US Open tennis picks, predictions: Ben Shelton vs. Tallon Griekspoor odds, best bets

One of the faces of American tennis will take center stage on Monday night.Ben Shelton, the No.8 seed at the US Open, will take on Tallon Griekspoor on center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.Shelton entered the tournament as the fifth-favorite at most sportsbooks, so it’s no surprise to see him at a very chalky price for this Round 1 encounter.Shelton is -820 to advance at FanDuel Sportsbook.The odds for this matchup are wide, but it’s unlikely that Shelton was thrilled with this draw.

Griekspoor is a much more dangerous opponent than his No.56 ranking lets on, and he’s not too far removed from an impressive showing at the Canadian Masters.

Griekspoor defeated World No.3 Alexander Zverev and French Open semifinalist Matteo Arnaldi in Montreal.Of course, the winner of the Canadian Masters was Shelton, as he defended his title North of the Border without dropping a set.

It was the former Florida Gator’s fourth title of the 2026 campaign.Despite losing in Round 1 of the Cincinnati Masters, Shelton comes into Queens with a ton of momentum, and he will fancy his chances to make a deep run in this tournament with Jannik Sinner sidelined and Carlos Alcaraz making his return after four months on the shelf.That said, I don’t think things will come all that easy on Monday night.

Shelton will be under a ton of pressure, and he’s going up against an opponent who has decent splits against lefties and is no stranger to upsetting the odds.Shelton should ultimately get the job done and send the fans home from Arthur Ashe happy, but don’t be surprised if this has a few twists and turns before it finishes.The Play: Over 3.5 sets (-120, FanDuel)Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry.He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports....