The tennis season’s fourth and final Grand Slam is underway in New York. Betting opportunities abound as first-round US Open action continues on Monday and Tuesday.

(All odds provided by Sportsbook.ag)

Benjamin Becker (-160) vs. Lukas Rosol (+120)

The curse of upsetting Rafael Nadal at a Grand Slam may be a real thing. Steve Darcis did it in round one at Wimbledon earlier this summer then withdrew from his next match due to a shoulder injury. He has not played a single match since. Rosol accomplished the feat last season at the All-England Club and has virtually not been heard from again. The Czech has lost an almost hard to believe eight matches in a row dating back to mid-June.

Interestingly enough, the streak of eight consecutive setbacks began with none other than Becker (in the second round of a grass-court event at Queen’s Club). The German is 2-0 lifetime against Rosol, with both wins coming this season in straight sets. Becker is no stranger to famous upsets himself. He ended Andre Agassi’s career in round three of the 2006 US Open. The 32-year-old is no longer at the top his game, but he showed recent good form with successful qualification in both Montreal and Cincinnati.

Pick: Becker

Juan Monaco (-145) vs. Florian Mayer (+105)

Mayer leads the head-to-head series 5-2, but Monaco took care of him in four sets earlier this year during Davis Cup action. Monaco has not lost in the opening round of a tournament since Roland Garros, and he finished runner-up at an event in Kitzbuhel last month. The Argentine is generally at his best on clay, but he has twice advanced to the fourth round of the US Open.

“Funky Flo,” meanwhile, is in a huge funk right now. Accustomed to being seeded at Grand Slams, Mayer finds himself down at No. 47 in the world due to a 19-20 record for the year. He has played only three hard-court matches this summer, compiling a 1-2 record. The German is a horrendous 4-7 lifetime in Flushing Meadows.

Pick: Monaco
Alexandr Dolgopolov (-180) vs. David Goffin (+140)

Dolgopolov suffers from a rare condition called Gilbert’s Syndrome, which occasionally saps his energy from virtually out of nowhere. As such, you never know what you are going to get from him on any given day. He’s been playing like a man low on fuel this season, with a disappointing 19-20 record that has him down at No. 37 in the world.

Goffin is not the kind of player you want to go up against in a five-setter amidst hot conditions if you may be dealing with physical problems. A human backboard of sorts, Goffin is not playing as well as he did during his breakout 2012 campaign. However, the 22-year-old Belgian appears to be heating up this summer with successful qualification in Montreal, Cincinnati (reached the third round), and Winston-Salem.
Pick: Goffin

Michelle Larcher de Brito (-240) vs. Eleni Daniilidou (+180)

Larcher de Brito is simply unwatchable. Her screams when hitting the ball make those of Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka sound like child’s play. The Portuguese 20-year-old is, however, a smart play on the betting front. At least she is in round one of the US Open. Larcher de Brito qualified at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and she reached the third round at the All-England Club, upsetting the aforementioned Sharapova in the process.

It has been a rough year for Daniilidou, who has not won a match since the first round of Wimbledon qualifying. The 30 year old from Greece does not have a main-draw victory since the Nottingham event in early June. Daniilidou has not advanced to the second round of the US Open since 2007.

Pick: Larcher de Brito

Varvara Lepchenko (-300) vs. Alexandra Dulgheru (+220)

Ever since becoming an American citizen and playing under the USA flag rather under that of Uzbekistan, Lepchenko has been a mainstay in the Top 40 of the world. In fact, she missed out on a US Open seed by exactly one spot. Lepchenko has lost in the first round in just one of her last four tournaments, and that was in Carlsbad to eventual champion Samantha Stosur.

Dulgheru has not won a main-draw match on a hard court since Indian Wells in March. The Romanian is coming off a first-round exit in Toronto and a qualifying loss in Cincinnati. She is a decent 3-3 lifetime at the US Open, while Lepchenko enjoyed her best performance in New York last year—advancing two rounds before falling to Stosur.

Pick: Lepchenko

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