US Open 2023: Tennis best bets for Giron vs. Davidovich Fokina, Stephens vs. Haddad Maia, Karatsev v

By Zachary Cohen (VSiN.com Senior Editor) Follow @BettingOnX

The US Open is the final major of the year and it's arguably the most exciting of the four Grand Slams. There's just something special about this tournament being played in Flushing Meadows, New York, where the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center serves as one of the greatest venues in the sport. The drama of the night matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium can't be replicated anywhere else. And there's a lot of buzz heading into this year's tournament, with young stars Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek looking to defend their titles. Plus, the return of Novak Djokovic should be thrilling to watch. With that out of the way, I'm hoping to continue dishing out winners over the next two weeks, so make sure you keep reading for my tennis best bets for Monday, August 28th.

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The last time we saw Davidovich Fokina, the Spaniard had to retire after losing the first set in his opening-round match against Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati. And the match before that, Davidovich Fokina was a complete no-show in a semi-final showdown with Alex De Minaur in Toronto. Truth be told, Davidovich Fokina looked like he was dealing with something in that match too. With that in mind, I don’t exactly trust that the Spaniard is healthy heading into the US Open. That makes it hard not to like Giron to push him to the limit and potentially even steal this match.

Giron is a solid player from the baseline, and he puts a lot of balls back in play. That should really wear on Davidovich Fokina. And on top of that physical wear and tear, there could be some emotional exhaustion. This crowd is going to be rooting heavily for the American Giron, which could get to Davidovich Fokina. Overall, I think this one is going five sets and I’m sprinkling a little on Giron to win.

Bet: Giron +1.5 Sets (+140) & Giron To Win (+250 - 0.5 units)

Stephens is a player that a lot of people will want to bet on, as she’s an American and you’d think that she’ll find a way to raise her game in New York. Honestly, it’s completely possible she will. After all, she did win this tournament back in 2017. But I still don’t think that will be enough for her to beat Haddad Maia, who is a really tricky matchup for her.

Stephens hasn’t been a top player in the women’s game in quite some time, but she has shown some signs of life in 2023. The problem is that she still goes through stretches in which she really overhits the ball, so she can rack up unforced errors in a hurry. That’s not a good thing when playing against Haddad Maia, who is one of the most relentless defenders in the women’s game. She’s going to make Stephens hit a lot of extra balls in this match, and I don’t think the American has the precision to come through in a match like that. That’s why Haddad Maia beat her 6-3, 6-3 when the two met in Acapulco in 2019.

Haddad Maia is also a much better server than Stephens, so she should be a bit more reliable in her service games. That’s another thing that’s hard to ignore, which is why I’m playing this match a little bigger than the others.

Bet: Haddad Maia ML (-130 - 2 units)

Karatsev is currently the 76th-ranked player in the world, but I genuinely believe he’s a top-25 talent in the men’s game. He just has so much power from the baseline, and he’s a very good returner. That makes him a player that can be very difficult to beat when he’s on his game. And I think Lehecka is in a world of trouble against the Russian in Flushing Meadows.

Lehecka made it all the way to the final in Winston-Salem last week, with the tournament ending with him losing to Sebastian Baez. I thought that Lehecka looked like he ran out of steam in that match, which isn’t a good thing considering he only had one day to rest before the US Open. If Lehecka isn’t operating at 100% here, Karatsev is going to beat him — and he might do it rather easily.

Karatsev hasn’t won a lot of matches in recent weeks, but he should turn it on here. This will just come down to how well the Russian is serving. He can occasionally struggle with double faults, but he’ll win this match if he can avoid that.

Bet: Karatsev ML (+145)

2023 Overall Record: 256-235 (+32.95 units)

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