British No. 1 Jack Draper takes on giant-slayer Botic van de Zandschulp on day six of the US Open, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. With Carlos Alcaraz eliminated from the tournament thanks to Van de Zandsculp’s heroics in the previous round, a clear path to the US Open semi-finals has emerged for whoever in this quarter is willing to grab it.
Will it be Draper or Van de Zandschulp who takes a step closer on Saturday in New York? Read on for our Draper vs Van de Zandschulp betting tips and predictions to find out what we’re predicting.
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Player form: Draper, big picture
This is a fascinating match to predict, simply because of how different this year has been for Draper and Van de Zandschulp.
Draper has been the better player by far. The Brit has surged to a career-high of No. 25 in the world, winning his maiden ATP title in Stuttgart and more importantly, staying healthy for more than six months in a row now.
So far this tournament, he’s been business-like too, racing through both of his first two matches in straight sets. In fact, Draper has lost the fewest games of any man in the third round, dropping just 11 games to make this stage of the tournament.
For Van de Zandschulp, he’s had a tough year. The Dutchman is 24-24 across all matches in 2024, but just 13-18 on the ATP Tour ahead of the US Open. Once ranked as high as No. 22 in the world, he has well and truly lost his mojo, and was openly considering quitting the game midway through this year.
That is, until the US Open.
The elephant in the room is that Van de Zandschulp just pulled off what was quite possibly the biggest upset in men’s tennis over the past decade in the last round. He defeated third seed Alcaraz – winner of the past two Grand Slams and the bookies’ favourite to claim his second US Open – in straight sets.
How the bookies view it: Order to resume
Despite Van de Zandschulp’s incredible performance in the second round, bookmaker Betfred isn’t biting. Draper is still the strong favourite in this match, with the Brit paying 2/9 to win outright. Van de Zandschulp sits way back on 10/3 to win, with the most likely result being 3-0 to Draper at 6/4.
Recent head-to-head: Nothing to see here
This is the pair’s first time playing on the ATP Tour.
Anything else catch the eye?
Van de Zandschulp appeared very composed in his victory over Alcaraz, which bodes well for the Dutchman against Draper. Often, big upsets are followed by big crashes back to reality because of the emotional effort required. But, the world No. 74 seemed level-headed as he upset Alcaraz, so should still have plenty in the tank.
What we do think will make a big difference is Draper’s lefty forehand. The Brit will present a different picture to Alcaraz, and should be able to attack his opponent’s backhand in a way that the Spaniard did not.
Draper vs Van de Zandschulp betting tips & predictions
This is a tough one to call, but we expect Draper to continue his stellar run in New York. It could be a bit tougher, but ultimately the Brit should get this done with relative ease.
- Draper to win @ 2/9
- Under 36.5 games @ 4/5
Bren is our resident Kiwi, and has been playing or watching sports down under in New Zealand for the better part of three decades. With 12+ years experience as a professional writer, Bren loves to dive deep into all things sport to bring the best betting analysis and predictions here at Mr Fixits Tips.
