The only sure things in life are death and taxes. Nothing else can be taken for granted, including when the No. 3-ranked player in the world takes on the 74th-ranked player in the world.
Carlos Alcaraz, the winner of Wimbledon and the French Open earlier this year, began the US Open as the betting favorite to win his second career title at Flushing Meadows. The 21-year-old also won in 2022 as the second-youngest champion in history. Now he is out after a second round, straight-sets defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp.
Alcaraz is expected to take over the tennis world for the next decade or more, and he had previously faced van de Zandschulp twice, winning in straight sets both times. So, not surprisingly, he was -10000 to win his second-round match. Alcaraz had never fallen short of the quarterfinals at the US Open, and he had advanced past the second round in each of his last 12 Grand Slam tournaments.
All of the above evidence was enough for one confident bettor to put down $25,000 on Alcaraz, despite the small return of $250 for a winning bet, according to MGM Resorts sportsbook manager Scott Shelton.
Alcaraz lost 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, and he is out of the tournament. The bettor is out $25,000 because there are no sure things in sports betting.
Favorites Going Forward
Also losing in the same quarter of the bracket as Alcaraz was No. 7 seed Hubert Hurkacz. With both of them now out, No. 10 seed Alex de Minaur is the highest remaining seed in that quarter, giving him a much better chance to make it to the semifinals. He made it as far as the quarterfinals at both Wimbledon and the French Open earlier this year.
Despite the much easier road to the semis for the Australian, he is only at +4000 to win the tournament.
The betting favorite is the Olympic champion and four-time US Open winner Novak Djokovic. He lost to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final earlier this year, and his path to a 25th grand slam title has become that much easier with the Alcaraz loss. His 24 singles titles is already a record.
A bet on Djokovic to win the tournament pays +150, and a bet on him to win his quarter of the bracket pays -280.
The quarter of the bracket vacated by Alcaraz now has Jack Draper as the favorite to win it, paying +210. A bet on de Minaur is at +250. To be the overall champion, Draper is +3000.
Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open earlier this year, and he is now +200 to win the US Open. He is -200 to win his quarter of the bracket and advance to the semifinals. Daniil Medvedev, the winner of the US Open in 2021, is +185 to win this quarter, and +750 to win in the finals.
The other quarter has Alexander Zverev as the favorite to move on to the semis. He is -140 to make it that far, and +600 to win the tournament.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
