This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
The quarterfinals of both the men's and women's singles draws begin Tuesday at the US Open. Tuesday's action from the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York includes a men's match that may not be as lopsided as expected and a women's match that pits one of the game's brightest young stars against arguably the hottest player on the WTA Tour. That's only half of the singles play on the schedule, so keep reading for previews of all of Tuesday's singles matches.
All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but occasionally you can find more favorable odds by searching other mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, or any of the best sports betting sites. The men play best-of-five set matches at Grand Slams, while women's matches are best of three just like the remainder of the WTA Tour schedule. All of the players in action Tuesday have shown they're capable of notching quality wins to get to this point, but a mix of their previous hard court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help predict how the upcoming matches will unfold.
MEN
Karen Khachanov (+425) vs. Nick Kyrgios (-600)
Sure, this is a more focused and fit version of Nick Kyrgios than we've seen in years past, but it might be a little premature to declare him a heavy favorite in just the fourth Grand Slam quarterfinal of the 27-year-old Australian's career. He finally got over the hump in this round at this year's Wimbledon after losing twice, but that win came against unseeded Cristian Garin. The 31st-ranked Khachanov presents a far tougher test for Kyrgios, who will need to guard against a letdown after the high of upsetting No. 1 seed Daniil Medvedev. This is the third Grand Slam quarterfinal of Khachanov's career, and the 26-year-old Russian also captured the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics on hard courts last year. They've split two previous meetings, with Khachanov winning in Cincinnati in 2019 and Kyrgios getting revenge in a fifth-set tiebreak at the 2020 Australian Open. Kyrgios is rightfully favored, but it's hard not to like the value on Khachanov as the heavy underdog.
Prediction: Kyrgios in five sets.
Matteo Berrettini (+100) vs. Casper Ruud (-120)
This one's close to a toss-up, but Berrettini's comfort on faster surfaces should give him the slight edge. Both players have reached one Grand Slam final, with Ruud breaking through at this year's French Open and Berrettini doing so at last year's Wimbledon. Berrettini also made the semis here in 2019 and at the Australian Open this year, while this is Ruud's first Grand Slam semifinal away from clay. Ruud's the slight oddsmakers' favorite by virtue of his 3-2 head-to-head edge against Berrettini and seven-spot edge in the rankings at No. 7, but Berrettini won their only previous hard court meeting in straight sets at the 2020 US Open, and the Italian's big serve could be the X-factor in this otherwise near-even matchup.
Prediction: Berrettini in four sets.
WOMEN
Ons Jabeur (-225) vs. Ajla Tomljanovic (+180)
Tomljanovic won't lack belief after backing up her big win over Serena Williams with a 7-6 (8), 6-1 fourth-round triumph over Liudmila Samsonova in which she saved eight set points, but Jabeur presents a big step up in level of opponent for the unseeded Australian. Jabeur's ranked 5th, and she'd be even higher if the ranking points from her runner-up finish at Wimbledon counted, while Tomljanovic has yet to face a seeded opponent here. Stylistically, this match also favors Jabeur, as Tomljanovic likes to redirect opponents' power but Jabeur doesn't give you much pace to work with, instead relying on adept point construction and a variety of spins and slices. If Jabeur can repeat her serving performance from the fourth round against Veronika Kudermetova (11 aces, no double faults), she should cruise to victory. Even if her serve comes back down to earth, Jabeur should still get the job done, just as she did in both of the previous meetings between these two.
Prediction: Jabeur in two sets.
Coco Gauff (+105) vs. Caroline Garcia (-125)
Neither of these players have dropped a set in this tournament, and this match will likely come down to how well Gauff serves. Garcia loves to take the return early on both the first and second serve, and even Gauff's impressive defensive skills may not be enough to fend off Garcia's forays forward if the Frenchwoman's getting consistent looks at Gauff's shaky second serve. The American's powerful first serve isn't nearly as attackable and should earn Gauff plenty of free points against Garcia's aggressive approach. If Gauff can maintain her serving accuracy after connecting on at least 67 percent of first serves in each of her last three matches, Garcia's recent winning ways will likely come to an end. Gauff leads their head-to-head 2-0, but a 3-0 edge in head-to-head didn't help fellow American Alison Riske-Amritraj in the previous round against Garcia, whose current mix of timing and confidence is as good as it's been at any point in her career.
Prediction: Gauff in three sets.
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