The 2026 US Open started ugly for Ben Shelton, but he got his act together in a four-set victory over Tallon Griekspoor in Round 1.
The American dropped the first frame 1-6, but then made quick work of the Dutchman to punch his ticket to Round 2 and set up a date with former World No. 6 Hubert Hurkacz.
Shelton is a -245 favorite to get by Hurkacz on Wednesday.
US Open: Shelton vs. Hurkacz odds, prediction
With Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic out of the way, the path is there for Ben Shelton to make a real run at the US Open. The American is in the middle of a strong season, and just defended his title at the Canadian Masters three weeks back.
That said, his path to the later rounds in Flushing isn’t going to be easy. Not only did he have to dispatch the always tricky Griekspoor, but now he’ll face a dangerous player with a similar skill set in Hurkacz.
There was a time not too long ago when it felt like Hurkacz was building towards a Grand Slam title. The 6-foot-5 native of Poland had one of the best serves in the sport, and it seemed like the rest of his game was getting to a level where he could compete with the best players in the world.
Injuries and inconsistency derailed the last two years for Hurkacz, and he’s had to fight his way back into relevance by playing Challenger events.
It does look like the hard work is starting to pay off, however.
Hurkacz was last seen winning a title at the Cancun Challenger in August, which featured a deep field for a junior varsity event, and he’s not that far removed from wins over Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul en route to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon.
This stylistic matchup could benefit Hurkacz. Both players rely on their all-world serves to accumulate cheap points, which means we should see thin margins throughout the match. Each set could be decided by a letdown or a moment of magic here or there.
When the margins are that narrow, the underdog always has some bite.
The Play: Hurkacz moneyline (+198, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
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.
