3 Best US Open Bets and Predictions for Day 2

The final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, is underway this week.

We should see plenty of fun matches and storylines emerge in the coming days, and FanDuel Sportsbook has US Open odds for all the matches over the next two weeks.

Let's see which first-round matches could have the most betting value on Monday.

You can also check out our 2025 US Open men's bracket and women's bracket, both available as free printable downloads at FanDuel Research.

US Open Betting Picks for Day 2

Venus Williams vs. Karolina Muchova

Over 18.5 Total Match Games (-110)

It's pretty cool -- and remarkable -- that Venus Williams will be competing in this US Open at age 45, and she will lead off the night session on Arthur Ashe against Karolina Muchova.

Williams has played sparingly since the start of 2020, and this will be just her fourth match since returning to the court in July. The good news is she did win one of her three matches, defeating fellow American Peyton Stearns, who was ranked 35th at the time.

Muchova is hardly the kind of opponent anyone wants to see in the first round, and she's been a US Open semifinalist in each of the past two campaigns. That being said, injuries have plagued her throughout her career, and since her latest setback, she's gone just 4-5 dating back to May, which includes first-round exits at both the French Open and Wimbledon.

While it's difficult to know what kind of level Williams will bring to the table tonight, her recent victory suggests the gas tank isn't completely empty, and she might be catching her opponent at a good time. We shouldn't expect Venus to ultimately prevail, but she should be able to hang in there long enough to get this to 19+ total games.

Sebastian Ofner vs. Casper Ruud

Ruud -5.5 Games (-122)

Casper Ruud missed Wimbledon due to an injury and has logged a 3-3 record across his last three events, so he's unlikely to make a deep run here. However, he looked healthy in the US Open mixed doubles tournament last week, finishing runner-up alongside Iga Swiatek, which is a positive sign ahead of his first-round match.

Just as importantly, he's running into an opponent who's had a disastrous summer. Sebastian Ofner enters the US Open on a six-match losing streak, which includes going 0-3 in all three of his hard-court matches.

While Ruud is a former finalist at the US Open, the 29-year-old Ofner has never advanced past the second round. Ofner also has an underwhelming 16-22 career record on hard courts.

Ruud is also 2-0 in the head-to-head against Ofner.

Even if Ruud isn't at his peak form, this is a matchup he should win comfortably. Tennis Abstract projects an 85.3% win probability for the Norwegian.

Reilly Opelka vs. Carlos Alcaraz

Over 34.5 Total Match Games (-112)

Carlos Alcaraz is a -2000 favorite and is being given a 95.3% win probability over Reilly Opelka on Tennis Abstract. It's safe to say it would be a big shocker to see Alcaraz lose this first-round encounter on Monday night.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean this will be a walk in the park for the world No. 2 against one of the sport's most lethal servers.

A quick look at Opelka's match log shows scores littered with 7-6 or 7-5 sets, as the self-proclaimed "servebot" owns a 19.5% ace rate over the last 52 weeks -- easily the best of anyone in the top 100 -- and that jumps to 21.2% on hard courts. Even for an elite returner like Alcaraz, breaking the 6'11" American won't be easy.

Further, Alcaraz has earned a reputation of often being a slow starter in Grand Slams, dropping sets to players you would normally expect him to cruise past. At this year's first round at Wimbledon, he came dangerously close to getting bounced in a surprise five-setter versus a 38-year-old Fabio Fognini. Even worse, at the 2024 US Open, he went four sets versus a qualifier in his opener and then lost in the second round to Botic van de Zandschulp.

At his size, Opelka is likely to fade in a best-of-five match against someone like Alcaraz, but it isn't outlandish to think he could force some long sets or even steal one. With that in mind, we ought to see this one extend over 34.5 total games.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.