8/30 US Open Parlay
Shelton & Tiafoe OVER 3.5 sets/Djokovic ML (-156)
Last night’s parlay didn’t go as planned, I wasn’t expecting Alcaraz to get upset and beat in straight sets. Thats the beauty of sports, in our case it was a nightmare, regardless I have another parlay for this afternoon into tonight.
Let’s get into the first leg of this parlay, a match that should be much more completive that Djoker and one that I’m really looking forward to watching. Shelton is favored and probably rightfully so as he is arguably the better player and he made it to the quarter finals in this very tournament last year, but Tiafoe is no slouch. Francis is fresh off a runner up to Jannik Sinner in the Cincinnati Open final just a few weeks ago and is looking to make another run at a title in New York.
These two have faced each other twice, once in 2023 at the US Open and once this season in Houston. Ben Shelton has won both matchups, but both have gone more than the minimal sets. In 2023 at the US Open (best of 5) they went four sets with Shelton winning 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 and went three sets in Houston (best of 3) with Shelton also winning that 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. Both of these guys have talent to win this match and there isn’t really much that separate them, this is anyone’s match. Unless we get a god like performance from either player this is a slam dunk, I can’t see either guy folding or losing in straight sets.
This has the potential to go five sets and end under the sunset of New York City.
Onto the second leg, a match that I thought would be a cake walk for Novak but, after watching Alcaraz get upset, anything can happen. Alcaraz is a great player, and he is the best player in the world in my opinion but the beauty of backing Djokovic is his experience. Alcaraz may be the better player at the moment, but he is still young and more susceptible to upsets like the one last night, Novak has been around the block, and it will take a valiant effort to upset him in that fashion.
Novak owns the lifetime head-to-head of 3-0 against Popyrin and beat him twice this season, both times in majors. Once at the Australian Open where he won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 and the second at Wimbledon winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6. Both matches were won in 4 sets in a best of 5 format. While Djokovic is my pick to win the tournament outright, Popyrin will be no walkover despite their history.
While Popyrin had a disappointing Cincinnati Open, losing in the first round in straight sets, he has bounced back with two really good performances in the first two rounds of the US Open. Winning 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 in the opening round and 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 in the second round. Novak is a different beast but these are pretty decent numbers through two rounds. Popyrin also won the Canadian Open in the beginning of the month, beating #11 Shelton, #7 Dimitrov, #4 Hurkacz and #5 Rublev in route to that title. He has the skill to challenge Djokovic but at the end of the day he’s playing the best player of all time and someone who has looked impeccable to start this tournament, his run ends here. GL.
