US Open preview: the day gets busy, and a few prices look roomy

THE DAY AHEAD

Wednesday, 2 September 2026 is a second-round day at the US Open, with Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong running day and evening sessions and first balls spread across a long, awkward little New York timetable. The official US Open ticket and schedule pages list day-session starts from 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. and evening play from 7:00 p.m., and note that schedules can move, while the tournament’s weather note says play is always subject to change if conditions turn rough. (usopen.org)

The weather looks mostly cloudy through the afternoon, with a couple of showers in the forecast window and temperatures in the low to upper 70s Fahrenheit, so it should feel warm but not mean. That kind of day usually keeps the court a little grippy, but not wild.

TEN MATCHES WORTH A LOOK

Expected tennis start times can move when earlier matches run long or weather intervenes.

EXPECTED START · 18:10 CEST · 12:10 PM ET

This is the sort of match where the rankings say one thing and the market quietly says another. Etcheverry is the more established clay-court operator, but Fearnley has been living in the hard-court present a bit better, and the price on the Brit is the main reason this belongs here. The internal market signal makes Jacob Fearnley the play at 2.14 with fair odds of 1.8861, PP 6.2905 and HIGH confidence, and that is the kind of edge you do not ignore just because the name on the left side is older and more familiar. (usopen.org)

EXPECTED START · 22:30 CEST · 4:30 PM ET

Tsitsipas arrives with a strange little contradiction attached to him: he won Gstaad after a rough 12 months and then opened the US Open by beating Arthur Fils in four sets, which is a proper wake-up result for anyone wondering if the game is still there. Harris is a live server and the price says he is not being treated like dust. The signal backs Harris at 2.75, with fair odds 3.0714, PP 4.7807 and HIGH confidence; another listed price at 3.35 is softer still, but the signal’s strongest read sits at 2.75. (atptour.com)

EXPECTED START · 17:00 CEST · 11:00 AM ET

Fernandez is still the bigger name and the more proven hard-court animal, but her 2026 has been lumpy enough that this is not a simple chalk story. The WTA noted in Washington that she had gone 12-18 through Wimbledon and had not reached a semifinal since October 2025, though she then hit a useful lift later in the summer with a top-10 win over Mirra Andreeva at the National Bank Open. Sawangkaew’s signal is the story here: 3.35 is the market number, fair odds 3.0571, PP 4.5417 and HIGH confidence. (wtatennis.com)

EXPECTED START · 17:00 CEST · 11:00 AM ET

Parry is one of those players who can make a match feel a little tilted without ever really dominating it, and Cirstea brings enough shot-making and enough unpredictability to keep this lively. The WTA match-notes page has Parry in the draw against Cirstea, and the internal signal likes Parry at 3.45, with fair odds 3.0571, PP 3.7252 and HIGH confidence. There is not much room for sleepy tennis here. (wtafiles.wtatennis.com)

EXPECTED START · 18:30 CEST · 12:30 PM ET

Altmaier’s baseline shape and Svajda’s home-court feel make this an interesting one in the middle tier of the day. The market leans to Altmaier at 2.46 or 2.44 depending on the book, with fair odds 2.2575, PP 3.6464 and HIGH confidence. Altmaier is the pick on value, but not by much, which is often a good sign for a round like this. (usopen.org)

EXPECTED START · 18:30 CEST · 12:30 PM ET

Giron has had a useful North American summer and the US Open tends to reward players who can keep serving with some calm. The signal points to Giron at 2.45 on one book and 2.58 on another, with fair odds 2.2575 or 2.3889, PP in the 3.10 to 3.48 band and HIGH confidence. Buse is still the kind of opponent who can make a match look normal for a while and then not normal at all. (usopen.org)

EXPECTED START · 17:00 CEST · 11:00 AM ET

This is a good American-on-American one, and it has a very current hard-court mood. Nakashima has been sharp all summer, beating Alex de Minaur in Washington and Daniil Medvedev in Cincinnati, while Michelsen just had a close one with Taylor Fritz in Washington. The market is split in shape but not in feel: Nakashima is 1.49 with fair odds 1.4533, PP 3.4494 and HIGH confidence, while Michelsen is also offered at 2.78 and 2.70 with fair odds 2.634 and HIGH confidence. (atptour.com)

EXPECTED START · 17:00 CEST · 11:00 AM ET

Rublev is still Rublev, all weight and velocity, but the underdog price is not silly at all. The signal likes Daniel Merida Aguilar at 2.75, 2.52 or 2.70 depending on the book, with fair odds ranging around 2.3473 to 2.5159 and HIGH confidence. This is the sort of match where the rally tolerance matters more than the badge on the sleeve. (usopen.org)

EXPECTED START · 20:10 CEST · 2:10 PM ET

Muchova has had surgery recently and WTA reporting said she would miss a few weeks after the procedure, which is worth keeping in the notebook even though she has also had a strong summer, including a Bad Homburg title and a Wimbledon final. The market is not offering a clean h2h angle here, but it does like Under 19.5 games at 2.01 and 1.99, with fair odds 1.8832, PP 3.3499 and HIGH confidence. Muchova’s class is obvious; the fitness note keeps it interesting. (wtatennis.com)

EXPECTED START · 20:10 CEST · 2:10 PM ET

Kalinskaya is always a bit of a shape-shifter in these matches, and Wang has enough clean ball-striking to turn this into a long, twitchy affair if her timing lands. The signal likes Xinyu Wang at 3.15 or 3.10, with fair odds 2.8966, PP 2.7772 and HIGH confidence. Not glamorous, but it has the sort of edge that can turn a busy slate into a useful one. (usopen.org)

THE PRICE DESK

The cleanest numbers in the room are the underdog prices on Fearnley, Sawangkaew, Parry and Merida Aguilar, and the strongest favourite-side support is Nakashima. Fearnley’s 2.14 versus fair 1.8861 stands out most to me, and Sawangkaew at 3.35 against fair 3.0571 is not far behind. On the more conservative side, the Boulter-Muchova totals call is the one with the most obvious match-shape logic, because Muchova’s recent surgery note keeps the ceiling and the stamina question gently alive. All quoted prices and signals come from the internal MARKET_CONTEXT, and I have only used those odds where provided. (usopen.org)

WEATHER AND THE SMALL PRINT

New York is forecast to stay cloudy with some showers showing up in the afternoon and evening windows, and temperatures hovering from the low 70s into the upper 70s Fahrenheit. That should keep conditions playable but not pristine, with a little heavier air later in the day. The US Open also reminds fans that schedules, session times and even gate timing can change, so a long slate like this can always pick up a few odd turns. (usopen.org)