The action at Flushing Meadow got underway on Monday as the U.S. Open tennis began in earnest. With so many absentees this year, one of the biggest stories before the first ball was pounded down at over 100 mph into the hard surface in New York was whether British player Andy Murray could possibly recapture his previous form that saw him win the event in 2012.
Now, after two stirring British victories, talk is turning to how long they might last in the Men’s Singles draw and whether old glories could be revisited in a fortnight’s time.
Murray Wins from Two Sets Down
Murray’s 4-6 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 victory against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the US Open 1st round flew in the face of many pundits expectations, especially when he went two sets down. The manner of his fight back will therefore be almost as satisfying as the result itself. Available at 100/1 each way at the start of the tournament, those odds have been trimmed to 50/1 in most places and 66/1 on a few sites.
Having seen off one opponent in five sets, Murray may need to do the same again as he takes on Félix Auger-Aliassime in the 2nd round. The 15th seed will be a very tough task for Murray to overcome at the U.S. Open, especially given the previous match took everything from him physically. That can go two ways, proving to the player that they can cope with a five-setter or draining them of the mental energy required to do the same again. It’s difficult to say which way Murray will go in that regard.
Norrie Shocks 9th Seed Schwartzman
Norrie defeated the 9th seeded Argentinian Diego Schwartzman, winning 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 after an epic comeback himself. Norrie will, if possible, be even more pleased than Murray, with this win a real sign of his arrival, a major scalp at a Grand Slam acting as a statement of intent from the British rising star. While Dan Evans is the. Urgent British Number One, Norrie – at the opposite end of his career to the experienced Murray – will play another Argentine next in the form of Federico Coria.
Latest Odds from New York
According to bookmakers, the U.S. Open Men’s Singles is an event Novak Djokovic is odds-on to win, not something we entirely agree with given the Serbian’s preparations for the tournament includes catching COVID-19 and forming a splinter group to rival the ATP.
While Djokovic is the overwhelming favourite to lift the title at 8/11, there are better picks out there. We like an each-way bet on Milos Raonic at 25/1 (BoyleSports) and a straight-out win bet on Daniil Medvedev at 6/1 (general).
Current U.S. Open Odds:
Novak Djokovic – 8/11
Daniil Medvedev – 6/1
Stefanos Tsitsipas – 9/1
Dominic Thiem – 10/1
Alexander Zverev – 25/1
Milos Raonic – 25/1
Andy Murray – 66/1
Cameron Norrie – 1,000/1
