There will be a first-time US Open champion on the men’s side this year, and there’s a chance it will be an American.
Frances Tiafoe will represent the US in the round of four, taking on the wildly athletic and crowd-dazzling Carlos Alcaraz of Spain today, Sept. 9 at Flushing Meadows. The other match will feature Norwegian Casper Ruud facing off against Russia’s Karen Khachanov.
Both Ruud and Alcaraz have a chance to take over the world No. 1 with a championship appearance, and Alcaraz would become the youngest player in history to achieve the ranking at 19 years and four months of age.
All four semi-finalists are currently playing top-shelf tennis, so we can look forward to some feverish Friday action on the hard court. Let’s break down Friday’s matches and best bets. All New York sports betting operators will have odds for the tennis.
US Open Semifinals Odds and Match Previews
Here are the latest odds from FanDuel NY for this year’s men’s US Open champion.
- Carlos Alcaraz (-120)
- Casper Ruud (+300)
- Frances Tiafoe (+410)
- Karen Khachanov (+650)
Karen Khachanov vs. Casper Ruud – Friday, Sept. 9, 3 p.m. ET
- FanDuel NY (Khachanov +164, Ruud -200)
- DraftKings NY (Khachanov +170, Ruud -210)
- BetMGM NY (Khachanov +160, Rudd -200)
- Caesars NY (Khachanov +160, Ruud -200)
Norway’s Casper Ruud is on a quest for not just his first Grand Slam title but also a chance to become the first Norwegian to top the world rankings. With a victory against Karen Khachanov on Friday, Ruud would claim his 44th win of the season and have a chance to crown himself as the world No. 1.
It won’t be easy, though, as Khachanov is playing his best tennis in years. The Russian disposed of the then tournament favorite Nick Kyrgios in a five-set epic on Tuesday to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. Khachanov has four career titles and was a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.
The two competitors have met just once before, with Ruud claiming victory in Rome in 2020. This match has ‘grind’ written all over it, and we like it to go the distance. There’s too much value not to take the Russian in this one: Khachanov in five sets.
Alternative bets from FanDuel:
- Total Match Games 40.5: (Over -120, Under -135)
- To win 1st set and win match: (Khachanov +270, Ruud +102)
- Total sets 3.5: (Over -215, Under +156)
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Frances Tiafoe – Friday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m. ET
- FanDuel NY (Alcaraz -200, Tiafoe +162)
- DraftKings NY (Alcaraz -200, Tiafoe +160)
- BetMGM NY (Alcaraz -200, Tiafoe +160)
- Caesars NY (Alcaraz -200, Tiafoe +160)
Carlos Alcaraz is fresh off one of the most exhilarating (and longest) matches the US Open has ever seen. Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner put on a show on Wednesday night in a match that went into the wee hours of the morning. The 19-year-old Spanish phenom finally finished Sinner off at 2:50 a.m. after five hours and fifteen minutes of nonstop action.
He’ll now take on the final American remaining in the tournament — Frances Tiafoe. Tiafoe’s quarterfinal match was pedestrian in comparison, as he took care of Russia’s Andrey Rublev in straight sets. Tiafoe is the first American man to reach the semis since 2006 and will look to become the first US men’s Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick in 2003.
The acrobatic Alcaraz deservedly comes in as the favorite but lost to Tiafoe the only time they’ve faced each other. The Spaniard is coming off consecutive five-set matches, and you have to wonder if fatigue will be a factor. Tiafoe has dropped just one set all tournament, so he should be fresh for this one. With the crowd behind him, we like Tiafoe to pull off the upset here.
Alternative bets from DraftKings:
- Total games 1st set 10.5: (Over +155, Under -215)
- Any set to finish 6-0: (+1500)
- First double fault: (Alcaraz -120, Tiafoe -120)
AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
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