We're set to wrap up the third round of the US Open on Saturday, and play will feature two of the brightest young stars in the men's draw. There's only one favorite I'm putting my chips behind, however.
Here are my US Open tennis picks for Van de Zandschulp vs Draper and Sinner vs O'Connell.
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US Open Schedule, US Open Tennis Picks
Botic Van de Zandschulp (+330) vs Jack Draper (-450)
12:30 p.m. ET
When handicapping tennis, we often like to look for a "letdown spot," after a highly emotional win — something that generally comes after one of the biggest wins of your career.
Well, after pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history by the odds, Botic Van de Zandschulp is very much in one of these positions. When the high of the win wears off, the Dutchman will be faced with yet another tough challenge when he faces Jack Draper on Saturday.
The rising British star has begun to put together yet another memorable run here at the US Open, where he announced himself to the rest of the tour in 2022 with a third-round appearance on his debut and made the fourth round last year. In each of those tournaments, Draper's still-improving match fitness ultimately got the best of him, but now 22 years of age with some gains in stamina, he looks as dangerous as ever.
Draper's looked the part of a Grand Slam hopeful through two matches, most recently disposing of a pesky left-hander in Facundo Diaz Acosta in three quick sets. His game has no discernible weaknesses — it's really been his body which has let him down — and now he'll enjoy some more cool and potentially cloudy conditions in New York which should help him survive should this match become a laborious one.
Van de Zandschulp enters this encounter at 15-17 versus lefties in his career at tour level, and while he's played better tennis this week than he has all year he's left much to be desired in some of the previously-strong areas of his game.
I think Draper will pick Van de Zandschulp apart at the net and pepper his weak backhand with his heavy forehand en route to another impressive win.
Pick: Draper -5.5 games (-105 via FanDuel)
Jannik Sinner (-5000) vs Christopher O'Connell (+2200)
1:30 p.m. ET
I'm not quite sure we'll see another incredibly massive upset of one of the top three seeds in this tournament, but I do think that Christopher O'Connell warrants some of your consideration on Saturday against Jannik Sinner.
These two have split a pair of matches on tour level, meeting most recently this year in Miami where the World No. 1 edged the Aussie 6-4, 6-3. O'Connell's serve posed some early problems for Sinner in that one, and it was the World No. 87 who gained a break advantage to begin the match before he ultimately succumbed to the pressure late in the first set.
It's hard to fully trust Sinner in this spot with so much going on with him off the court, and some mysteries developing on it as well. The hip injury which kept him out of action earlier in the year seems to have reared its ugly head this summer, with the end of his championship run in Cincinnati featuring plenty of concerning moments in the health department as he appeared in pain.
I think against a somewhat vulnerable Sinner, O'Connell should be more than capable of keeping the gap between these two players quite close. It would take a very poor match from the Italian to hand even two sets here, but I do see some value in a total which is entirely too low for someone whose best serve is a tough one to figure out.
Pick: Over 28.5 games (-120)
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