Odds according to Luxbet.com
Matthias Bachinger ($3.95) vs Radek Stepanek ($1.25)
Suggested bet: Back Bachinger head-to-head
I'm leaning towards the German qualifier here. Bachinger raced through his three matches to reach the main draw, spending only three hours and 12 minutes on court. Hard courts are his preferred surface. The big knock on Bachinger is he has never won a main-draw match at a major, but Flushing Meadows is the place he has come awfully close to breaking through. Two five-set losses (2011, 12) should make him hungry to go the extra step. Against an out-of-form Stepanek, who has lost his past four tour matches, Bachinger is the value bet here.
Kirsten Flipkens ($2.50) vs Sara Errani ($1.53)
Suggested bet: Back Flipkens head-to-head, or with a plus 3.5-game handicap ($1.76)
Errani leads their head-to-head record 2-0 - both also on hard courts - but at the odds, I'm backing Flipkens here. The Belgian's preparation for the major has been much better than that of Errani's, getting plenty of court time with three matches at the Connecticut Open - including a tough win over Andrea Petkovic. Meanwhile, Errani has lost three of her four matches on the hard-court swing.
Sara Errani will have her work cut out against Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens (Pic: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Sloane Stephens ($1.23) vs Annika Beck ($4.15)
Suggested bet: Include Stephens in your multis.
Sloane is a grand-slam performer. However, last time out - at Wimbledon - she was bundled out in the first round. Even in her short career, back-to-back first-round losses at majors have not been on Stephens' CV. In fact, in her 13 main-draw appearances, only twice was she beaten in the round-of-128. Beck has been forced to qualify at tournaments in Cincinnati and New Haven recently, and had a big win over Garbine Muguruza. But Stephens' pedigree, and record at Flushing Meadows - which has seen her boast two third-round efforts and a last-16 run in 2013 - make her a rock-solid bet here.
Daniel Gimeno-Traver ($1.64) vs Michael Llodra ($2.25)
Suggested bet: Back Gimeno-Traver head-to-head
One always has to fear the injured player, but I think we can safely pot Llodra here. While I'm wary of backing a player who has not competed on the surface since March, Llodra has had an injury-riddled season - most notably suffering elbow issues of late. And in the Spaniard's last time on a hard court, he took a set off Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka - so that's a positive. Llodra is riding a wildcard into the event so has nothing to lose, but on match fitness, Gimeno-Traver is close to a lock here.
Andreas Seppi ($1.49) vs Sergiy Stakhovsky ($2.60)
Suggested bet: Back Seppi head-to-head
The Italian has had a traditional lead in, including some handy match wins and time on court, and has a class edge on Stakhovsky. While the Ukrainian famously upset Roger Federer at Wimbledon, the grass-court major is where the large majority of his best-of-five set wins have come from. Stakhovsky has been beaten in five sets in the first round twice, and I expect Seppi will simply get the job done again given his recent matches under the belt.
Andreas Seppi will go in as favourite against Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky (Pic: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)