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We’ve reached the quarterfinal stage of the year’s final Grand Slam, the US Open. On the men’s side, we’ve got a positively exciting group of young talent while on the women’s side there is a real possibility of an American champion.
Without further ado, let’s get into some picks.
Coco Gauff (+100) vs. Caroline Garcia (-121)
This could easily be the final. For my money, these two are the two best remaining women in the draw, and I’d favor the winner here to go on and win the tournament.
The deciding factor for me is that Gauff’s probably faced a higher level of competition than Garcia. The Frenchwoman didn’t have much hard work to do against Ali Riske, and Bianca Andreescu made far too many errors for her own good. Gauff showcased an exceptional level against fellow American Madison Keys and had to dig very deep against a tricky Shuai Zhang.
Zhang was pummeling the ball deep into the court and tested Gauff’s ability to handle pace. She did, and then some, so I think she should be more than ready against another huge ballstriker in Garcia. She should also have some overwhelming support to make life easier.
Edge: Gauff +100
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Nick Kyrgios (-455) vs. Karen Khachanov (+320)
The last time Kyrgios and Khachanov met in the United States is not really a true indicator of how both men played. It came in Cincinnati years ago, when Kyrgios infamously received point and game penalties against Khachanov, essentially tanking the match due to some incompetence in the chair from Fergus Murphy.
In Australia the year following, Kyrgios and Khachanov played a five-setter, and in that level we saw an incredibly high level from both. While Kyrgios was ranked inside the top 30 and in the third round of a Grand Slam, I think he is objectively in better form at the moment.
Kyrgios is the top player remaining in the draw, and the sportsbooks aren’t really respecting that with this particular line. They’re weighing the head-to-head far too much, and I see Kyrgios taking care of business quite easily.
Edge: Under 39.5
