first-round, I think the energy levels will drop here and one of the feistiest competitors in the world will work his magic from the back of the court, moving around the Aussie and winning a collection of points.
Borges spoiled Ben Shelton's US Open debut with a win here two years ago and enters this one in great form with plenty of match wins over the last month. I think the line speaks for itself here. Oddsmakers are begging you to take Kokkinakis.
Pick: Borges ML (+120 via DraftKings)
Alex de Minaur (-650) vs Otto Virtanen (+475)
2 p.m. ET
Alex de Minaur won his first-round match over Marcos Giron, and it marked just the first time he'd played since early July when he bowed out of Wimbledon on retirement in the quarters.
The Aussie is dealing with a hip issue which he picked up in his fourth-round win over Arthur Fils, and it's going to take him some time to get back up and running. The last man he wants to see here is the ball-bashing Otto Virtanen, who nearly earned a win over Tommy Paul at Wimbledon and has since built up a head of steam in qualifying here at the US Open with impressive wins over Liam Broady, Paul Jubb and Lucas Pouille.
Virtanen handled the big serve of Quentin Halys quite easily in the first round and should have even more success here against de Minaur, who doesn't come anywhere close in terms of serve quality. I also question his movement here and think his all-world speed will be a hair worse than where it normally rests which should allow Virtanen to rip winners through the court.
This is a guy who looked impressive here last year after coming through qualifying and falling just short of an upset against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in a tough fifth-set tiebreak. He's replicated that form so far over the last week and has been an absolute weapon on the faster surfaces through the lower levels of the game.
Virtanen's time is coming any minute now, and you won't want to miss the opportunity to hop on board the train.
Pick: Virtanen +2.5 sets (-150)
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