The top half of the draw dominates the schedule at Flushing Meadows on Thursday and following some big name departures on Wednesday, this year’s Open has many potential winners. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal headline the card on Thursday and with both men on course to meet in the semi-finals, for the first ever time at the US Open, it promises to be another day of drama and intrigue. With a place in round 3 on the line it’s sure to be another fascinating day in the Big Apple:
Match Betting: Roger Federer vs Mikhail Youzhny
19 time Grand Slam champion Federer is looking to add an unprecedented 20th Grand Slam to his collection but had to work to come through round one against Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday evening. He will be aware of the need to up his game and will have to ensure his serving and groundstrokes are water tight as he meets the wily Russian, Mikhail Youzhny. Now ranked just inside the top 100, Youzhny is very much in the twilight of his career but has a game to match anyone on his day.
Head to Head
Federer has a phenomenal 16:0 record over Youzhny with their first ATP tour meeting taking place in Stockholm over 17 years ago. Federer is 1/25 to make it 17 on the bounce with William Hill whilst Youzhny will be fully aware of the task at hand at 14/1 with Bet 365.
Top Bet
Federer wasn’t at his best in round 1 but could slip through the gears here – backing the Swiss legend to win by 3 sets 0 and serve the most aces in the match looks good as a double at 1.42 with 888 Bet.
Taylor Fritz vs Dominic Thiem
Two of the hottest properties on the ATP tour meet on Thursday and with Fritz having had a day less of rest than Thiem, it could be interesting to see how the rain-affected players on Tuesday deal with the schedule on Thursday. Fritz has home support and seems to enjoy the quicker hard courts in the US whilst Thiem is seeded 6 here in New York and has enjoyed a remarkable season – reaching the semi-finals at Roland Garros being the undisputed highlight.
Head to Head
This is the first ATP tour level meeting between these 2 men and it promises to be a fascinating encounter. Thiem’s extra experience and knowhow at this level justifies his favouritism at 1/5 with Paddy Power whilst Fritz will be keen to show his worth at 7/2 with Sky Bet.
Top Bet
Don’t be at all surprised if this one is closer than people think. Despite his inexperience, Fritz is a tricky customer and could trouble Thiem – backing the match to go to 4 sets or more looks good at Evens with Betfair.
Rafael Nadal vs Taro Daniel
Number 1 seed Nadal had to work hard in his opening round win over Dusan Lajovic in round 1 but came through comfortably enough in the end. His performances on all court surfaces don’t seem to reach the same heights he can do on the clay – but he should be strong enough to mount a serious charge here in New York. Daniel has had a breakthrough year on the tour and is now operating well inside the world’s top 100 which guarantees him Grand Slam qualification which in turn means money and ranking points.
Head to Head
This is the maiden meeting between these 2 men which will take place on the Arthur Ashe court which should play into Nadal’s favour. The Spaniard is 1/66 with Ladbrokes for the win whilst Daniel has it all to do at 20/1 with Bet 365.
Top Bet
Nadal should simply have too much for Daniel here – his strength and all round game should blow the Japanese man away – backing Nadal to win and under 24.5 games in the match looks savvy at 1/3 with Uni Bet.
Accumulator Bet
There are 16 matches to choose from so here’s our men’s round 2 accumulator:
Alexandr Dolgopolov vs Tomas Berdych – Berdych to win
Adrian Mannarino vs Bjorn Fratangelo – Mannarino to win
David Goffin vs Guido Pella – Goffin to win
Yuichi Sugita vs Leonardo Mayer –Sugita to win
Backing these 4 players to win pays 3.76/1 with Marathon Bet.