tennis | Thursday, September 1, 2022 8:45 AM

Thursday Tennis Best Bet: US Open Men, Hubert Hurkacz vs Ilya Ivashka

Jon Reid

Hubert Hurkacz vs. Ilya Ivashka Best Bet: Thursday, September 1st

The second round concludes on Thursday from New York as we near the long weekend in North America.

For Thursday’s selection on the men’s side, we take a look into the match between Hubert Hurkacz and Ilya Ivashka.

In this article:

Hubert Hurkacz vs Ilya Ivashka Preview
Hubert Hurkacz vs Ilya Ivashka Best Bet

Hubert Hurkacz vs Ilya Ivashka Preview

September 1st, Time TBD

Hurkacz and Ivashka may quietly be one of the better matchups of Day 4. They may not be on one of the main show courts, but I anticipate the two of them to put on a show nonetheless.

As one of the premier players on tour, Hurkacz is most definitely the favourite in this matchup, but the respect he’s been afforded in the betting markets goes a little too far for my money.

With one of the elite serves on tour – Hurkacz wins about 78% of his first serve points and holds his service games at an incredible 90% rate – he’s made a name for himself on hard courts, and often at the biggest events.

Ivashka, however, isn’t to be slept on. With a fine serve himself and the ability to generate power off both wings, along with his edge in the athleticism department and preference for quicker courts and conditions, he has all the tools to keep this one close.

Last season, he won the warmup event in Winston Salem, lost in Cincinnati qualies to some young gun named Carlos Alcaraz and pushed another elite serving, top-tier player to five sets at the U.S. Open in Matteo Berrettini.

While this summer has been a bit tougher, he still reached a semifinal in Atlanta and kept it very close in

Hubert Hurkacz vs Ilya Ivashka Best Bet

I’m going to approach this one in a few different ways. With Ivashka certainly capable of pulling off this upset more often than the odds on offer suggest, I’ll have a small-stakes play on him to win, but my primary play will be on the total games to go over.