US Open betting preview: Ante-post pick Daniil Medvedev ignores boos to march on

Daniil Medvedev

Derek Bilton’s two US Open ante-post outright fancies are still at large, but he has some other betting tips lined up for you ahead of the second week at Flushing Meadows.

Novak Djokovic’s sensational defeat to Stan Wawrinka has blown the men’s US Open draw wide open. The defending champion was two sets and a break behind when he quit through injury against Swiss 23rd seed Wawrinka during a pulsating fourth-round match.

He probably didn’t deserve the boos that accompanied his decision to retire but Wawrinka definitely deserves immense credit after playing some lights out tennis. Djokovic had been a rock solid favourite with the odds compilers to defend his title in New York, but his defeat means Rafael Nadal is now a 5/4 jolly with Roger Federer into 9/4.
Rafael Nadal

And after a week of action at Flushing Meadows two of our ante-post outright fancies are still at large. Curiously before the fallout from that Djokovic defeat, Daniil Medvedev was a slightly bigger price with some firms than he was at the start of the tournament, despite winning three matches. The bookies have now trimmed him into 9/1 and he faces Wawrinka next in the quarter-finals.

Medvedev’s post-match interview after beating Feliciano Lopez was a trolling masterpiece against a hostile NYC crowd. The Russian didn’t help himself as he aggressively snatched a towel from a ball boy, flipped his racket and a middle finger (on the blindside of the umpire) to the spectators during a dramatic match. Judging by the odds the bookmakers must think he is due to implode physically given the sheer amount of tennis he has played this summer, but he keeps rolling along and Medvedev backers must be happy with their position at this stage.

Nadal looks to have a great chance now to win what would be a fourth US Open title. He gets Marin Cilic next and that should be light work given how poorly Cilic has played this season. As ever Federer cannot be discounted but if his knees hold up then this could be Rafa’s time again.

In the women’s Bianca Andreescu is not messing around. The Canadian teenager, playing her first US Open, dusted Caroline Wozniacki on Saturday and has looked really impressive so far.
Bianca Andreescu

Andreescu, who has won titles in Toronto and Indian Wells this year, will face American Taylor Townsend in the next round and her draw has opened right up.

This is largely due to Townsend becoming the first American woman since 2008 to defeat a defending Wimbledon champion when she pulled off a shock upset win over Simona Halep last week. Indeed Townsend’s aggressive style of play and frequent net charges have made her something of a cult hero in New York, and she’s a 3/1 shot to beat Andreescu.

However, we tipped up Andreescu at 14/1 last week and it’s looking a decent shout as she’s now no bigger than 5/1 after bullying a slew of opponents from the baseline.

Six-time champion Serena Williams is a warm Flushing Meadows favourite and can still be backed at around the 13/8 mark. Serena has looked in ominous form so far but one wonders whether her body will hold up to the rigours of a Grand Slam as she again approaches the business end?

The other interesting mover in terms of the odds is Naomi Osaka. After a shaky start – she needed three sets to beat Anna Blinkova – she’s playing her way into form and it looks like it will take a good player to beat her this week.

Osaka is without a title since winning the Australian Open back in January, but her body language has been good this week and she will have her backers at 9/2.
Naomi Osaka chuckling

Elsewhere Johanna Konta reached the US Open quarter-finals for the first time by edging a thriller against Czech third seed Karolina Pliskova. The Briton kept her cool big time to edge an extremely close match and her reward is a last eight clash with Elina Svitolina.

Ukrainian fifth seed Svitolina will go off as a 4/7 favourite but Konta looks in the zone right now and could be worth a punt in that one at 11/8.

Bilko’s Banker: Rafael Nadal to win the US Open at 6/5 (Paddy Power)
(Already advised – Daniil Medvedev to win the US Open at 13/1 – Paddy Power)
Best of the Rest: Jo Konta to beat Elina Svitolina at 11/8 (bet365)
(Already advised – Bianca Andreescu to win the US Open at 14/1 – bet365/Paddy Power)

Derek Bilton

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Bianca Andreescu Daniil Medvedev

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