The 2024 U.S. Open continues Tuesday with non-stop action starting at 11 a.m. and going deep into the New York night.
Day 2 is headlined by Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, but we’ll focus on a pair of big underdogs that have the potential to make some noise on the outer courts.
Fabio Fognini (+320) vs. Tomas Machac (-425) (Approximately 1 p.m. ET)
There is nobody on the ATP Tour quite like Fognini.
A mercurial talent who leans more towards showman than athlete, he has entertained the tennis-loving public for the better part of two decades with his shot-making, crowd work and on-court antics.
Unfortunately, the Fognini experience is nearing its conclusion as the Italian is 37 years old and well past his salad days.
That said, Fognini has showed a bit of a resurgence over the last few months and enjoyed a signature win over World No. 8 Casper Ruud at Wimbledon in July. A five-set loss to Roberto Bautista Agut stopped Fognini from making a quarterfinal, but it was a reminder that Fognini does have the game to cause problems against better players.
That alone makes Fognini an intriguing underdog against Tomas Machac.
A terrific doubles player, Machac has had some encouraging runs in singles but nothing of note at Flushing Meadows just yet for the 23-year-old.
And what makes this a particularly tricky challenge for Machac is that Fognini will have a boisterous crowd supporting him on the intimate, outer courts at Arthur Ashe Tennis Center. It’s a tailor-made situation for Fognini, who will certainly lean into the atmosphere in what could be his final US Open appearance.
The odds tell us that this is Machac’s match to lose, but the young Czech will have his hands full with a wily opponent Tuesday afternoon.
The Bet: Fognini (+320, DraftKings)
Corentin Moutet (+350) vs. Sebastian Korda (-465) (Approximately 3 p.m. ET)
There just aren’t many players on the ATP Tour like Moutet.
A fiery Frenchman, Moutet is listed at 5-foot-11 and doesn’t possess the raw power or athleticism of many of his contemporaries. He makes up for that in spades with his craftsmanship, creativity and willingness to grind down his opponents. Moutet’s greatest attributes are his head and heart.
That makes the 25-year-old quite a tough matchup for World No. 16 Korda.
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Korda, 24, has enjoyed a terrific North American hard-court season with a title in Washington and a semifinal appearance at the Canada Masters.
But those kinds of results shouldn’t be too surprising for Korda.
The American is an athletic dynamo and has seemed on the cusp of stardom for years, but his struggles with consistency and injuries have slowed down his progress. Additionally, Korda often puts himself in precarious situations on the court and can lose control of matches by getting in his own head.
That’s not a recipe for success against a player like Moutet, who thrives at keeping his opponents guessing with creative shots and a unique approach.
Korda has every chance of overwhelming Moutet with his power and athleticism, but if the Frenchman can hang in and drag Korda into the deep end of the pool, this could be a really awkward matchup for the favorite.
The Bet: Moutet (+350, FanDuel)
