2018 U.S. Open Tennis Men’s Semifinals Odds & Preview

Odds makers tagged Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic favorites in their respective U.S. Open Tennis Men’s Semifinals matches on Friday, Sep. 7. Will the top two tennis players in the world march to Sunday’s finals? Keep reading for 2018 U.S. Open Men’s Semifinals odds, analysis, and  picks!

2018 U.S. Open Tennis Men’s Semifinals

Chill level: Novak Djokovic 😂😎#USOpen pic.twitter.com/mmnWw5QSAl

— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) September 6, 2018

When: Sep. 7 at 10:00 am ET

• #1 Rafael Nadal -160 vs #13 Juan Martin del Potro +135

Nadal, the #1 ranked player on the ATP, hasn’t been as sharp at the U.S. Open as some might believe. In Round 3, he struggled to a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-3) win over #23 Karen Kachanov. In Round 4, he had to win a tiebreaker game against Nikoloz Basilashvili while Dominic Thiem pushed Rafa to a 5-set match in the quarterfinals. Rafa won both Game 4 and Game 5 via tiebreaker. del Potro had a much easier time against #11 John Isner than Nadal had against #9 Thiem. del Potro had to win two tiebreaker games in the 4-set match, but he breezed past Isner in the other two sets 6-3 and 6-2. Head-to-head, Rafa’s beaten Juan Martin 11 of 16 matches. He’s also won the last 3 head-to-head matches between the two players. del Potro could turn the tables on Nadal in this match, though. He’s playing at a somewhat higher level than Rafa while at Wimbledon he beat Rafa 6-4 in one set and pushed Rafa to a tiebreaker in another set. Odds are right on Juan Martin del Potro. He’s the play.

2018 U.S. Open Men’s Semifinals Pick: Juan Martin del Potro

When: Sep. 7 at 10:00 am ET

• #21 Kei Nishikori +415 vs #6 Novak Djokovic -565

Kei Nishikori hasn’t beaten Novak Djokovic since the 2014 U.S. Open Men’s Semifinals. The 28-year-old Japanese player bounced back from a terrible 2-6 first set loss to #6 Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals to beat Cilic 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4. Novak Djokovic has lost only a single set during the tournament. That happened back in Round 1 when unbeaten Marton Fucsovics beat Djokovic 6-3. Dojokovic dominated Fucsovics 6-4, 6-0 after the set loss. I always look to play dogs, but Novak Djokovic hasn’t played a match beyond 3-sets since Round 2. He dominated #26 Richard Gasquet, Joao Sousa, and John Millman. Nishikori’s a step up from those players. Unfortunately, Nishikori heads into this semifinals off a tough match against Martin Cilic while Djokovic breezed through his last 3 matches. That gives Djokovic an extra edge.

2018 U.S. Open Men’s Semifinals Pick: Novak Djokovic