US Open Best Bets: Top Tennis Picks and Predictions for Thursday, September 1, 2022

We're 5-2 with our US Open best bets over the last two days and we're now looking for a third day in a row of profitability. With that said, check out our top plays for Thursday, as we're looking to take New York by storm. 

This daily tennis column will feature our best tennis bets of the day, with no minimum or maximum amount of picks. If we think you should bet something, we'll post it here and send you on your way. 

This is one of the greatest tournaments there is, with the best players on the planet competing at an incredible venue. But just because we're focusing on these next two weeks in Flushing, that doesn't mean we're only looking at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Sometimes the best value can be had on the outer courts and it's our job to dig in and help you cash out. 

Without further delay, keep reading for the picks and don't hesitate to try out DraftKings Sportsbook, where you can bet $1 on tennis and get $100 in FREE bets! Just make sure you use the promo code "DIMERSTENNIS"!

US Open Best Bets: Top Tennis Picks for Thursday

Jenson Brooksby vs. Borna Coric - Day session (scheduled for 11:00AM ET)

This is a match-up in which we're really focusing on the fact that Coric could hit a wall relatively soon. Not only is the Croatian coming off an emotional title run in Cincinnati just a week before the US Open, but he also had to play a grueling opening-round match in New York. Coric needed four hours and eight minutes to get by qualifier Enzo Couacaud, which was both somewhat embarrassing and also physically taxing for the 25-year-old. Meanwhile, Brooksby raced to a 6-2, 6-0, 3-0 lead in his match against Dusan Lajovic, who retired in the third set. All in all, it was an hour and 14 minutes on the court for the American. 

If all things were equal, Coric would probably get the job done in this match, but they just aren't equal in the slightest. Brooksby is going to be the fresher player between these two, and his style of play could drive Coric nuts here. Brooksby chases down everything and isn't going to give his opponent anything in this match, which is going to make it even harder on Coric to win if he's tired — especially if it's hot and humid out. When you throw in the fact that Brooksby is going to have the full support of the New York crowd, this one becomes a no-brainer.  

PICK: Brooksby to win, which you can get at -125 with DraftKings.

MORE: Get insights on every US Open tennis match

Brandon Nakashima vs. Grigor Dimitrov - Day session (scheduled for 2:00PM ET)

In yet another match that features an American that should have the crowd firmly in his favor, Nakashima will look to upset Dimitrov and continue his run in the Big Apple. These two met in Rome earlier this year, when Dimitrov came away with a 6-3, 6-4 win. And despite the fact that Dimitrov has that victory and a better ranking than his opponent, he is just a small favorite to win this match. That's a little fishy to us and it definitely falls into a "fool's gold" category. The average bettor will see this one and jump on the Bulgarian, but we think the American will pull this one out. 

While Dimitrov looked great in a win over Steve Johnson in the first round, Nakashima will offer a much better ability to compete with the Bulgarian from the baseline than his fellow countryman did. He's just a rock-solid player in pretty much all aspects of the game, and he happens to be getting Dimitrov at the right time. Heading into the US Open, Dimitrov had lost three hard-court matches in a row and the most recent of those was a match in which he had to retire because he wasn't feeling well against Dominic Thiem in Winston-Salem. With that in mind, it'll be interesting to see how he might hold up if he needs to play a long, physical match here. 

Regardless of whether or not Dimitrov can handle this from a fitness level, he just isn't in great form right now and that makes Nakashima a good value play. 

PICK: Nakashima to win, which you can get at +120 with DraftKings.

Linda Fruhvirtova vs. Garbine Muguruza - Day session (scheduled for 2:30PM ET)

Like Dimitrov, Muguruza is a player that is just hard to trust at the moment. The Spaniard earned an impressive win over Clara Tauson in her first-round match in this event, but she had lost four of her last five matches heading into the US Open — and she had lost two of her three hard-court matches gearing up for the event. 

Fruhvirtova, meanwhile, is one of the most talented young players in the world and is coming off an impressive run through qualifiers, as well as a straight-set win over world No. 79 Xinyu Wang in the first round of the main draw. With the Czech phenom having had the chance to get her feet wet with three matches in New York before her most recent win, we just feel she's going to be really confident and comfortable when she gets out there and faces Muguruza. 

It might be somewhat hard for the 17-year-old to handle her nerves in this match, but it should help that the crowd will want to get behind the teenager. We think that will fuel her to steal at least one set, and that's why we're putting a bit more on that play. But we also think it's worth a shot to take her to win outright. Muguruza seems due for an early exit in this tournament and the US Open needs a little added magic on top of the Serena Williams run.  

PICK: Fruhvirtova To Win A Set, which you can get at -145 with DraftKings & Fruhvirtova To Win (half-unit), which you can get at +165 with DraftKings