The second round of the U.S. Open is taking place at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
There's plenty of value in betting on both players as they try to bounce back from disappointing seasons. We view them as valuable underdogs, respectively. Below are our betting predictions for Rublev vs. Linder Kunnek and Shelton vs. Bautista Agut at the U.S. Open on Wednesday.
Match times are subject to change. Find tips for watching US Open matches here.
Betting predictions for Wednesday's U.S. Open
Andrey Rublev (-575) vs Arthur Linderknef (+425)
1:00 PM ET
Arthur Linderknech was playing what he does best on Monday, gritting his teeth and rallying from a 1-2 set deficit to reach his fourth consecutive second round at the U.S. Open.
Now comes the tough part: preventing Andrey Rublev from repeating last season's run to the third round.
The world number six hasn't had his best season yet but has found some form ahead of the US Open, reaching the Montreal final. Still, his second serve remains a major weakness and he seems to be regressing, with his backhand often struggling to get the job done.
Rublev has reached the quarterfinals for the second straight year, but it hasn't been without adventure: He was forced into five sets twice in the first three rounds in 2022 and lost to Daniil Medvedev last year after dropping a set in three of his first four matches. Rublev's first-round win here over lower-ranked Thiago Seybos Wild was also unconvincing, as he went to a tiebreak in the second set before winning the third 7-5.
Rublev has a good record at Grand Slams, but that doesn't mean he has shied away from competition. Linderkunek is a fighter who has applied the lessons he learned at Texas A&M University tennis and, whatever the reason, he very much enjoys competing in this particular tournament.
These two have met twice before, with Lindeczema taking a set from Rublev at last year's U.S. Open before losing a close match 7-6, 6-4 at this year's Citi Open. I expect this to be a close match, as Rublev will likely continue to serve well, at least when it comes to landing first serves, and Lindeczema will likely rely on his heavy serve to get the pace going.
Pick: 36.5 or higher (-120 via DraftKings)
Ben Shelton (-500) vs Roberto Bautista Agut (+380)
2pm ET
Defeating Roberto Bautista Agut is something of a rite of passage for young American tennis players, and Ben Shelton became the latest to accomplish it at this year's Australian Open.
But the match was not without twists and turns, with the Spaniard taking the second set to a tiebreak before losing the third 7-5. It's been a common pattern for Shelton this year, as he has struggled on returns and played shaky tennis, as was seen on Monday when a frail Dominic Thiem held serve with relative ease and the match felt out of hand late in the second set.
Unlike Thiem, Bautista Agut will likely force Shelton to make fewer mistakes and win from the back of the court. This will be a tough match for the American, but I think Bautista Agut is up to the challenge given his recent form.
No, the former top 10 player isn't as strong as he once was, losing three straight matches before his first-round win over Luca Nardi, but those losses were close and each came down to the final round, so it's hard to blame Bautista Agut for his losses to in-form Thanasi Kokkinakis and the talented Holger Run.
I have a lot of faith in Bautista Agut’s return and baseline game, and I expect this match to be a higher total score as Shelton tries to iron things out on Wednesday.
Pick: Over 37.5 games (-110)
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About the Author
Kenny Ducey, a leading expert on tennis betting and MLB handicapping, has developed an online following through his work with the Tennis Channel and his experience covering baseball for Sports Illustrated and Baseball Prospectus. With over a decade of experience that includes covering the New York Knicks and Yankees for Fordham University's WFUV Radio, Ducey writes betting previews for the Action Network and is a digital contributor to the Tennis Channel. He has also worked for NBC Sports and DraftKings.
Follow Kenny Ducey @kennyducey on Twitter/X.
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