In an all-Australian salivating affair, the world No. 10 Alex de Minaur faces off against world No. 32 Jordan Thompson in the Round of 16 at the 2024 US Open. If recent improvements in form by both competitors are anything to go off, fans could witness one intriguing encounter between the two. De Minaur has been one of the more consistent performers on the ATP Tour, especially with his non-stop motor and defensive skills, whereas Thompson was gaining so much confidence through three dominant performances in New York.
Claim Welcome BonusAlex de Minaur (ATP #10)
It means that Alex de Minaur comes into this match as the higher-ranked player and favorite, while his US Open campaign so far has been pretty solid with victories over Marcos Giron, Otto Virtanen, and Daniel Evans. He has lost just two sets throughout these encounters. De Minaur's game is built on quick feet, exceptional court coverage, and the ability to turn defense into offense. Thus, an 8-2 mark in his last ten matches shows that he has been consistent and resilient enough in hard court grounds.
De Minaur will most likely play to his strengths by relying on speed and counter-punching. He will try to make the rallies longer to make the much more comfortable and leading player, Thompson, make mistakes. The redeployment of pace will be real important, transitioning from defense to attack in that quick period of time. In this case, a decent enough service game will be necessary, not as a weapon necessarily, but sufficient not to give Thompson
Jordan Thompson (ATP #32)
On the other hand, Jordan Thompson has been the surprise package of the tournament. Coming into this match off a straight-sets demolition of both Hubert Hurkacz and Matteo Arnaldi, Thompson has not only won his last three matches but done so without dropping a set, winning 13 consecutive sets. This speaks volumes of his level at the moment, more so his serve and baseline game, which have been as solid as anything. The possibility of Thompson playing aggressive tennis while being composed has indeed been one of the major keys to his success.
He'll look to impose his game with aggressive baseline play, trying to shorten the points. He will also be looking to take advantage of any short balls from De Minaur and move forward to finish points at the net. His serve, that has been a weapon this tournament, will be required to be at its best to keep De Minaur on the back foot. Thompson's challenge will be maintaining this kind of consistency against a player who just loves extended rallies and reaches quarterfinals in Slams with a certain regularity.
Expert Betting Tips
While Thompson has been on a great tear of form, the experience and superior consistency in baseline exchanges for De Minaur make him the favorite. To cause an upset, Thompson will have to be at his absolute best to throw De Minaur off his rhythm, whose resilience in grinding out wins is well documented. The match may well be closer than perhaps their ranking might suggest, but De Minaur's ability to adapt and the fact that he has beaten Thompson before should see him through. It is De Minaur's form and head-to-head advantage that should see him into the quarterfinals, but it is expected that Thompson will push him, especially with the form he has been in.
- Alex de Minaur Win & Over 3.5 Sets at 2.28 Odds
- Over 35.5 Games at 1.88 Odds
- Total 4 Sets at 2.62
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