US Open Second-Round Picks

After three days of first-round action at the U.S. Open, the second round will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. Among those who have advanced are Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton. One of the biggest upsets during the first couple of days saw reigning Australian Open champion and former U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys lose to the little-known Renata Zarazua. What will second-round competition do for an encore? Here are three of the U.S. Open best bets to make on the upcoming schedule at Flushing Meadows. 

U.S. Open Second Round Predictions 

Pick #1: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ML over Victoria Azarenka (-130) Click Here to Bet

Pick #2: Benjamin Bonzi ML over Marcos Giron (+100) Click Here to Bet

Pick #3: Alexandra Eala -1.5 games over Cristina Bucsa (-125) Click Here to Bet

PICK #1: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ML over Victoria Azarenka (-130) 

Gone are the days when Azarenka was a perennial Grand Slam title contender, winning two Australian Opens and reaching the U.S. Open final three times. The Belarusian advanced to the 2023 Aussie Open semis somewhat from out of nowhere, but for the most part, she has not been the Azarenka of old since 2020 – the last time she reached the championship match in New York.

Now 36 years old, Azarenka lost in the Australian Open first round, the French Open second round and the Wimbledon first round earlier this season. She is 10-11 overall for her 2025 campaign, including 5-6 on outdoor hard courts. The former world No. 1 has dealt with all kinds of injuries in recent seasons and she took a medical timeout for an apparent hip issue during her 7-6(0), 6-3 first-round victory over Hina Inoue. As for Pavlyuchenkova, she made a run to the Wimbledon fourth round last month and is coming off a very good win over Dayana Yastremska on Monday.

PICK #2: Benjamin Bonzi ML over Marcos Giron (+100) 

Bonzi emerged victorious in what has been the most memorable match of the tournament so far. The Frenchman survived an absolute circus against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday night, complete with controversy stemming from a photographer inexplicably running onto the court while Bonzi was serving up match point in the third set. Long story short: Medvedev came back to win the next two sets before Bonzi recovered from a break deficit in the fifth to prevail 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 in three hours and 45 minutes.

Having played on Sunday, Bonzi will have a much-needed two full days off before facing Giron on Wednesday. Giron also needed five sets in his opening match, an unspectacular victory over a clay-court specialist in Mariano Navone. That does not inspire any confidence in the American – nor does his five-match losing streak going into this event. 

PICK #3: Alexandra Eala -1.5 games over Cristina Bucsa (-125) 

Through two days of the U.S. Open, no match was more exciting on the women’s side than Eala vs. Clara Tauson. With a whole bunch of crowd support from the Filipino contingent in New York, Eala upset No. 14 seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(13-11) on Sunday afternoon. Not unlike the case with Bonzi, two full days off instead of one should do wonders for the 20-year-old.

Next up on her plate is a meeting with Bucsa, who trails the head-to-head series 1-0. Bucsa, a 27-year-old from Spain, comes in ranked 20 spots below her opponent. She is just 28-32 on outdoor hard courts dating back to the start of 2024, so she would probably rather face Eala on any other surface. It’s not like an in-form Eala even needs any extra help, but the fans may play a part in propelling her into the third round.