Djokovic, Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Thiem Projected For US Open Semifinals

• Without Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal in action, Novak Djokovic is favored to win the 2020 US Open with -125 odds.
• The Youthful Trio of Daniil Medvedev(+600), Dominic Thiem (+750), and Stefanos Tsitsipas (+750) follow close by.

NEW YORK – With the US Open about to kick off action, breaking down the US Open draw is imperative for any tennis bettor attempting to get involved.

Picking a winner between 128 tennis players can always be a challenge, though there are a few big names that should always be considered.

No fans will be in attendance, so hearing the roars of a hometown favorite or listening to the “oohs and ahhs” after a drop shot will certainly be missed.

With the US Open draw released Thursday, early action has already shifted the lines, as they settle into matches that begin at 11 a.m. EST on Monday.

In the first quarter of the men’s US Open draw, Novak Djokovic is expected to make it to the semifinals. Even with 32 players in each quarter, Djokovic is a -325 favorite to win.

Djokovic is truly only matched by three other tennis players in his quarter, though all of them have a combined 3-22 record against the three-time US Open champion.

Though the odds on Djokovic may be high, the first-round matchups for Goffin (Reilly Opelka) and Isner (Steve Johnson) do not give much certainty in their route to take on Djokovic.

With Shapovalov having potentially the easiest route to take on Djokovic in the quarterfinals, tennis betting casuals might take a chance on the Canadian, but the smart money is backing the World Number 1 who is on a historic run in 2020.

In the second quarter, things get a little foggier, as plenty of young talent permeates through this section of the draw.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is favored with EVEN odds but looking at his past Grand Slam results shouldn’t have bettors laying their action with the utmost confidence.

Tsitsipas is a clear future of the sport but is still guided by potential more than results. Getting booted from the US Open in Round 1 last year (and Round 2 the year before), Tsitsipas has only made it to the second week of a Grand Slam one time in his short career – the 2019 Australian Open semifinals.

Despite being a well-known tennis player, the second quarter draw may be too much for him despite having success on similar surface.

Closing in on his odds is Alexander Zverev, who made it to Australian Open semifinals earlier this year. All momentum from this January tournament is certainly behind him. Besides, the US Open has never been a solid outing for Zverev.

With an opening battle against Kevin Anderson and a potential future match against Adrian Mannarino, Zverev could find himself out earlier than anticipated, as this duo is known for their service games.

As the majority of this group could beat up on each other in the early stages, taking a chance on Christian Garin to make it out of this quarter could be the play. He wouldn’t have to face off against Tsitsipas until the quarterfinals and doesn’t face any of the players favored above until that quarterfinal slate.

In the third quarter, things really open up. Daniil Medvedev is a strong favorite but is met with a running cast of players that have all done some damage in the past.

Though none have seen the recent success of Medvedev, who went to the US Open Finals last year, the youth and future success of this group is too much to overlook.

However, when looking deeper at the draw, Medvedev is met with quite an easy run to the third round. Once there, Medvedev is likely to be met by Grigor Dimitrov, Marton Fucsovics, or the winner of the opening round match between John Millman and Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Medvedev has a 2-1 record against Dimitrov and a 2-0 record against Fucsovics; otherwise, he hasn’t battled any of the aforementioned names.

With potential all around the 24-year-old Medvedev will be looking forward to any of the battles he must race against his young peers in Andrey Rublev (22), Matteo Berrettini (24), and Ugo Humbert (22).

Benoit Paire will also be out of this quarter, after testing positive for the coronavirus. His countrymen including Mannarino, Richard Gasquet, and more have self-isolated for the time being.

As this story develops, the focus will likely be turned onto player health, as he played in a match against Borna Coric last week as well.

Moving into the fourth quarter of the men’s US Open draw, Dominic Thiem reigns supreme over a close battle with him and Milos Raonic.

Thiem’s favorite status comes rather true when looking at his section of the draw. For the first two rounds, Thiem will likely not drop a set en route to a third-round battle between Marin Cilic.

Cilic, the 2014 US Open winner, is far removed from his impressive Grand Slam outings in 2014-2018 but still holds New York as one of his prime destinations to show out. With a 36-10 record, Cilic has made it past the third round in four of his last six US Opens.

This potential matchup could be the real battle for the quarter, though Thiem holds two close victories over Cilic.

Assuming one of these two makes it to the fourth round, they will be met by the likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniel Evans, or Jiri Vesely. This will likely result in an easy win, so legal sports bettors would be wise to take a chance on Thiem or Cilic… or find hope in a longshot that is on the opposite end of this quarter.

Names like Sam Querrey and Karen Khachanov sit with amazing odds and though they could play each other in Round 2, don’t be surprised to see the winner of this matchup make a run to the semifinals.

With plenty of names to take into account, this year’s US Open will be like no other. As the list of tennis players opting out of the US Open remains long, it will be one to remember for years to come.

News tags: Alberto Bautista-Agut | Alex De Minaur | Alexander Zverev | Andrey Rublev | Andy Murray | Borna Coric | COVID-19 | Cristian Garin | Daniel Evans | Daniil Medvedev | David Goffin | Denis Shapovalov | Diego Schwartzman | Dominic Thiem | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Grigor Dimitrov | Jannik Sinner | Jiri Vesely | John Isner | John Millman | Karen Khachanov | Kevin Anderson | Marin Cilic | Marton Fucsovics | Matteo Berrenttini | Matteo Berrettini | Milos Raonic | Novak Djokovic | Richard Gasquet | Sam Querrey | Stefanos Tsitsipas | tennis | Tennys Sandgren | Ugo Humbert | US Open