ATP and WTA US Open 2021 Day 7 Top Tennis Picks and Predictions

Good day! Tennis fans and New York residents alike were at Mother Natur's mercy throughout Wednesday, when flash floods and the aftermath of Hurricane Ida even penetrated the Louis Armstrong roof. Skies have been clear ever since, and fans have been treated to some electric matches.

Many of those came last night, when Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe both produced massive upsets of third and fifth seeds Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev, respectively. Sunday is sure to be filled with more drama, so let's take a look at what the tennis betting markets have to offer!

Peter Gojowczyk vs. Carlos Alcaraz

Sunday, September 5, 2021 - 5:00 PM ET at Grandstand

Every year at the US Open, a new stellar story is written. This year may well end up with plenty, but one of them centers around the most unlikely of fourth round participants, Peter Gojowczyk. Prior to this year's incredible feat, the 32-year old German had never made it past the second round of any major!

That could well have been the case this year as well, as Gojowczyk was only two points from elimination in the very first round of qualifying. Lukas Rosol had it all on his racquet, serving for the match and a straight sets win. Peter clawed his way back from the jaws of defeat, however, and qualified for the main draw.

There, the German has produced three consecutive upsets, the biggest of them all in the first round - defeating world no. 26 Ugo Humbert in five sets. Dusan Lajovic and Henri Laaksonen are both talented players though, and it took five sets against Dusan and four against Henri to proceed.

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Another one of the stories many will remember from this year's championship is that of 18-year old Carlos Alcaraz. Avid tennis fans will have had their eyes on him for several years now, and just 12 months ago he became the 15th youngest player to win his first Challenger title. With an incredibly explosive game filled with rally tolerance, massive power and self belief, Alcaraz emulates his idol Roger Federer - though comparisons are heavily focused on Rafael Nadal.

His ferocious forehand can end points in a hurry, the backhand is just as lethal, and he always backs himself in the big moments. In just a year the 18-year old Spaniard has transitioned to the ATP tour, won his maiden title (Umag), and now scored the upset of his life.

The Friday night crowd sure got their money's worth, as "Carlitos" produced the win of the tournament as he took down third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Hanging with the Greek from the baseline and dominating the backhand exchanges, the 18-year old was quick to jump at any opportunity to end the points.

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With several staggering winners on the run, he tallied 61 winners to only 48 unforced errors. Alcaraz also recovered from a fourth set bagel, to win the fifth with a huge forehand winner in the deciding set tiebreak.

There's no doubt that Carlos Alcaraz, who is already 55th in the world, is "the real deal". His game plays incredibly effectively on both clay and hard courts, and he will be a force in the decades to come. However, the 18-year old looked physically over and out in the fourth set against Tsitsipas. Now trying to back up a four hour match, the biggest win of his life both physically and mentally, will take quite some doing.

Peter Gojowczyk hits a flat ball, and loves redirecting pace, something Carlos will give him plenty of. For the larger crowd, the heroic upset of the third seed has etched a place in their hearts, and proved a discovery for many.

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The top online sportsbooks have seen a complete pounding on the young Spaniard's betting odds as a result, which in a spot like this creates immense value on his opponent. In a big letdown spot, give me Gojowczyk at a massive price every day of the week.

Tennis Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

Simona Halep - Photo by Angelo Carconi / POOL / AFP

Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Simona Halep (12)

Sunday, September 5, 2021 - 12:00 PM at Arthur Ashe Stadium

While she's now known as Elina Monfils outside of the tennis court, following her marriage to fellow tennis star Gael Monfils, the Svitolina name has remained in tennis. The 26-year old Ukrainian has had a strong 2021 season, with a 34-16 record, a title in Chicago, and an Olympic bronze medal.

Through her elite defensive skills and tracking even the toughest of balls down, Svitolina is a nightmare matchup to players who lack the consistency (and patience) to hit through the Ukrainian. She also has the ability to really step into the court and be aggressive with her ground strokes, which is when Elina is the most dangerous.

That's the version of the 26-year old we've seen thus far this fortnight, with elite counterpunching mixed with a torrent of winners. In the first three rounds, Svitolina has hit 61 winners to 31 unforced errors, with the ratio being above 2:1 in all but one match (25-14). Neither Rebecca Marino, Rebeka Masarova or the in-form Daria Kasatkina even managed to take a set.

https://twitter.com/tennis_phil/status/1434036736770904064?s=20

Coming into this US Open, Simona Halep had been eliminated in the first or second round for three years straight and six out of the last ten attempts. Struggling with injuries, the question marks were plentiful, and we opposed the 29-year old Romanian as a result in the first round against Camila Giorgi.

But Halep has done wonderful work during her injury break(s), especially improving her serve, which according to the Romanian was about the only training she was capable of doing. The only major weakness of her game suddenly improved, Simona's groundstrokes have also carried plenty of heat. Neither Giorgi or Kucova had the answers and lost in straight sets.

While the matchup against 19th seeded Elena Rybakina was nervy, Halep showed her usual superb fight, and prevailed in three sets.

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This promises to be a match of prolonged, brutal rallies, many service breaks and likely a match that stretches the two hour mark even if it finishes in straight sets. Most top betting sites are having a difficult time separating the two, lining this match a pick 'em, and understandably so.

However, Halep has looked like that two-time Major champion again this tournament, always coming up with the answers to whatever question she's been asked. If there's one thing that's missing on the Svitolina resumé, it's a Major title. Having never gone beyond the semifinal stage, playing against someone who's been there, done that may well prove decisive in the key moments.

The pair have met three times on quicker surfaces in the last four years, Halep is 2-1 on faster surfaces and also 2-0 in the Majors. Look for that to move to 3-0 after today.

Tennis Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.