US Open day five predictions & tennis betting tips: Garcia full of confidence

Free tennis tips, best bets and analysis for day five of the US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York City on Friday.

Where to watch

Live on Amazon Prime, from 4pm Friday

Best bets

Pablo Carreno Busta to beat Alex de Minaur
2pts 4-5 Hills

Caroline Garcia to beat Bianca Andreescu
2pts 8-11 bet365

Day five preview

There are some tasty third-round tussles in store at Flushing Meadows on Friday as British duo Andy Murray and Jack Draper hope to successfully book their place in the last 16.

Both are dealt tough hands with Murray facing Italian 13th seed Matteo Berrettini and Draper tackling Russian world number 31 Karen Khachanov, but neither task is insurmountable.

There is also plenty of quality on show in the women’s draw as legendary American Serena Williams bids to build on her second-round win over second seed Anett Kontaveit with victory over Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.

The pick of the action, however, could be the all-American affair between 2017 runner-up Madison Keys and rising star Cori Gauff.

Pablo Carreno Busta v Alex de Minaur

Pablo Carreno Busta appears to relish the speed of the hardcourts in America and the two-time US Open semi-finalist is taken to see off Australian challenger Alex de Minaur.

The Spaniard warmed up for his New York adventure with a title triumph in Montreal, where he won six matches and accounted for Berrettini, Jannik Sinner and Hubert Hurkacz on the way to lifting the trophy.

It was no great surprise to see Carreno Busta suffer an opening-round defeat in Cincinnati, which came just two days after his Canadian triumph, but he has looked back in the groove at Flushing Meadows.

The 12th seed has recorded impressive four-set triumphs over 2020 champion Dominic Thiem and Alexander Bublik and is a worthy favourite to overcome De Minaur.

Bianca Andreescu v Caroline Garcia

The rejuvenation of Caroline Garcia continues and the in-form Frenchwoman can showcase her title credentials with a third-round win over 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.

Garcia claimed silverware in Cincinnati in the build-up to the final Grand Slam tournament of the season, doing so with wins over three top-ten performers, and she has made light work of Kamilla Rakhimova and Anna Kalinskaya in New York.

Former world number four Garcia is currently ranked 17th but there may be nobody on the WTA Tour in better nick than her, highlighted by the fact that she has lost only four of 32 matches since the beginning of June.

Garcia has won three titles this season and in Bad Homburg she did so with a 6-7 6-4 6-4 win over Andreescu in the final.

This promises to be another closely-fought encounter, but Garcia is again the one to beat as her Canadian opponent needed three sets to see off Harmony Tan in round one.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Not got a bet365 account? Bet £10 & get £50 in free bets

Open account offer. Minimum deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as bet credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Minimum odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude bet credits stake. Time limits/T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org

CLAIM OFFER HERE

MORE FREE BETS

Sign up to emails from Racing Post Sport and get all the latest news and tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport