A veritable buffet of blockbuster second-round matches, spanning the women’s top half of the draw and the men’s bottom half of the draw, awaits us on Day 3 of the US Open which is scheduled to get underway on Wednesday, August 30.  

Defending champion Iga Swiatek, American teen Coco Gauff, and 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic are the main headline acts that are going to feature on the iconic show courts of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.

Elsewhere, however, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Elena Rybakina are in action, too. Along with Americans Taylor Townsend, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Fritz as they look to fly the nation’s flag into the third round.

As ever, we here at Bookies.com will be covering the action, cherry-picking the best matches on the day’s slate to spot for your daily tennis picks. 

So without further ado, let’s take a deep dive into Wednesday’s tennis-betting card and spot the best bets with our US Open Day 3 predictions, complete with tennis odds from the most trusted betting apps. 

US Open Day 3 Best Bets 

Dominic Thiem vs Ben Shelton

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem defeated No. 25 seed Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to clinch his first match win at a grand slam in two-and-a-half years. Next up for Thiem is up-and-coming American Ben Shelton, who booked his place in the second round with a come-from-behind four-set win over Pedro Cachin.

This should be a fascinating contest, made all the more interesting because Shelton is being tipped as the firm favorite over Thiem to win and advance into the third round across the betting apps. 

Granted, it’s been a bumpy ride for the 29-year-old Austrian since his maiden major triumph in 2020, with injuries derailing his career and his ranking plummeting. 

But Shelton has had his fair share of struggles since his remarkable run Down Under, where the 20-year-old reached the Australian Open quarterfinals in his grand slam debut.  

Thiem defeated Shelton in their first-ever meeting in Estoril (clay), 6-2, 6-2. Then, Thiem had a clear advantage on clay. This time, however, the playing field between them is leveled by the faster hard courts. Thus, making it a bit of a tossup.

Perhaps, all things being considered, Thiem, who’s shown signs of improvement and growing confidence in recent weeks, is worth a flutter to deliver the so-called “upset” over Shelton, who is still in the development stages of his career and learning how to deal with expectations.

US Open Best Bet: Thiem to win at +115 at DraftKings

Sebastian Ofner vs Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe, last year’s US Open semi-finalist, put in a dominant performance in his tournament opener, dispatching his 17-year-old compatriot Learner Tien in straight sets. His next opponent is Sebastian Ofner, who is coming off a four-set win over Nuno Borges to record his first hard-court win of the season.

Ofner is predominantly a clay specialist and his best results this season have come on the red dirt, including a run into the R16 of Roland Garros. He’s a wily counterpuncher that should make Tiafoe work hard for the win, but expect the American to advance nevertheless.

US Open Best Bet: Under 35.5 at -110 at Caesars

Casper Ruud vs Zhizhen Zhang

Casper Ruud, the 2022 US Open runner-up, advanced into the second round at the expense of American Emilio Nava in four sets and next faces China’s Zhizhen Zhang, who is coming off a five-set marathon win over American J.J. Wolf. 

This is the second meeting between the pair after Ruud beat Zhang at Roland Garros 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. Coupled with Ruud’s experience at the majors, the Norwegian has a distinct edge that rates a bet on him to win and advance. 

On the other hand, both are counterpunchers with very similar playing styles that could make this more of a tossup than the tennis betting markets would suggest. Thus, a bet on the totals (over/under), or the contest going to four or five sets might be the better option. 

US Open Best Bet: Over 36.5 at -108 at PointsBet

Taylor Fritz vs Juan Pablo Varillas

Fritz is the runaway betting favorite over Juan Pablo Variallas to reach the third round of the US Open, and all signs point to the American delivering on his lofty tennis odds. 

The World No. 9 got off to a scorching start, defeating compatriot Steve Johnson 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. Variallas should prove to be a sterner test after rallying from a set down to beat Miomir Kecmanovic, but the American should prevail nevertheless.

US Open Best Bet: Over 29.5 at -110 at BetMGM

Novak Djokovic vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles

Djokovic threw down the gauntlet, securing a comprehensive victory over Alexandre Muller under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night, 6-0, 6-2, 6-3. 

Next on his path towards a possible 24^th major title is Bernabe Zapata Miralles – a clay specialist that according to the oddsmakers and pundits alike has absolutely no chance of derailing the Serbian. 

US Open Best Bet: Djokovic -10.5 at +110 at BetMGM  

Iga Swiatek vs Daria Saville

Once again, Swiatek looks to be in cruise control and dishing out bagels in the early rounds of a major. The defending US Open champion opened her title defense campaign by dismantling Rebecca Peterson 6-0, 6-1. 

Swiatek will next face Daria Saville, who, ironically, advanced with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over wild card Clervie Ngounoue. Impressive as that win was, it’s hard to imagine it being replicated against Swiatek, never mind handing out a bagel to the World No. 1. 

US Open Best Bet: Swiatek -7.5 at -110 at bet365

Karolina Muchova vs Magdalena Frech

Karolina Muchova is one of the dark horse contenders in the women’s field. She was a French Open finalist earlier this year and is coming off a solid summer, capped off by a runner-up finish to Coco Gauff in the Cincinnati Open final. 

The 27-year-old Czech kicked off her bid at the US Open with an impressive 6-4, 6-0 win over wild card Storm Hunter and should carry the momentum into her next match against  Magdalena Frech, who was riding a three-match losing streak on hard courts until she overcame American Emma Navarro 7-6 (10), 1-6, 6-2 in the first round. 

US Open Best Bet: Muchova -5.5 at -110 at Caesars

Mirra Andreeva vs Coco Gauff

Bookmakers aren’t split on this highly anticipated matchup between Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff. But if Andreeva learned anything from her loss to Gauff in Paris, then we’re in for a right cracker of a rematch between these two teenagers in Flushing Meadows. And Gauff will need to show up for this one because the 16-year-old Russian has the tools to spring a surprise.

By all accounts, Andreeva is a star on the rise. That was evident when they first met in the R32 of the French Open. Then, Andreeva took the first set 7-6(5) before the American stormed back to win the next two sets 6-1, 6-1.  

Moreover, since Paris, Andreeva went on to reach the R16 in all three of her ensuing tournaments, including Wimbledon. 

Still, backing Andreeva to upset Gauff is perhaps too bold of a tennis pick. It is a long shot after all, with the American playing some of her best tennis right now and having the added advantage of playing on home soil. So, bet on the spread or totals instead for better value.

US Open Best Bet: Andreeva +5.5 at -120 at DraftKings