The US Open is moving at pace, with half of the respective men’s and women’s draws, reaching the R32 which is slated to get underway on Friday, September 1. 

The feature fare of third-round play on Day 5 of the US Open includes major champions Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic, home-grown hopefuls Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, and rising stars of the game Ben Shelton and Jakub Mensik, to name a few.

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 Friday’s action and spot the best bets with our US Open Day 5 predictions, complete with tennis odds from the most trusted betting apps. 

US Open Day 5 Best Bets 

Frances Tiafoe vs Adrian Mannarino

Tiafoe advances into the third round at the expense of wild card Learner Tien and Sebastian Ofner, respectively, without dropping a set and relinquishing just eight games per match. It’s safe to say, it’s been an uncomplicated ride for the dark horse American, who was a semi-finalist last year in New York and has a ton of points to defend as a result.

Hoping to halt Tiafoe’s forward progress is wily veteran Adrian Mannarino, who advances on the back of four-set wins against Yosuke Watanuki and Fabian Marozsan. The 35-year-old Frenchman arrived in New York on the back of a title victory in Newport and a quarterfinal appearance at the Cincinnati Open. 

This third meeting of the two figures promises to be a fascinating contest, not least because they’re tied 1-1 lifetime. Rather, because they’re decidedly on the opposite ends of their careers. Tiafoe is in the spring of his career, finally coming into his own at 25 years of age and realizing his full potential. 

While Mannarino, ten years his senior and in his 19^th year on the ATP Tour, is in the autumn of his, but playing some of his best tennis in recent years. 

Tiafoe is going to be the popular bet, but Mannarino rates an interest too. If not to win outright, which is a tasty bet best priced with bet365 at +275 ML, then, at the very least, to win a set or two. For the latter, the betting options, therefore, are wide, with a bet on the handicap, totals, or sets all viable towards that end.

US Open Best Bet: Over 36.5 -115 at Caesars  

Ben Shelton vs Aslan Karatsev

American rising star Shelton is through to the third round of a major for the second time in his career after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year. 

He got a bit of a reprieve with Dominic Thiem tapping out of their match after an absorbing first set that went to Shelton in the tiebreak. But that doesn’t take the shine off his undeniable talent or odds. 

Russia’s Aslan Karatsev is next up for Shelton, a veteran journeyman who has enjoyed the highs and lows of being a professional tennis player. But a tough out nevertheless. 

Shelton is a player of immense talent, with a potent serve, a deep arsenal of shots, and supreme athleticism – all of which have him earmarked for future greatness. If you watched the first set against Thiem, then you’ll have a sense of this kid’s upside. Karatsev will look to exploit his lack of experience, but this is a test that the American should pass. 

US Open Best Bet: Shelton to win -150 at PointsBet

Jakub Mensik vs Taylor Fritz

Fritz is the runaway favorite over Jakub Mensik, a fascinating 17-year-old Czech who emerges from the qualifying rounds to reach the R32 in not only his grand slam debut but also his first ATP Tour event in 2023. Therefore, unless you are an avid follower of the Challenger circuit, you probably wouldn’t have seen the 6’3” Mensik (ranked No. 206) play before this week. 

Mensik fell into a nice section of the draw that opened up with the upset of No. 18 seed Lorenzo Musetti in the first round. This isn’t to take anything away from Mensik. He beat former top player Fabio Fognini in the qualifiers and then advanced into the R32 on the back of four-set victories against Gregoire Barrere and Titouan Droguet. 

But this is the first time he is going to face a top player and certainly the first time he’ll play on one of the main show courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It remains to be seen how Mensik measures up against the No. 9 seed Fritz, who’s in great form and who’ll almost certainly have the added advantage of a raucous crowd behind him. 

More often than not, these kinds of occasions are too big and too overwhelming for inexperienced players like Mensik. Color the world shocked if he pulls off the upset.

US Open Best Bet: Over 32.5 -110 at Caesars  

Novak Djokovic vs Laslo Djere

Expect one-way traffic for the all-Serbian showdown between Djokovic and Laslo Djere. Somewhat surprisingly, they crossed paths for the first time in Belgrade last year, at the Djokovic-family-inspired tournament that is played on clay – a surface Djere thrives on. 

Indeed, he’s a capable performer on the red dirt, as evinced by his three-set loss to Djokovic. This second meeting is expected to be different, with Djere being given a handicap start of 9.5 games. That is telling.

US Open Best Bet: Djokovic -9.5 +100 at FanDuel

Iga Swiatek vs Kaja Juvan 

After an indomitable first-round performance, defending champion Swiatek was made to work harder in a 6-3, 6-4 second-round victory over the resurgent Daria Saville. 

Swiatek owns their series 2-0, having twice beaten the 22-year-old Slovenian in 2021. Unless Juvan comes with a better game plan this time, expect Swiatek to revert to her dominant ways, with a bagel possibly included as well. 

US Open Best Bet: Swiatek -7.5 +105 at Caesars  

Coco Gauff vs Elise Mertens

Elise Mertens is a dangerous floater who has reached the Australian Open semis (2018) and twice the US Open quarterfinals in 2019 and 2020. She’ll be more than up for the challenge that the tennis prodigy Gauff presents, especially after coming from behind to defeat American Danielle Collins in the second round, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1. 

Gauff won both of their previous meetings, but the American teenager is still likely to have to dig deep against Mertens if she hopes to keep her US Open bid alive. 

Mertens has notched wins over top players like Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, and Daria Kasatkina this year. While beating Gauff at the US Open would mark her biggest scalp this season, it’s not beyond her remit. 

US Open Best Bet: Mertens +5.5 -120 at bet365

Taylor Townsend vs Karolina Muchova

Surprise contender Taylor Townsend is coming off a three-set upset over Beatriz Haddad-Maia to set up a showdown against the 2023 French Open finalist and Cincinnati Open runner-up Karolina Muchova. 

Buoyed by her win over Haddad-Maia, Townsend is sure to fancy her chances for another consecutive upset. But she’ll have to dig deep to outhit and outmaneuver the supremely athletic Czech, who’s in the midst of a standout season and deservedly inside the Top 10 for the first time in her career.

US Open Best Bet: Muchova -4.5 -120 at DraftKings