US Open Tennis Day 8 Picks 2025 (Sunday 31st August)

A number of the Day 7 matches have yet to begin at the time of writing, but there is Fourth Round action scheduled for Sunday and the selections from those matches can be read below.

The quality of the matches should ramp up as we move into the second week of this Grand Slam and especially with so many of the leading contenders still fighting their way through the draw.

It looks like it could be a special US Open compared with recent seasons when the final Grand Slam of the season has been negatively impacted by too many players not feeling at their best.

There are still some question marks about the way the two Masters events were scheduled this year, and that may be something that is forced to change in the years ahead, but in general this has been a tournament which has produced plenty of quality and that can only be a positive for the fans and the organisers.

Novak Djokovic - 6.5 games v Jan-Lennard Struff: Two veterans of the Tour meet for a place in the US Open Quarter Final, but the Jan-Lennard Struff run to the Fourth Round really has come out of left field.

He is the younger player in this match and the German will take confidence out of the fact he was Qualifying matches before upsetting two Seeded players. That includes Jan-Lennard Struff beating Frances Tiafoe, a home player who has had considerable success at the US Open in recent years, and so there will be nothing wrong with the belief in the 35 year old's camp.

There has been little sign of the run after early losses in Cincinnati and Cancun so all credit has to be given to Jan-Lennard Struff.

His World Ranking will be back inside the top 100 at the end of the tournament, which is very important and Struff will feel there is nothing to lose for him in this Fourth Round match.

Another Seed stands in his way and Novak Djokovic looks to be doing just enough to progress through the Rounds.

There have been some concerns around Novak Djokovic who has looked a little vulnerable physically, but the overall match up in this Fourth Round clash should not be too concerning. The rallies are not expected to be extended and that should help Novak Djokovic, as will the familiarity with the opponent he is facing.

He has won all seven previous Tour meetings between the players and six of those have been on the hard courts.

The numbers have been heavily skewed in favour of Novak Djokovic with 87% of service games ending in holds, while also breaking in 42% of return games.

The former World Number 1 swept Jan-Lennard Struff aside at the US Open in 2020, although Novak Djokovic has not faced this opponent for a number of years.

It may mean needing a bit of time to just get a reading of the Struff serve, but you have to believe that Novak Djokovic will eventually begin to wear down this opponent and move into a position to cover a line that is in an awkward position.

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 games v Ann Li: One more win will see Ann Li move into a career best World Ranking, but the 25 year old deserves plenty of praise for reaching the Fourth Round at a Grand Slam for the first time.

This is after making the Cleveland Final last week and the confidence has to be flowing after early defeats in Montreal and Cincinnati.

Ann Li has always been a competitive performer on the hard courts and she has put together a decent year on the surface. She is likely to receive plenty of support from those in the stands, while Ann Li gave Madison Keys a serious test at the Australian Open earlier this year.

All of the pressure is on Jessica Pegula, who reached the Final at the US Open last year, and the World Number 4 will have plenty of respect for her compatriot. When they met at the French Open earlier this year, Jessica Pegula was perhaps a little wasteful when it came to converting the Break Points that she was able to create and that made it a tougher win than it perhaps should have been.

Ultimately it was a win and Jessica Pegula is a quality hard court player, even if she is going to be an underdog if facing any of the former Grand Slam Champions that are still lurking in the draw.

Jessica Pegula has been playing really well in New York City and clearly enjoys the atmosphere at the event having reached the Final eleven months ago.

She will need to serve well to try and keep the threat at bay and Ann Li is someone that will put every bit of effort on the line. This makes her a threat, and always capable of finding a way to cover the bigger lines, even in a losing effort, and Pegula will just have to be aware that she does not offer too much encouragement to her opponent.

If she can avoid doing that, Jessica Pegula should be the player with the majority of the Break Points and that should give her every chance to secure a pretty solid victory.

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 games v Marketa Vondrousova: The dominant win over Emma Raducanu has to have given Elena Rybakina a real boost in her bid to finally have a big impact at the US Open. Despite her obvious talent and the way she can play on the hard courts, Elena Rybakina has never before reached the Fourth Round in New York City.

She is into that Round this year, although faces another former Grand Slam Champion as Elena Rybakina did in the previous Round.

An injury hit twelve months has been the main reason Marketa Vondrousova has dropped down to World Number 60, while she suffered a couple of relatively early losses in Montreal and Cincinnati.

The lefty has not had much of an impact at the Grand Slam tournaments this year, but Marketa Vondrousova is a former Quarter Finalist at the US Open and the win over Jasmine Paolini in the Third Round is going to fill her with confidence. She has also beaten McCartney Kessler, another player Ranked higher than the Czech player, and so Vondrousova has to enter this match with the belief she can reach the last eight at Flushing Meadows again.

Marketa Vondrousova was pretty well beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati though and she will need some help from Elena Rybakina.

While not being at her absolute best throughout the first three Rounds, Elena Rybakina has a serve that will always set her up when she is producing her best from the line. She is also an aggressive return player with heavy groundstrokes pushing opponents back behind the baseline and Elena Rybakina did earn a very strong win over Marketa Vondrousova in their last meeting on the clay courts in 2023.

This is not going to be an easy match and facing a lefty serve can always be a challenge, but Elena Rybakina might just do enough to find a way to earn a maiden Quarter Final in New York City with a cover of this line.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 6.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Elena Rybakina - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

US Open Update: 17-12, + 3.54 Units (57 Units Staked, + 6.21% Yield)

US Open Tennis Day 7 Picks 2025 (Saturday 30th August)

It has not been a good day for American tennis, at least on the men's side of the tournament, with the likes of Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe exiting the US Open before the second week is set to begin.

The Third Round at the final Grand Slam of the season is scheduled to be concluded on Saturday and there are some potentially big matches coming up.

As the tournament progresses and with the majority of the top names still going strong at the event, the matches that will matter most to the fans should be taking place more frequently. There are one or two portions of the draw that have begun to look wide open for a surprise name to have a very big impact at this Grand Slam, but the top contenders are still flying and it is hard to look past someone familiar picking up both Singles titles.

Alexander Zverev - 1.5 sets v Felix Auger-Aliassime: Some very late drama was attached to the win over Jacob Fearnley when the underdog decided to produce tennis of a ridiculous level, but Alexander Zverev was never in any danger of being pushed too much further.

The 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win has continued comfortable passage through the US Open draw and it is clear that Alexander Zverev is pretty happy for most people to talk about the 'big two'.

The World Number 3 is a former Finalist here and has done the same in Melbourne and Paris and so Alexander Zverev has to be confident in his ability to beat anyone and everyone he faces.

Next up is a match against Felix Auger-Aliassime who has yet to drop a set at the US Open and who has been playing some of his best hard court tennis of recent years over the course of the season. However, the Canadian did blow a two set lead in being dumped out of the Second Round at the Australian Open, while Auger-Aliassime has lost his last four hard court matches when facing a top 20 Ranked opponent.

Felix Auger-Aliassime certainly serves well enough to offer some resistance and he has had competitive matches when facing the best players, at least in the main. He was crushed by Jannik Sinner at the Cincinnati Masters, but that feels like an exception to the rule so Alexander Zverev will have to be very focused in what looks a quality match.

The German has been much more solid in the bigger matches compared with Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Alexander Zverev will hold the mental advantage.

The sole Grand Slam match between these players was won by Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon in 2021, but Alexander Zverev has won three of the four matches played against one another since then.

He has also won four of the five hard court matches, including a crushing win at the Miami Masters in 2024.

This should be more competitive than that match, but it is Alexander Zverev who looks more capable of coming out on top at key moments and the expectation is that he will progress in either three or, more likely, four sets.

Alex De Minuar - 7.5 games v Daniel Altmaier: After going 2-1 down in sets and losing serve very early in the fourth set, Daniel Altmaier could have easily begun to think about his exit plans from New York City.

Instead he battled back to win that set and then came through a really tough fifth set to upset Stefanos Tsitsipas and earn himself another match at the US Open.

He is also playing in the Doubles in this final Grand Slam of 2025, but the real challenge for Daniel Altmaier is going to be recovery. For the second match in a row, he has spent well over four hours on the court and that is going to accumulate within the body.

Making matters worse is the opponent.

Alex De Minaur has the movement and the defensive skills to really punish any fatigue that Daniel Altmaier is going to be feeling and this is going to make those hours spent on the court hurt for the underdog.

The World Number 8 won the title in Washington in the build up to this Grand Slam and he has been very comfortable through the first couple of Rounds.

Over the course of the season, Alex De Minaur has shown improvement in both service and returning numbers on the hard courts and he did reach the Quarter Final in his home Grand Slam before running into Jannik Sinner. The very top players look like they will have too many weapons for the top Australian player, but Alex De Minaur is very comfortable when facing opponents he is expected to beat as highlighted by the 24-4 record against players Ranked outside the top 20 on this surface in 2025.

One of those victories was against Daniel Altmaier on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam back in February and it was a strong win for the favourite.

Alex De Minaur dropped just five games in getting past this opponent on that day and you have to believe he can pull away from Daniel Altmaier in the second and third set once tiredness and the scoreboard really turn against the World Number 56.

Andrey Rublev - 6.5 games v Coleman Wong: The last twelve to eighteen months have been quite difficult for Andrey Rublev as he looks to avoid wasting unnecessary energy on the courts.

Most of that was through open frustration and he has admitted that it had been holding him back.

Consistency had seen Andrey Rublev reach six of seven Grand Slam Quarter Finals between May 2022 and January 2024, but he has now failed to progress beyond the Fourth Round in six straight Majors. With that in mind, the Quarter Final runs in Toronto and Cincinnati will have given the World Number 15 some confidence and he has looked pretty solid in the tournament so far.

The draw has opened up a little bit and Andrey Rublev next faces Coleman Wong who is the World Number 173.

Credit has to be given to Coleman Wong for coming through the Qualifiers and then upsetting Aleksander Kovacevic and Adam Walton. He has played a lot of tennis over the last week, but winning will have given him a lift, although Wong will be well aware that this is a big leap in level compared with the opponents he has beaten in the run to the Third Round.

The Coleman Wong serve could be a key weapon for him, but he has struggled when facing the top 100 Ranked opponents faced on the hard courts.

Focus will be key for Andrey Rublev.

If he can just not allow himself to become overly frustrated, Andrey Rublev should have the majority of Break Point chances in this match and it could lead to a routine win.

This has sometimes been Andrey Rublev's downfall, but he has looked better all around over the last month on the North American hard courts. He should have enough quality on the court to eventually break down and wear down this opponent and reach the Fourth Round for the sixth time in nine main draw appearances in New York City.

Naomi Osaka - 4.5 games v Daria Kasatkina: This has been a really productive month of tennis for Naomi Osaka and she is a very dangerous player in the women's draw at the US Open.

A two time former Champion here, Naomi Osaka's game is perfectly suited to the hard courts.

However, her return to the Tour has perhaps not been as smooth as hoped because Naomi Osaka has sometimes struggled to deal with expectation that will have been heaped on her shoulders. Everyone knows the level that Osaka can produce and the pressure has been on to reach that once again, which has perhaps contributed to some of the inconsistent results.

Things look a bit different right now and Naomi Osaka's confidence looks in a good place.

She will tested by Daria Kasatkina who has been a solid hard court player this season, but one who has struggled to get over the line in recent matches.

Two wins in New York City will have given her some confidence and Daria Kasatkina reached the Fourth Round at the Australian Open so is clearly happy playing on the hard courts.

However, this is a match that feels like it will be played on the Naomi Osaka racquet- if she serves well, Osaka should find plenty of short runs to attack, while the heavier groundstrokes could see her push Daria Kasatkina onto the back foot.

In their two previous meetings on the Tour, Naomi Osaka has dominated the outcome and that includes on the clay courts in Rome 2024. That may be a surface on which Daria Kasatkina would have felt she could compete best with this powerful opponent, but that was not the case and her own serve has vulnerabilities that Naomi Osaka can exploit in this Third Round match.

Coco Gauff - 5.5 games v Magdalena Frech: The first couple of wins at the US Open have not been as straight-forward as Coco Gauff would have hoped and she was in an emotional mood in the Second Round.

The former Champion in New York City, Coco Gaiff perhaps feels more pressure to impress the home fans and that was perhaps part of the reason she was feeling how she was the last time out.

She has faced a couple of awkward opponents, but Coco Gauff has to be more comfortable facing Magdalena Frech considering the two victories and manner of those against this opponent.

The World Number 33 had lost three hard court matches in a row before the two victories at the US Open, but Magdalena Frech has played really well here. The two wins have to give her confidence, although it should be stated that the draw has been a decent one for the Seeded player and this is a considerably tougher test.

Magdalena Frech will be hoping that Coco Gauff has something of an off day, but the reality is that the American is the better player and should be much more comfortable on this surface.

The match up has been one that Coco Gauff has enjoyed previously and it should mean this is one of the more routine wins in the Third Round.

Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 games v Jaqueline Cristian: Beating one American player may have upset the home crowd, but Jaqueline Cristian was doing the same in the Second Round.

Now she takes aim at a third American player in a row, although Cristian will be very much aware that Amanda Anisimova is the best of the three home hopes that she will have faced in the US Open.

The run to the Third Round has been a little surprising when you think Jaqueline Cristian had lost three hard court matches in a row, including early defeats in Cincinnati and Monterrey. All three of those defeats were in routine fashion and it could be a difficult challenge containing someone like Amanda Anisimova who is very keen to build on reaching the Wimbledon Final.

The defeat in the Final would have stung, but Amanda Anisimova is very confident on the hard courts and has looked good in the first two Rounds in New York City.

In matches against top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts, Cristian has really struggled to have much of an impact.

Amanda Anisimova has not been a dominant player, even if she has racked up the wins to move into the top 10 of the World Rankings.

There is definitely some room for improvement in the hard court numbers, although the confidence looks to be flowing through the American right now. She has picked up two very solid wins at Flushing Meadows and Amanda Anisimova has all of the qualities to secure another one, while doing just enough to cover the line that has been set for the match.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 1.5 Sets @ 1.61 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Alex De Minaur - 7.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Andrey Rublev - 6.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Naomi Osaka - 4.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Coco Gauff - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

US Open Update: 15-9, + 6.44 Units (47 Units Staked, + 13.70% Yield)

College Football Week 1 Picks 2025 (Saturday 30th August-Monday 1st September)

There were a handful of College Football games played in Week 0, but the official kickoff on the new season begins this weekend.

The Playoff Committee have made it pretty clear that they are not too concerned if a team loses a game, and perhaps even two, but they do want proper scheduling.

Week 1 has plenty of big games, but the top one looks to be hosted by the Ohio State Buckeyes who will take on visiting Texas Longhorns- these are two teams that will be expecting to not only make the Playoff, but to actually win a National Championship.

The winner will likely be in the thoughts of the Playoff Committee all season, while the losing team have plenty of tough games left to prove themselves.

Other teams in the Power Conferences have also chosen to face one another and it is an opportunity to get a good look at some of the leading contenders.

College Football is an ever changing landscape with the new use of the transfer portal and with players heading to the NFL every year, but there are some schools that are always expected to be contending.

Pressure is on the likes of the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers to get back into Championship contention out of the loaded SEC.

Michigan Wolverines were another disappointment last season, but they will do well to get the better of the Penn State Nittany Lions and Ohio State Buckeyes, while a number of non-Power Conference teams will be hoping to impress enough to earn a spot in the final twelve Playoff later in the year.

The College Football Picks returned a profit in Week 0, but there are number of selections from the games to be played across this weekend.

It is still very early in the season and you do want to be a little cautious as teams gel together, but that is the challenge for the page.

In recent years it has been a disappointing return from the College Football Picks, unlike the NFL selections, but the start made offers some encouragement that 2025 can be a much better season.

Alabama Crimson Tide @ Florida State Seminoles Pick: The new expanded Playoff format has motivated teams to pick stronger non-Conference opponents and there are some big games to be played in Week 1. We are in a new era where a single defeat and perhaps even two losses are not going to prevent a team from earning a spot in the Playoff, although neither the Alabama Crimson Tide nor Florida State Seminoles will be thinking about opening with a loss.

Last season was a big disappointment for both teams.

In the final year of the four team Playoff at the end of the 2023 season, the Florida State Seminoles were controversially left out, despite being an unbeaten Power 5 Conference Champion. There was a lot of talk going into last season about having it all to prove and to make sure the Seminoles were not put in that position again, but Florida State struggled out of the gate and ended up with a poor 2-10 record.

After being left out of the College Football Playoff, it was no surprise that the Seminoles were beaten up in the Bowl Game they were given, although that does mean they have lost eleven of their last thirteen games.

The transfer portal has been used heavily by the Seminoles as they look to bounce back from what is the worst season in fifty-two years, while there are new Offensive and Defensive Co-Ordinators to work with the much reshaped roster.

A new Quarter Back has also been signed and there is immediate pressure on Tommy Castellanos who has started twenty games for the Boston College Eagles over the last two seasons. He threw 33 Touchdown passes with the Eagles, but Castellanos added 19 Interceptions to that, while 14 scores on the ground suggests he will be a dual-threat capable of running the new Offensive plan.

The pressure is added to this opening game because of comments that Tommy Castellanos made in the summer suggesting the Crimson Tide will not be able to stop him, and that has been heard loud and clear in Alabama.

Three losses in the regular season meant the Alabama Crimson Tide were the first team out of the College Football Playoff last season, despite some believing they deserved their place in the twelve team format. The defeats to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma really hurt Alabama and so Head Coach Kevin DeBoer is going to be under some pressure of his own to deliver.

He won't have too many excuses with the talent that Alabama have up and down the roster and they look like they will be better than the Florida State Seminoles in most positions.

The one doubt is at Quarter Back where Ty Simpson came into College as a five star recruit, but who has had to bide his time before finally being named starter for the first time.

Ty Simpson has thrown just 50 passes in College Football and this is a true road start so a significant test for his character. He does benefit from playing behind one of the top Offensive Lines at this level, while the Crimson Tide are loaded with talent at the skill positions and that should really help this Quarter Back settle in.

It is never easy to have a true road game and even tougher in Week 1 when there is so much uncertainty around teams and the capabilities that each have.

However, there looks to be a big gap for the Seminoles to bridge after last season and this Alabama team look about as good as any in College Football. If Ty Simpson settles in, the Crimson Tide will be firmly focused on returning to the Playoffs at the end of this season and they may just wear down the hosts and put a dominant win on the board.

UTSA Roadrunners @ Texas A&M Aggies Pick: The move from the Big 12 to the SEC was always going to be challenging for the Texas A&M Aggies and they have struggled to remain competitive in a Conference where the wear and tear builds up every week.

They have remained at a decent level, but only two of the last eleven seasons have ended with more than eight wins on the board and so it has become very difficult to force a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Mike Elko took over as Head Coach last season and led the Aggies to an 8-5 season after Jimbo Fisher was removed following two seasons combining for a 12-13 record.

Having that year under Elko's guidance should help the Aggies know what to expect, while they are bringing back a talented Quarter Back in Marcel Reed.

After losing the opener in 2024, the Aggies bounced back with seven straight wins before the late capitulation, but there were some encouraging signs. Marcel Reed finished the season with 12 Touchdown passes and 4 Interceptions and added another 6 Touchdowns on the ground, while he is also a lot more experienced now.

There is plenty of talent around Reed on the Offensive side of the ball and that is going to give the Aggies fans plenty of excitement whenever their team is in possession.

We should see early signs of that against the UTSA Roadrunners who have lost huge pieces on both sides of the ball, but especially on the Defensive unit which does not have a single returning starter. Facing this potentially very explosive Texas A&M Offense is going to be a huge challenge out of the gate and it may put the pressure on the Roadrunners to keep up on the scoreboard.

UTSA finished with a 7-6 record last season and that was mainly down to a run of four wins from the final five games played. They did lose one of their early games at the home of the Texas Longhorns in a blowout and avoiding that is going to be a huge challenge for this team with the uncertainty on the Defensive side of the ball.

However, the Roadrunners should be capable of playing their part in this game with a more experienced Offensive unit that is led by Quarter Back Owen McCown who had 25 Touchdown passes and 10 Interceptions while starting all thirteen games in 2024.

There is some talent around him on this side of the ball and the big question mark about the Aggies and their ability to improve the record is regarding the Secondary. Owen McCown should have some success in this contest, even if it is stepping up to SEC level, and certainly more than he had against the very good Texas Longhorns last season.

Despite that, the Aggies should still have enough to pull away in the second half as they look to open up with something of a statement win against a rival.

A late stop will likely be needed to avoid the backdoor cover, but the home crowd can help the Aggies push enough to do that and begin the season with a solid win.

LSU Tigers @ Clemson Tigers Pick: They snuck into the College Football Playoff as Conference Champion last year and that despite suffering three losses in the regular season, but the Clemson Tigers look a lot more experienced and ready to enjoy another strong campaign.

They look to be the team to beat in the ACC having won the Championship Game against the SMU Mustangs, although neither team was able to make it out of the First Round in the Playoffs.

There is more expectation around the Clemson Tigers going into 2025 and they can make an early statement when hosting the LSU Tigers from the SEC in Week 1.

After winning another National Championship with players who are now performing at a very high level in the NFL, the LSU Tigers have perhaps struggled to match the heights in recent seasons. Head Coach Brian Kelly is going into his fourth year at the helm and while a 29-11 record is solid enough in three seasons, anything less than a Playoff push may not be considered good enough.

If the expanded Playoff format had been in place in his first season, Brian Kelly may have led the Tigers into the post-season having won the SEC West Division and ultimately fallen short against the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game. Since then the Tigers have fallen short of the previous year two seasons in a row and that is why there will be some pressure to get things right.

Much like Clemson, the LSU Tigers will be bringing an experienced Quarter Back into the season and Garrett Nussmeier finished 2024 with over 4000 passing yards and 29 Touchdowns thrown. That is encouraging, while the LSU Tigers look pretty stacked all over the field and a genuine contender to have a very strong run this year.

One concern is that the Offensive Line has been completely rebuilt through the transfer portal and that means there will be some teething troubles. Hearing Brian Kelly mention that he is willing to use a number of options throughout this opening game will be a concern for the fans, especially as the LSU Offensive Line will have to deal with the power that the Clemson Defensive Line have up front.

Give Garrett Nussmeier time and he will be able to link up with quality skill players nad attack this potentially underwhelming Clemson Secondary, but so many games come down to the Line of Scrimmage. If the home team can be disruptive up front, they can stall drives and hand the ball over to an experienced Quarter Back of their own.

Cade Klubnik threw for over 3600 yards last season and added 36 Touchdowns to that number and he is a fourth year College Football player.

It is rare for some of the top schools to be able to lean on experienced Quarter Backs and especially not with the experience Klubnik and Nussemeier will be bringing into the game.

The feeling is that the Clemson Tigers have a bit more rhythm and knowledge of one another and that could make up the gap to the talent that the LSU Tigers edge.

With a bit more securing, Cade Klubnik may have more time to attack the LSU Secondary compared with his counterpart and that may make all the difference in what is a quality start to the new season.

Home advantage cannot be dismissed in what is likely to be a fiery atmosphere in Death Valley and it is the Clemson Tigers who may do just enough to win, and cover, in this big Week 1 opener.

Utah Utes @ UCLA Bruins Pick: The former Pac-12 rivals are going to open up the 2025 College Football season as non-Conference opponents and there are certainly going to be plenty of eyes on the UCLA Bruins.

The Chip Kelly era came to a conclusion with three straight winning seasons before the Bruins jumped ship for the Big Ten and they finished with a 5-7 record in DeShaun Foster's first season at the helm.

Four wins from the last six games would have given the UCLA fans something to hang onto going into this season, but it is the arrival of Quarter Back Nico Iamaleava from the Tennessee Volunteers that may have raised expectations. He had a solid year leading the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff, although subsequent reports about the handling of the departure to Los Angeles has soured people on the talented player.

Nico Iamaleava can change the headlines with his play, but he is going to be protected by an Offensive Line that will need to come together very quickly. Having time is always important to a Quarter Back, but particularly for one that may not have the top skill players that his family insisted he should have had at his previous school.

Going up against the Utah Utes Defensive unit is always going to be a huge challenge for the Quarter Back and the Bruins, especially with some speculating that the Utes may have the best Defense in the Big 12 Conference.

Making Utah potentially a Playoff team is the fact that the Offensive unit looks to be improved- it is now led by Devon Dampier who proved to be a dual-threat in his time with New Mexico. Adding to his comfort is the fact that Utah have also brought in New Mexico's Offensive Co-Ordinator and that is why they have been set as the road favourite in this Week 1 opener.

The expectation is that Utah will win the game, but Nico Iamaleava can handle the pressure and at least make sure UCLA are competitive even in defeat.

It does feel like the Bruins are much further behind overall compared with their former Conference rival, but having that experience at Quarter Back can at least move them into a position to earn a backdoor cover.

The Utes have dominated the recent series between these rivals, but the last two games have been split and this feels like a lot of points to be handing to the home team, even if they may have some early issues getting on the same page for the entirety of the four Quarters.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs Virginia Tech Hokies Pick: Atlanta plays neutral host for this Week 1 College Football game featuring teams out of the SEC and ACC and there are serious expectations around both teams.

The South Carolina Gamecocks finished 2024 with a 9-4 record and they had won six in a row to conclude the regular season, which meant narrowly missing out on the College Football Playoff.

Ignoring the Bowl Game result, you can understand why so many Gamecocks fans are very excited about this season and they are bringing back an experienced Quarter Back in LaNorris Sellers. This is always so important in College Football and the growth of Sellers in 2024 offers plenty of encouragement for how he can perform this season.

He does have some new skill players to work with, but LaNorris Sellers will be facing a Virginia Tech Secondary that is going to need a bit of time to bed in.

There is also a new Defensive Co-Ordinator to work with the players and that could take a touch longer to understand compared with what is still a familiar system for those in South Carolina.

Virginia Tech finished with a 6-7 record last season and the excuses are running out for Head Coach Brent Pry who has not turned things around for this school and is now entering his fourth season at the helm. A winning record might ease some of the pressure, but some Hokies fans will believe the team should be challenging right at the top of the ACC and for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

That might be asking a bit too much for a team that is hoping for a healthier year for Quarter Back Kyrone Drones, but who have to rebuild the Offensive Line and with a new Coach leading this group. If they were facing the South Carolina Defensive Line from last season, you would really have to worry about the Hokies Offensive Line, but there are some key players who have moved on from the Gamecocks and that may mean Drones having a bit more time.

There is still some experience on the Defensive unit, but South Carolina have the same issue as the Hokies in that they will need the new players to gel together pretty quickly around the stronger names on the roster.

An opening game in a big NFL venue will offer plenty of motivation and inspiration and this is an opportunity for both the Hokies and Gamecocks to lay down a marker for the season.

The edge has to be with South Carolina who have been tipped up as a potential Playoff team and they can open this season with a confident win to back up the strong end to the 2024 regular season.

MY PICKS: Alabama Crimson Tide - 13.5 Points @ 1.83 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

Texas A&M Aggies - 23.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Clemson Tigers - 4 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

UCLA Bruins + 6 Points @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

South Carolina Gamecocks - 7 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Week 0: 2-1, + 0.75 Units (3 Units Staked, + 25% Yield)

US Open Tennis Day 6 Picks 2025 (Friday 29th August)

I've been on the right side of some of the fortune through the first four days of the tournament, but Day 5 proved to be very frusrtrating.

Make no mistake, the totals are in a good position through the opening two Rounds of the US Open, and most would have signed up to be in this position going into the middle weekend at this Grand Slam.

However, that does not mean you cannot be frustrated by some of the manner that Picks went down on Thursday.

Easily the most irritating was Alexander Zverev's failure to cover, despite moving into a 6-4, 6-4, 5-1 lead in his match.

At that point Jacob Fearnley decided he would just hit and hope and managed to save multiple Match Points across two service games, while breaking in the most ridiculous of manners in between and he scrambled across the line by one game.

Karen Khachanov and Tommy Paul both won the opening two sets and were in a position to cover, but it was the first signs of what can happen at the US Open when they were both were pulled into a fifth set and the former was beaten outright.

Momentum shifting at a crucial time also happened in the Stefanos Tsitsipas loss- he dropped the first set, but then took two in a row and secured an opening game break in the fourth set, but also lost all focus.

Let's be honest, on another day all five selections would have been returning as winners, and so to see four drop is highly irritating.

One positive is that the read on those matches was largely right and it took something a little unexpected for the momentum to turn within those contests.

As mentioned, it has still been a very positive start to the tournament and that has to be remembered.

You always need a bit of luck and hopefully Day 5 proves to be the low point of the fortnight.

Ben Shelton - 5.5 games v Adrian Mannarino: After some of the performances on the North American hard courts this summer and having a temperament that is extremely well suited to the biggest events, Ben Shelton is going to be a very tough player to beat at the US Open. He won the Canadian Masters and Ben Shelton has impressed through the first two Rounds of the tournament and he has to be considered a pretty healthy favourite to get past veteran Adrian Mannarino.

The respectful conduct during the win over Pablo Carreno Busta is going to serve Ben Shelton well in this Third Round match.

All credit has to be given the World Number 6 for the attitude- he was a pretty comfortable winner against the veteran, but made sure he paid full respect to a former two time US Open Semi Finalist. That attitude helps make sure a player is not taking anything for granted and Shelton will need to do the same against Adrian Mannarino who has found some solid form over the last month.

Comfortable progress has been made at the US Open and Adrian Mannarino gave Jannik Sinner something to think about in a competitive defeat in Cincinnati. There had been little sign of this kind of success prior to the North American hard court swing and Mannarino will feel he has nothing to lose.

The Frenchman also holds a win over Ben Shelton at the Australian Open in 2024 in a five setter and so care will have to be taken by the home favourite.

Ben Shelton has looked very comfortable on this surface all season thanks to a booming serve, but he will also believe that he can get more joy out of the return after recent results.

One of those was a dominant win over Adrian Mannarino in Toronto on his way to the title when Ben Shelton created 8 Break Points and managed to convert three of them.

This is a potentially awkward line if Adrian Mannarino is playing at his best, but Ben Shelton is going to dictate the tempo of the match. With the New York City crowd firmly behind him, Shelton should be able to come through this match in three or four sets and that should be good enough to put him in a position to cover this handicap line too.

Carlos Alcaraz - 8.5 games v Luciano Darderi: In terms of the World Rankings, this is the toughest kind of match that Carlos Alcaraz could face in the Third Round against an Unseeded player in the draw.

However, Luciano Darderi is up to World Number 34 in the World Rankings thanks to some really strong results on the clay courts.

It has been much tougher for the Italian when playing on the hard courts- he had lost seven of nine matches played on the surface in 2025, although there will be some confidence coming from the fact he has won twice in the US Open main draw.

The problem for Luciano Darderi is that he has not faced much competition with both wins being against players Ranked outside the top 100 and this is a significantly tougher test as compatriot Mattia Bellucci found out in the Second Round.

Carlos Alcaraz was also a pretty strong winner in the First Round after putting Reilly Opelka to the sword in straight sets.

The World Number 2 will have seen the form that Jannik Sinner has been displaying early in the US Open tournament and Carlos Alcaraz will want to make a statement of his own.

He should pretty comfortable in the match up against an opponent who has struggled to find his rhythm on the return of serve on the hard courts, but who has also only been winning 60% of points behind serve. That has given opponents the chance to put Luciano Darderi under pressure and it has led to some pretty comprehensive defeats on the hard courts over the course of the year.

Luciano Darderi's numbers on the hard courts when facing top 100 Ranked opponents are really concerning and he could be the latest Italian that falls by the wayside without putting in much of a dent in the Carlos Alcaraz push towards the Final.

The line is bigger than the Third Round and that will partly be down to the very impressive win that Carlos Alcaraz produced against Mattia Bellucci.

It doesn't take much for things to go wrong for a favourite with a line like this one, but Carlos Alcaraz is trying to turn the talk from his new hairstyle to the tennis being produced and another impressive performance is expected from the Number 2 Seed in New York City.

Frances Tiafoe - 1.5 sets v Jan-Lennard Struff: Early losses in Toronto and Cancun pushed Jan-Lennard Struff's losing run to eight matches on the hard courts and the World Number 144 entered the US Open with very little expectation.

He dropped one set in winning three Qualifiers and Jan-Lennard Struff deserves a lot of credit for backing up those victories to secure two more in the main draw.

The Second Round upset of Holger Rune in five sets will have given the 35 year old a huge amount of confidence in what has been a tough year on this surface. He will have benefited from playing that match in an emotional atmosphere and Struff will also benefit from a day of rest after spending well over three hours on the court in that upset of Rune.

It is never easy to back up those results and Jan-Lennard Struff is going to be facing Frances Tiafoe and the home crowd in this Third Round match.

The World Number 17 has had an inconsistent twelve months, while suffering two Second Round losses at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Frances Tiafoe has reached the Quarter Final at the French Open and he will have been excited about coming into the final Grand Slam where he has had his best career results in the Majors by some distance.

He is looking to reach the Quarter Final for the fourth year in a row in New York City and Frances Tiafoe has reached the Semi Final in 2022 and 2024.

Frances Tiafoe has only dropped a single set in two matches in the US Open and he will certainly feel there is more room for improvement as he looks to peak towards the end of the tournament.

Previous matches between the players have been very competitive and it is Jan-Lennard Struff who holds the Grand Slam win over Frances Tiafoe, which came at the French Open in 2020. When that match was played, the German was significantly higher in the World Rankings compared with Frances Tiafoe and that switch around should show up on the scoreboard in this Third Round contest.

Every set is expected to be competitive, but Frances Tiafoe can find a way to win key points and move through to yet another Fourth Round in New York City without needing a decider.

Elena Rybakina - 2.5 games v Emma Raducanu: Two former Grand Slam Champions are facing off in this big Third Round match at the US Open and the winner will have a lot of belief in finishing up this tournament with the trophy in hand.

Emma Raducanu has done that before back in 2021 when she ran through the Qualifying and main draw in New York City without dropping a set. Many of her supporters feel the level being produced in the lead up to the 2025 US Open is the best and most consistent that Emma Raducanu has produced since unexpectedly winning the title here.

However, Emma Raducanu has put together a 3-3 record when facing top 50 Ranked players in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati, although the loss at the last of those events was a positive one all things considered. She had pushed Aryna Sabalenka all the way in that defeat, but Raducanu was well beaten by Amanda Anisimova in Montreal and she is facing another big serving, hard hitting opponent.

Elena Rybakina has reached the Semi Final in both Montreal and Cincinnati, but she has failed to produce her best tennis in those moments.

This is a very big match for Rybakina, but she has produced some solid results on the hard courts throughout this season and will feel she has the power to hit through Emma Raducanu.

The British player has a 1-4 record on the hard courts when facing top ten Ranked opponents this season.

She has had some competitive matches, but Emma Raducanu has lost three of those five matches pretty comfortably. This is a Grand Slam where the memories have been positive thanks to that Championship in 2021, but Raducanu had not won matches in New York City until this tournament and it feels like Elena Rybakina might just have too much firepower for the former Champion in what could be the match of the day.

MY PICKS: Ben Shelton - 5.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Carlos Alcaraz - 8.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Frances Tiafoe - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Elena Ryabkina - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

US Open Update: 13-8, + 5.24 Units (41 Units Staked, + 12.78% Yield)

US Open Tennis Day 5 Picks 2025 (Thursday 28th August)

The withdrawal of Jack Draper has removed a genuine contender to win the US Open, but in the main the draw has avoided the big upsets that have come to be associated with the final Grand Slam of the season.

Most are building up nicely towards the second week, although there continue to be some concerns around Novak Djokovic who dropped a set in the Second Round before rallying. Even at 100%, you would make Djokovic third favourite behind the top two in the World Rankings, but if he is limited, it makes it almost impossible to believe that arguably the greatest player of all time will have enough to beat a number of the best players to earn a twenty-fifth Grand Slam title.

We move onto Day 5 at the tournament and that is the conclusion of the Second Round.

After the disappointment of Day 3, the Tennis Picks bounced back with five winners from seven selections made on Day 4 and that has pushed the totals up again.

The next set of selections are focusing on the men's tournament and those can be read below.

Tommy Paul - 5.5 games v Nuno Borges: It is easy to fly under the radar a little bit as an American player when you know the headlines are being made by the likes of Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff, but Tommy Paul is the World Number 14 and has shown plenty of his own ability on the Tour.

He has made the Quarter Final in Melbourne, Paris and London in his career and went a step further at the Australian Open in 2023.

However, Tommy Paul will be well aware that to get real notice in his home country that he has to have a big impact at the US Open and he has yet to progress past the Fourth Round here. In each of the last two seasons, Tommy Paul's run in New York City has ended in that Round, but having others take the early headlines does allow him to perform without the same sort of pressure that the 'bigger' names will have to deal with.

He only played in Cincinnati in preparation for the US Open and Tommy Paul won one match and lost another, but he was a strong winner in the First Round under the lights.

Next up is a match against Nuno Borges who has proven to be a stubborn player to beat, but one that has struggled for consistency in recent times.

Despite that, Nuno Borges does come into the US Open as the World Number 41 and so this is a tough Second Round match considering a few more wins might have seen the Portuguese player Seeded at the tournament. However, Nuno Borges failed to put significant runs together during this latest hard court swing and had lost three matches ina. row in Toronto, Cincinnati and Winston Salem before comfortably dismissing Brandon Holt in the First Round.

Nuno Borges has a 2-5 record on the hard courts when facing a player Ranked higher than himself in 2025, but he did take a set from Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open. He has tended to serve well enough to build some scoreboard pressure, but this is a match up that should very much favour Tommy Paul as long as he can retaun focus on his own serve.

Over the course of the year, Tommy Paul has been getting a bit more out of his serve compared with this opponent, but the real difference is how they have performed on the return of serve. This is a crucial factor in favour of the home player and Tommy Paul may have enough in his overall tennis to earn a win and a cover of this handicap line.

Lorenzo Musetti - 6.5 games v David Goffin: He will turn 35 years old later in the year and there has to bea huge amount of respect for the career that David Goffin has forged for himself, even if it feels like he is very much coming to the end of that.

A former top ten Ranked player, David Goffin enters the US Open as the World Number 80.

He reached four Grand Slam Quarter Finals during his career, but it cannot be ignored that the last of those was in July 2022 and the best Slam performance since then is reaching the Third Round. At his best, David Goffin's movement was a real challenge for opponents, but that also meant his best was on the other surfaces rather than the hard courts and the Belgian has yet to make it to a Quarter Final in New York City.

Very little form was shown ahead of the US Open- David Goffin played four tournaments and was beaten in the opening match each time, while losses to the likes of Sebastian Baez and Pedro Martinez on this surface will have really hurt. The numbers have been pretty poor this season as far as the hard courts go and David Goffin may find it tough to stick with Lorenzo Musetti.

The Italian is the World Number 10, although the match up with David Goffin is not one that will overwhelm the veteran.

Long rallies are to be expected, but Lorenzo Musetti's freshness is crucial and he has previously beaten David Goffin in New York City. That was back in 2022 and there is no doubt that Musetti has improved, while Goffin has declined, since they last played one another here.

Last year, David Goffin did beat Lorenzo Musetti at the Shanghai Masters so he cannot be dismissed, although it is the higher Ranked player who is getting a bit more out of his serve and is the superior return player at this stage of their careers.

Lorenzo Musetti came through an awkward First Round match in impressive fashion, although he has yet to really show his best in the Grand Slams played in Australian and the United States. This may change over the course of this tournament and the expectation out of this match is that Musetti can rack up the breaks of serve which eventually will pull him past what is a big line on paper.

David Goffin has played some of his best tennis on the hard courts in 2025 when facing the best- he pushed Carlos Alcaraz very hard at the Indian Wells Masters in March- but the form this summer has been very disappointing and that may show up on the scoreboard of this Second Round match.

Alexander Zverev - 6.5 games v Jacob Fearnley: 2025 will have felt like the first real tear on the Tour as far as Jacob Fearnley is concerned, despite the huge leap in the World Rankings made in 2024.

However, that was a time when the British player was really fighting it through a lower level than the main Tour and this is the first year that Jacob Fearnley has been Ranked high enough to earn direct entry into the Grand Slam events. He has taken advatnage by reaching the Third Round at the Australian Open and Jacob Fearnley also won matches at the French Open.

Like many American players, Jacob Fearnley has taken the College route into the pro Tour and was playing with the TCU Horned Frogs to build up his experience. That should mean he is pretty accustomed to the North American hard courts and getting the better of a veteran in the First Round will certainly provide confidence.

The New York City crowd can get a little rowdy, especially late into the evening, and so Jacob Fearnley has done really well to get the better of Roberto Bautista Agut.

He had not shown a lot of form in the lead up to the US Open though and Fearnley will be wella ware of the kind of challenges he will face in this Second Round match.

It was Alexander Zverev who beat Jacob Fearnley at the Australian Open in January and the World Number 3 was also a convincing winner over this opponent at the Miami Masters.

Semi Final runs at both Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati in preparation for the US Open shows that Alexander Zverev's game is in good shape and he is a former Finalist at the US Open. In fact this remains the Major he came closest to winning in his career and the German is very comfortable in the conditions at Flushing Meadows, which makes him a strong favourite in this match.

The overall hard court numbers have been impressive as far as Alexander Zverev is concerned and he can only take further confidence from the way he has dealt with Jacob Fearnley in the two hard court meetings in 2025. There has been a big difference in the quality of serving taken onto the court and Alexander Zverev should be able to maintain the momentum behind the returning numbers in the head to head.

Jacob Fearnley will want to show how much he has learned from the two losses to this opponent, but he will need to find a significant improvement in level. That seems unlikely and the World Number 3 can earn the breaks of serve to move into a position to put a dominant win on the scoreboard.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 1.5 sets v Daniel Altmaier: The fourth set was harder than it needed to be when Stefanos Tsitsipas missed six opportunities to move a double-break clear, and then dropped serve immediately. It meant having to come through a tie-breaker, but that may actually benefit a player who has been short of confidence and just act as a reminder of the talent he does possess.

The World Ranking has been trending south, but Stefanos Tsitsipas has a chance to turn things around having been beaten in the First Round at the US Open last year.

There are still some doubts about Stefanos Tsitsipas and where his confidence is right now, but he should have all of the qualities needed to beat Daniel Altmaier in this Second Round match.

The World Number 56 had been showing little form in the lead up to the US Open and had won two and lost five of the matches played across five different tournaments. With that in mind, not many would have picked Daniel Altmaier to even make it through to the Second Round and so credit has to be given to him for winning in five sets having dug deep for almost five hours on the court.

One day of rest should be enough for Daniel Altmaier to recover, but there is no doubt that he is going to have left something out on the court in the First Round.

He serves well enough to at least give a limited returner like Stefanos Tsitsipas something to think about, but, just like the First Round opponent faced by the Greek player, you do have to wonder if Daniel Altmaier's return game is good enough. In 2025 on this surface, Altmaier is winning just 35% of return points played, and he may struggled to get much joy out of the serve he is facing on Day 5 at the US Open.

That was the case in their sole previous meeting at the French Open in 2024 and the faster surfaces at the US Open are not expected to make things any easier for the lower Ranked player.

Like in the First Round, the expectation is that Stefanos Tsitsipas' serve is the difference maker between the players and a potentially fatigued opponent may struggle to win more than a set.

Karen Khachanov - 5.5 games v Kamil Majchrzak: This is a selection where the hope was that a market would be released to back Karen Khachanov to win by either three or four sets.

Instead the layers seem to be on top of the dominance that Karen Khachanov has enjoyed against this opponent and he should have enough tools to win this one convincingly too.

Karen Khachanov has beaten Kamil Majchrzak at both the French Open and Wimbledon in the past with the latter win coming in the tournament last month.

The service numbers in the four meetings on the Tour are heavily skewed in favour of the World Number 9, while the performances in the lead up to the US Open have also impressed. There is no doubt that Karen Khachanov is playing with a lot of confidence right now and that will make it very tough on Kamil Majchrzak to turn things around in the head to head.

Kamil Majchrzak has had some successes on the hard courts this year, but those have largely been at Challenger level and this is only the third match against a top 100 Ranked opponent on the surface in 2025. He is 1-1 in those previous matches with both being played in Winston Salem last week, but this is a big step up and Majchrzak has not enjoyed the match up.

He should be able to serve well enough to be competitive in a set, but Karen Khachanov will be confident he can deal with what's coming and the top ten Ranked player can find a way to grind down this opponent and move clear of the handicap line.

MY PICKS: Tommy Paul - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Lorenzo Musetti - 6.5 Games @ 1.70 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Alexander Zverev - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (2 Units)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 1.5 Sets @ 1.66 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Karen Khachanov - 5.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)

US Open Update: 12-4, + 11.84 Units (31 Units Staked, + 38.19% Yield)

US Open Tennis Day 4 Picks 2025 (Wednesday 27th August)

Let's just say it was long odds against for every selection to be returned as a winner from the US Open tournament and so the perfect run had to end sooner rather than later.

However, it could be said that the two to fall by the wayside have both been a touch unfortunate.

Gael Monfils looked to have the momentum going into the final set against Roman Safiullin, but the veteran lost a tight decider 6-4.

And the Naomi Osaka match would certainly have seen her cover if she had taken one of the host of game points she had when leading 2-0 in the second set- at that moment, Osaka had all of the momentum having won the last four games of the first set and it would have been a long road back for Greet Minnen.

Ultimately it was not to be and Naomi Osaska missed the cover by a single game.

Fortunately Stefanos Tsitsipas did help complete a very solid First Round at the US Open and it looks like Day 4 is going to be the 'busiest' in terms of selections made.

With most of the top names still in action, there is plenty of star power wherever you look around the courts, and hopefully more winners to find for the Tennis Picks on these pages.

Novak Djokovic - 7.5 games v Zachary Svajda: The final scoreline did not paint a full picture for fans of Novak Djokovic and there will have been some concern with the way he was moving during the second set. The former World Number 1 admitted that he had some physical issues during that period of the First Round win over Learner Tien and it is felt that the lack of tennis between Wimbledon and the US Open has perhaps been a factor.

Having that win on the board and the stronger level produced in the third set will be cause for optimism and Novak Djokovic can work his way into the tournament.

Being one of the higher Seeds means avoiding the really big challengers until having at least two or three matches under the feet and Novak Djokovic is a considerable favourite in this Second Round contest.

Credit should always be given to any player that has won three Qualifying matches to earn a spot in the main draw at a Grand Slam and Zachary Svajda also earned a straight sets win in the First Round. This is going to offer him a real boost in the World Rankings, but the 22 year old American is going to need Novak Djokovic to have a considerable 'off' day if he is going to spring the upset.

The fans are certainly going to get behind the home player, while Zachary Svajda should take confidence from the fact he took a set from Jiri Lehecka in Washington and then won a title on the hard courts at Challenger level in Lexington.

He has played well enough on a familiar surface, but Zachary Svajda is going to have to serve a lot more efficiently than usual if he is going to put Novak Djokovic under any kind of pressure. Going up against arguably the best return player of all time will put the young American's serve under the microscope and the second serve in particular feels like it could be a vulnerability.

There is no doubt that Novak Djokovic is going to feel he has to show improvement if he is going to win a twenty-fifth Major here in New York City, but he did have a lot of success against the Learner Tien serve and he can back that up here. Serving with more authority should also be on Djokovic's mind, and he has had two days to prepare for this Second Round match, which should also be important to the Serb.

Much like his compatriot, Zachary Svajda may push Novak Djokovic for a set, but it could be tough to stick with a player who is very aware of conserving some early energy by making sure he does not need four or five sets to progress. A vulnerable serve is expected to be attacked with aggression by Novak Djokovic and he may create enough Break Point chances to eventually win this match and cover the handicap mark that has been set.

Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 games v Mattia Bellucci: The new buzzcut sported by Carlos Alcaraz was talk of the New York City crowd on Day 2 of the US Open, but the Spaniard made sure his tennis did plenty of talking too.

Beating Reilly Opelka may not have been unsurprising, but the performance was very good from the Cincinnati Champion and Carlos Alcaraz is looking for a much better run here than last year.

He faces a different kind of challenge in the Second Round compared with the monster serving that Reilly Opelka will bring to the court and this may actually be a more comfortable match up for Carlos Alcaraz.

Mattia Bellucci is the World Number 65 and the lefty has won a title on the hard courts this summer, albeit at the Challenger level. The Italian reached a career best World Ranking mark last month and an upset on Wednesday will see him move past that, although Mattia Bellucci is going to have to find another level if he is going to beat the World Number 2.

He did not make the main draw at the Australian Open earlier this year and early losses at Masters tournaments, including in Toronto and Cincinnati, makes it tough to believe Mattia Bellucci is going to be capable of pushing Carlos Alcaraz too hard. Mattia Bellucci is just 3-6 in hard court matches against top 100 Ranked opponents, while the service numbers have dipped worryingly in those matches.

Winning less than 58% of points played behind serve is not going to do Mattia Bellucci many favours against someone like Carlos Alcaraz, and especially not when you consider how much the Italian has struggled on the returning side of his tennis against the very best on the Tour.

Carlos Alcaraz can sometimes be guilty of losing focus in early Rounds, even at Grand Slam level, and he drops more sets at this stage of a Major than you would imagine. Even in the win over Opelka, there were times when sloppiness crept into the Alcaraz game as he tried to keep the crowd engaged and that makes covering lines like this a bit more challenging than it should be.

However, it is hard to believe Mattia Bellucci can push Carlos Alcaraz for long enough to prevent the World Number 2 from putting a run of games together. One competitive set would not be a massive surprise, but Alcaraz is capable of blitzing through another and that may be enough to set him up for a cover of this line.

Jessica Pegula - 5.5 games v Anna Blinkova: At 31 years old, some may feel that Jessica Pegula's hopes of winning a Grand Slam title may be fading.

The US Open may represent her best chance of doing that having reached the Final twelve months ago before losing narrowly to Aryna Sabalenka, although it has been a poor Grand Slam year for the American. She has only reached the Fourth Round at the French Open, but Pegula suffered early upsets in Melbourne and London and so there is some pressure on her.

She may be the World Number 4 and so Seeded to reach the Semi Final, but Jessica Pegula has made one Quarter Final in her last seven Grand Slam tournaments. Confidence will come from the fact that she reached that Round, and beyond, here at the US Open last year, but it has not been the best summer for Jessica Pegula.

Her opening match was pretty impressive, but another level will be needed when facing Anna Blinkova who is the World Number 80 who upset Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open in 2024.

However, Anna Blinkova has struggled to reach that level consistently since then and she has lost four of the five hard court matches played since Wimbledon in the lead up to the US Open. Like her opponent in the Second Round, Anna Blinkova was a strong First Round winner, but will also be well aware that she needs to be considerably better if she is going to extend her stay at the tournament.

In 2025, Anna Blinkova has really struggled when facing top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts and her service numbers have taken a serious hit in those matches.

One of those defeats was against Jessica Pegula in Austin back in February and Anna Blinkova was only able to win four games.

She may do a little better in this Second Round match at the US Open, although Jessica Pegula has won three of their previous four hard court matches. Two of those wins have been in pretty dominant fashion and the feeling is that this is a match that will be played on the Pegula racquet.

As long as she can serve as well as she can on the hard courts, Jessica Pegula should be able to have enough successes on the return of serve to ensure not only a win, but a cover of this wide line set.

Belinda Bencic - 3.5 games v Ann Li: It feels like Ann Li has been around a lot longer than her 26 years of age would suggest and the American has yet to crack the top 40 in the World Rankings.

The run to the Final in Cleveland in the final week ahead of the US Open will have given the American some confidence and she has maintained some momentum by winning in the First Round.

This is on the back of losing early in Montreal and Cincinnati, but Li has shown she is a capable performer on the hard courts having reached the Final in Singapore as well as in Cleveland. However, it has been challenging for Ann Li to face top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts, while she had lost in the First Round three times and been beaten in the Qualifiers in her last four appearances at the US Open before beating Rebecca Sramkova this year.

Ann Li has struggled to make an impact at Grand Slam level in any of the four Majors and now has to face Belinda Bencic who reached the Wimbledon Semi Final.

Two early defeats in the build up to the US Open will have just slowed the momentum that Bencic had earned last month in London, but she was a comfortable First Round winner and the Swiss player has enjoyed playing in New York City.

Before the run in Wimbledon, Belinda Bencic had only reached the Quarter Final at the US Open having done that twice and also been a Semi Finalist previously. Some may not enjoy the conditions at the US Open, but that is not the case for Bencic and she can find a way to get the better of the lower Ranked player.

Recent results have not been the best, but over the course of the season Belinda Bencic has shown her competence on a hard court and the level is one that Ann Li may struggle to match.

The latter is someone who can push even the best players, but Belinda Bencic may find the edges at key moments and that can see her through with a win and a cover of the handicap mark set.

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 games v Anastasia Potapova: You don't want to read too much into Mirra Andreeva's win over Alycia Parks considering how poorly the latter dealt with the occasion, but the teenager can continue her march through the US Open draw.

Even the Andreeva team are going to be expecting a lot more resistance from Anastasia Potapova, although the World Number 53 will have to find a better level if she is going to earn the upset.

Prior to the First Round win, Anastasia Potapova had lost six of seven hard court matches going back to April and she is an inconsistent player on the surface. The 1-3 record against top 20 Ranked opponents has to be a concern for Potapova, while her returning numbers in those matches has put a lot of pressure on the serve.

A player like Mirra Andreeva is the kind of return player that can add to that pressure, especially as she has a serve that is improving all of the time and she can get the better of her compatriot in this Second Round match.

Winning titles in Dubai and Indian Wells is a big reminder of the talent that Mirra Andreeva has, although she did lose her only match played on the surface between Wimbledon and the US Open. Back to back appearances at the US Open have ended in the Second Round, which will be on the mind of the younger player, but the World Number 5 has to believe she can get the better of the opponent in front of her.

In matches played against players Ranked outside of the top 20 on the hard courts in 2025, Mirra Andreeva has won sixteen out of eighteen.

At 18 years old you cannot be surprised that Mirra Andreeva can perhaps go wandering mentally within a match, but she has very strong numbers against players she is expected to beat and can get on top of Anastasia Potapova here.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 7.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 Games @ 1.61 William Hill (2 Units)

Jessica Pegula - 5.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)

Belinda Bencic - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Mirra Andreeva - 5.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Brandon Nakashima - 1.5 Sets @ 1.61 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Adrian Mannarino - 1.5 Sets @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)

US Open Update: 7-2, + 7.82 Units (17 Units Staked, + 46% Yield)