Denis Shapovalov aims to finish Grand Slam season strong against Botic van de Zandschulp.
The pregame narrative: Neither of these competitors is having a great season. Shapovalov enters this contest as a heavy favourite, but it's difficult to place that amount of confidence in the erratic Canadian. Instead, I'm backing van de Zandschulp in a match that I expect to be tightly contested.
Check out our Shapovalov vs. van de Zandschulp odds and best bet for their US Open match on Aug. 27.
Shapovalov vs. van de Zandschulp US Open odds
Go to full Shapovalov vs. van de Zandschulp betting markets.
Best bet: van de Zandschulp +1.5 sets (+125)
I just can't back Shapovalov at this line.
Shapovalov is a commanding -315 moneyline favourite despite not showing well for most of 2024.
He's an underwhelming 17-20 overall on the campaign and is 9-11 on the hardcourts in 2024. His struggles on this surface are nothing new, either, as he finished 2023 with a 6-7 record.
Any reason for optimism he provided earlier this month has been shot down. The Canadian advanced to the fourth round of the Citi Open while most of the world's top tennis talents were competing at the Olympics, but lost in the first round at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
His inconsistencies make him difficult to trust in this spot.
And that's really what this wager boils down to. It's certainly not an endorsement of van de Zandschulp who's been equally sporadic.
The Dutch tennis player has bounced between Challenger and ATP events this year. He owns a 22-24 record this season and is 5-10 on the hardcourts.
van de Zandschulp has, however, won four of his last six matches on this surface.
These two competitors squared off at the Indian Wells Open earlier this year. Shapovalov won the match in straight sets, but I expect a closer contest at Flushing Meadows.
Key stat: Shapovalov is tied for the most double faults per match (6.8) of any player, according to ATPtour.com.
Picks made at 11:24 a.m. ET on 08/25/2024.
