American kingpin Isner can cast aside Chung in good style

Day three
Eurosport 1 & 2, from 4pm Wednesday

Chung v Isner
Americans are clinging to the hope that their men’s tennis spearhead John Isner could notch a Grand Slam title in the autumn of his career, but worryingly for the big-serving beanpole his second-round opponent Hyeon Chung has been well backed to upset the tenth seed.

That's a bit of a surprise, because if Isner's fitness is still intact at Flushing Meadows he ought to outclass the promising young South Korean.

Isner, who fired down 22 aces in his 6-1 6-4 4-6 6-3 first-round victory over the useful Pierre-Hugues Herbert, has been in fine form since Wimbledon, winning back-to-back titles in Newport and Atlanta and making the last four in Cincinnati.

He came up short in Winston-Salem last week but may have been saving some energy for New York.

With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the top half of the draw and second seed Andy Murray having scratched from his bottom-half berth before the tournament started, Isner will seldom have a better chance of reaching his homeland Grand Slam final.

Time is running out for the 32-year-old from North Carolina, but he is capable of reaching the final Sunday in the Big Apple and should have too much for the energetic Chung.

Isner is 8-13 to win either 3-0 or 3-1 in sets and that looks the way to go.

Recommendation
J Isner -1.5 sets
1pt 8-13 Betfair, BoyleSports, Paddy Power

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US Open men's preview

US Open women's preview

Anderson v Gulbis
Kevin Anderson is enjoying arguably his best ever campaign and it's no surprise to see him made favourite to deny the inconsistent Ernests Gulbis and progress to the last 32.

But Gulbis has shown signs that he is in competitive mood and performing close to his best and it may be worth punters trying to find a way to support the Latvian, who could have been a top-ten player with more application.

The oddsmakers reckon Anderson's big serve will dominate, but Gulbis is no mean deliverer himself when it comes to firing down rockets and the outsider could offer a spot of value to win at least a set.

Recommendation
E Gulbis to win at least a set
1pt 7-10 Hills

Alexandrova v Garcia
It's one-all in the personal series between Caroline Garcia and Ekaterina Alexandrova and while the French 18th seed will hope to kick on in New York after dropping only one game against Tereza Martincova in her opener, the talented Russian may not allow her to do so.

Alexandrova swept Garcia aside 6-4 6-0 in the latest of their two clashes in Limoges in 2016 and her tidy 6-2 6-3 round-one victory over qualifier Anna Zaja suggests she is on top of her game.

The 22-year-old from the Urals gave Garbine Muguruza a decent match at Wimbledon on the Spaniard's way to collecting that trophy in July and Garcia looks overpriced to dominate her opponent.

Most firms afford Alexandrova a start of 4.5 games on their handicaps, but it may be wise to take a shorter price and get another game on board and go with the 5.5 start.

Recommendation
E Alexandrova +5.5 games
1pt 4-7 Betway