2025 U.S. Open: Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo into the second round

The order of play is headlined by Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Naomi Osaka.

All three Canadian players in the men’s field find themselves in the top half of the draw and will take the court on Thursday. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, and Gabriel Diallo safely advanced to the second round with victories on either Monday or Tuesday.

Let’s take a look at some of Thursday’s intriguing matchups and discuss the best bets to make. 

Don’t forget to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of tennis betting odds.

U.S. Open: Denis Shapovalov vs. Valentin Royer best bet: Shapovalov -1.5 sets (-165) 

Shapovalov kicked off his fortnight with an impressive 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 rout of Winston-Salem champion Marton Fucsovics. Thus continues what has been a stellar run of success at this particular tournament for the 26-year-old. He reached the quarterfinals in 2020 and has advanced to at least the third round on five other occasions – including a fourth-round performance in 2017. Just once in seven U.S. Open appearances has Shapovalov lost in the first round.

Next up for the left-hander is Royer, who is ranked No. 98 in the world. The 24-year-old Frenchman got a retirement from Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon earlier this summer, but he had never won a Grand Slam match outright before beating Bu Yunchaokete on Tuesday. This is a favourable matchup for Shapovalov and one that he should win in relatively swift fashion. 

U.S. Open: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Roman Safiullin best bet: Over 38.5 games (-115) 

Auger-Aliassime’s first-round contest against Billy Harris was a lot more difficult than a straight-set result would indicate. The world No. 27 prevailed 6-4, 7-6(8), 6-4, but every set was extremely competitive and the match lasted almost three hours for just three sets. Safiullin had a battle of his own on his hands on Tuesday night, outlasting French fan favourite Gael Monfils in five sets.

Thursday’s showdown should be another good one. Auger-Aliassime and Safiullin have faced each other once before, and both sets could not have been closer; the Canadian got the job done 7-6(4), 7-6(5) on the indoor hard courts of Marseille three years ago. Auger-Aliassime is a considerable favourite, but his opponent is a veteran who has enjoyed plenty of success at the Grand Slam level throughout his career. This could be a long, competitive match. 

U.S. Open: Gabriel Diallo vs. Jaume Munar best bet: Diallo ML (-118) 

What’s not to like about Diallo in New York? The 23-year-old has climbed to No. 33 in the world, and he already played great at this event last summer – when he wasn’t even close to the player he is now. In 2024, Diallo qualified for the main draw, beat none other than Munar in the first round, upset Arthur Fils thereafter, and then pushed Tommy Paul to a fourth-set tiebreaker.

The 6’8’’ Canadian looked good again during a four-set victory over Damir Dzumhur on Monday. Next up is a rematch with Munar, against whom Diallo is 2-0 lifetime. The former college star at Kentucky prevailed in four sets at this tournament 12 months ago and via a 7-5, 6-3 decision earlier this summer on the grass courts of Mallorca. There is no reason to think that Munar will suddenly turn the tide on Thursday.