2025 U.S. Open: Wednesday's Top Second-Round Upsets, Locks and Value Bets
Second-round action begins Wednesday at the U.S. Open from the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. A couple of ascendant young players will look to continue their upward trajectories, while a struggling top-10 seed could be in trouble in an all-American matchup
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All men's singles matches at Grand Slams such as the U.S. Open are best of five sets, while women's singles matches are best of three sets. A mix of players' previous hard court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities, both among favorites likely to cruise to victory and underdogs ready to pull off upsets. The aforementioned underdogs are highlighted in the Upset Alert section, the Lock It In section covers players who can safely be viewed as favorites, while the Value Bets section recommends enticing options in matchups that are considered closer to toss-ups.
U.S. Open Tennis Picks: Upset Alert
Anna Bondar (+245) vs. Maria Sakkari
Bondar already has one big win under her belt in this tournament, having taken out No. 12 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-4 in the first round. Sakkari's another big name, though the former world No. 3 has been quite average this year, dropping to 64th in the rankings with a 21-24 record in 2025, including 2-3 at Grand Slams. This is a much more winnable match for the 97th-ranked Bondar than her long odds suggest, especially if she maintains her form from the first round.
Iva Jovic (+210) vs. Jasmine Paolini
Jovic is looking to join the long list of teenagers to find significant success in the professional tennis ranks in recent years, and beating the seventh-seeded Paolini would be a major step in that direction for the 17-year-old American. Paolini escaped with a 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3 win over Jovic at Indian Wells back in March, but that match should give Jovic confidence that she can hang with Paolini, and Jovic has subsequently built momentum with a pair of titles (one ITF, one WTA 125), as well as a convincing 6-3, 6-0 top-25 win over Linda Noskova in Cincinnati leading up to this tournament.
Honorable Mention
Ugo Blanchet (+390) vs. Jakub Mensik
U.S. Open Tennis Odds: Lock It In
Jiri Lehecka (-380) vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Lehecka's game is much more geared for hard courts, as his strokes penetrate the court effectively and help him get on the front foot, while Etcheverry's a defensive player with a strong preference for the slower clay. Lehecka currently boasts a career-high No. 21 ranking, which he has climbed to in large part due to his success on hard courts, where the big-hitting Czech has a 19-9 record in 2025. The 59th-ranked Etcheverry is just 18-24 overall in 2025 and has a career 31-41 hard-court record.
Alexandra Eala (-185) vs. Cristina Bucsa
Eala made a miracle comeback in the first round, escaping from 5-1 down in the third set to take out No. 14 seed Clara Tauson, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11), so she can swing freely in this match. The 20-year-old Filipina made a name for herself earlier this year when she reached the semifinals at the Miami Open, so Eala has already demonstrated significant upside on hard courts, and she's likely to move up quickly from her current No. 75 ranking as she gains experience and plays a full schedule. The 95th-ranked Bucsa is just 10-15 in Grand Slam main draw matches in her career, including 2-4 at the U.S. Open.
Honorable Mention
Emma Raducanu (-330) vs. Janice Tjen
U.S. Open Tennis Predictions: Value Bets
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (-150) vs. Victoria Azarenka
Pavlyuchenkova has quite a bit more left in the tank than Azarenka. The 34-year-old Russian reached the quarterfinals at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, and she came up clutch in her 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over No. 30 seed Dayana Yastremska in the first round here. Azarenka had a higher peak back in the day, but the 36-year-old Belarusian hasn't won back-to-back main draw matches since last year's U.S. Open, with just an 8-13 record in such matches since then. Azarenka's first-round win over 215th-ranked qualifier Hina Inoue isn't exactly an indication of a resurgence.
Caty McNally (+125) vs. Emma Navarro
Navarro stemmed the bleeding a bit with a first-round win over 170th-ranked Yafan Wang, but the No. 10 seed is still just 2-5 in her last seven matches and hasn't beaten a top-100 opponent over that span. McNally isn't inside the top 100 by much at No. 88, but she has been outplaying that ranking significantly in the past few weeks, with a 14-2 record in her last 16 matches. Given McNally's edge in momentum and confidence, she's positioned to knock off the 2024 U.S. Open semifinalist in this all-American matchup. These opponents have split two previous meetings.
Honorable Mention
Jelena Ostapenko (-140) vs. Taylor Townsend
