Free US Open betting tips: Preview of day two at Flushing Meadows including Vasek Pospisil v Philipp Kohlschreiber

Recommended bets

2pts Vasek Pospisil to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber at evens

1.5pts Over 36.5 games in Jiri Vesely v Corentin Moutet and over 35.5 games in John Millman v Nikoloz Basilashvili at 2.44/1

1pt Kristyna Pliskova to beat Donna Vekic at 6/4

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Vasek Pospisil v Philipp Kohlschreiber

Pospisil looks the bet of the day as a slight underdog in this contest.

He bounced back impressively from back surgery, regaining his form at the back-end of 2019. His resurgence arguably began when he defeated Karen Khachanov here and he went on to help Canada reach the Davis Cup final.

Taking that form in 2020, Pospisil continued to produce excellent wins, reaching the final in Montpellier and the last eight in Marseille.

During his spell on the indoor courts of Europe, Pospisil took down the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Denis Shapovalov, David Goffin and Hubert Hurkacz.

Yes, we’re back outside now but the slick Laykold court recently laid at Flushing Meadows will help his big serve and he faces an opponent in Kohlschreiber who has had plenty of problems in recent times.

The German has struggled for both form and fitness over the past year. He’s already withdrawn from two tournaments in 2020, most recently last week in Prague due to illness.

He must quickly adapt to these much faster conditions and frankly I’m surprised not to see Pospisil, who won their only previous meeting in straight sets, a clear favourite for this one.

My main worry would be Pospisil’s recent focus on tennis politics but away from that there are many reasons to back him here.

Jiri Vesely v Corentin Moutet

These two look pretty evenly matched and the match odds reflect that – Moutet is a narrow favourite.

I’d anticipate a long contest with over 36.5 games looking decent business at 4/5.

The lower-ranked Moutet is arguably the layers’ fancy because of his period of lockdown. He spent a large part of it playing in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown event in the south of France, facing some high-quality opponents.

He didn’t win too many matches but playing at that level will surely work well for him on his return to competitive action.

Vesely did win plenty of matches in the Czech Republic during the tour’s suspension, albeit against limited opponents.

He should relish the slick conditions on offer in New York, as he did in Pune back in February when he served great en route to the title.

That week six of his 13 sets went to tie-breaks and it would be no surprise to see another in this match (a 4/7 chance for those interested).

John Millman v Nikoloz Basilashvili

Millman produced some impressive results prior to the tour’s suspension and almost toppled Roger Federer in front of his home crowd at the Australian Open.

However, he may not get things all his own way here. He’s rarely marched to comfortable victories with 11 of his 14 matches this year having seen the Aussie lose a set.

Basilashvili, who made the fourth round of the US Open two years ago, has not been at his best level this season but he’s still capable of competing in this one. He usually does at the Slams – his last 13 matches in the hardcourt majors have gone to four or five sets.

If he is able to grab a set, as Millman’s opponents so often do, then the over 35.5 games bet will likely land, especially given the Australian’s propensity for tie-breaks – eight of those 14 matches have featured one.

Donna Vekic v Kristyna Pliskova

I’ve always been keen to get with those who have spent a length of time training with elite players and Pliskova is one of those.

There were certainly worse places to be than the Czech Republic during the tour’s suspension with the country blessed with numerous world-class players.

Some high-quality exhibition events were staged there with the likes of Pliskova’s sister Karolina, Petra Kvitova and Karolina Muchova involved.

Regular practice sessions with such players are priceless and will likely have progressed the lesser-known Pliskova twin’s game.

It looked that way when the tour resumed on the European clay with Pliskova claiming the scalp of Maria Sakkari in Palermo before defeating Petra Martic en route to the semis in Prague where she pushed top-20 star Elise Mertens hard.

Again, the fast conditions of New York shouldn’t be feared with Pliskova’s serve a more potent weapon on such a surface.

Vekic may struggle to contain her – as she did when losing 6-1 6-2 in their last hardcourt meeting in 2017.

The Croat has won just eight of her 22 matches over the last 12 months and lost to an Italian wild card ranked outside the top 150 in Palermo.

She looks a seed under threat early and should be opposed.

Posted at 1930 BST on 30/08/20