Odds according to Luxbet.com
Varvara Lepchenko ($1.73) vs Mona Barthel ($2.10)
Bet of the day: Barthel
When on a roll, Barthel is hard to stop. Despite an inconsistent year, she has still reached the third rounds at the Australian Open and French Open, and was quelled only by eventual champion Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon. The German found form with a title win in Bastad, albeit on clay. She did not show much else in the lead-up to Flushing Meadows, but a 1-and-2 dismissal of 32nd seed Zhang Shuai in the first round was emphatic. Lepchenko reached the semis in Stanford early in the US swing, but the formline of her big upset there – against Agnieszka Radwanska – is somewhat soured by the Pole's early exit in New York.
Sorana Cirstea ($3.85) vs Eugenie Bouchard ($1.26)
Value bet: Cirstea
I'm potting Bouchard for two reasons. Firstly, it is her debut on Arthur Ashe Stadium. ALL eyes are on her. Cirstea has played there once before – '08 against Kuznetsova – and also has had a big scalp on centre court at a major, when she beat Sam Stosur at the Australian Open. There's no doubt Bouchard is more of a talent than Cirstea, but the second knock on the Canadian is that she is carrying a niggling left leg injury into the tournament. That, plus huge expectations on her to replicate her form from the three previous majors in 2014, spells a Bouchard letdown on the horizon for mine.
US Open day four betting preview
