Upsets have been rampant at tennis’ grand slam events this season. Rafael Nadal was upset by Stanislas Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, respectively. Meanwhile, Roger Federer made a fourth round exit at the French Open (his earliest in 10 years) with a loss to Ernests Gulbis. Which unheralded player will be the next to knock out one of the big names on his way to glory at the U.S. Open?
Read on for our picks for three players who could make a surprising run at the U.S. Open and reward their bettors along the way, and don’t miss our complete preview of the U.S. Open Men’s Singles event while you’re at it.
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U.S. Open Men’s Singles High-Value Sleepers
Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York
[sc:Other240banner ]Tomas Berdych is having an excellent hard court season. He reached his first-ever Australian Open semifinal to start off his year, the best result of his grand slam career, but lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets. He rode the momentum of that result to break Marin Cilic’s 14-match win streak to get his first title at the 2014 Rotterdam Open, then made another semifinal appearance at the Sony Open.
The Czech has a favorable draw for the upcoming U.S. Open, with Ernest Gulbis the only other top player in his bracket on the way to the fourth round. Berdych has beaten Gulbis in their last three matches on the hard court.
With Berdych at the top of his game and sitting with a manageable draw, he’s an excellent pick to win a nice string of matches and is even worth a look at +4,000 to win his first grand slam title.
Japanese hot-shot Kei Nishikori (+5,000), currently ranked 11th in the world, announced his arrival at the top of the tennis world this season with a couple of big upsets. He saved four match points to defeat David Ferrer in the fourth round of the Miami Masters, and defeated an all-time great in Roger Federer 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the semifinal.
Despite enjoying wins against a couple of the top players in the world, Nishikori suffered injuries in his biggest matches this season. He withdrew from the Miami Masters semifinal against Novak Djokovic due to a groin injury and retired with a back injury in a deciding set against Rafael Nadal in his first ATP Tour final at Madrid. This is a slight cause for concern as it may not be exclusively a physical problem. It may be a signal that the Nishikori isn’t ready for the grandest stages of the sport.
Nevertheless, a healthy and focused Nishikori will be a tough out for any of the tournament favorites at the U.S. Open. His footwork and agility can outwork anyone on the court.
Nick Kyrgios
Still just 19 years of age, Nick Kyrgios can already boast having defeated 14-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal. The Australian teenager became the first male debutant to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals since Florian Mayer in 2004 by defeating Nadal 7–6(7–5), 5–7, 7–6(7–5), 6–3. With his performance at Wimbledon, Kyrgios was able to break into the top 100 players in the world.
Kyrgios can follow up with another impressive showing at the U.S. Open. The fast bounce on the surface will further amplify his blitzing serve and power game. However, he’ll need to have another miracle run if he wishes to capture his first grand slam this early into his career. Kyrgios is in the same bracket as 21st seed Mikhail Youzhny, Spanish veteran Tommy Robredo and Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka.
Kyrgios has a daunting task ahead, but odds of +8,000 make it very hard to pass on this young hot-shot.
Writer’s Prediction
Berdych’s U.S. Open campaign will be halted at the quarterfinals. Nishikori retires with yet another injury in a fourth round match against Milos Raonic. Meanwhile, Kyrgios upsets Youzhny, but bows down to Robredo in the third round.
