Tommy Paul came through a scare against Coleman Wong in the first round of the US Open but is backed to be too good for Dino Prizmic on Wednesday.
Paul, seeded 20th, lost the first set before overcoming Wong 6-7 6-1 6-3 6-3, while Prizmic beat Alexander Shevchenko 2-6 6-3 6-3 5-7 7-5.
This will be the first career meeting, but Paul is picked to progress. He has struggled in recent months but has reached the fourth round in New York twice, in 2023 and 2024. His experience and class should tell.
Here are our predictions and best bets for this US Open second round matchup at Flushing Meadows.
Dino Prizmic vs. Tommy Paul betting picks and predictions
Tommy Paul 3-1 (+240)
Paul has had an inconsistent 2026 and is 18-9 on hard courts. He recorded his highest ranking of eighth just last year, but is down to 21st after his poor summer.
The 29-year-old reached the final at Queen's, losing in three sets to Francisco Cerundolo but only made the round of 32 at Wimbledon. A first-round exit in Washington was followed by another last-32 loss in Montreal.
However, he found something in Cincinnati, beating French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the last 16 before succumbing to Flavio Cobolli in the quarters.
All of his matches in Cincy went to three sets, and he has a habit of starting slow, as shown in the win over Coleman.
Prizmic could take advantage as he seeks to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The Croatian is ranked 102 and has also had a mixed summer. Prizmic made the round of 16 at May's Rome Masters and pushed Joao Fonseca the distance at Roland Garros after leading 2-0 in the round of 64. That is a theme for the 21-year-old: talented but lacking top conditioning.
Recently, a first-round exit to Cameron Norrie in Cincinnati was followed by another early loss to home hope Alexis Galarneau in Quebec City.
He also lost the opening set against Shevchenko, but as the underdog, he might come out firing on Wednesday.
However, Paul is a clear favorite and 81 places separate the pair in the rankings. That said, he has a habit of starting slowly or losing concentration, so backing him to win in four makes sense, with a four-set match available at +175.
1st Set Total Games - Over 10.5 Games (+250)
Paul's opener against Wong could be instructive. There were 12 games to force a breaker in the first set, and these two players' struggles could lead to an early spectacular.
Both are decent on serve, with Paul firing down nine aces against Wong in the first round and Prizmic eight.
The Croatian also goes for his shots, especially early in matches. Everything came off for him in the first two sets of that defeat to Fonseca, and he blasted 66 winners against Shevchenko.
Paul's slow starts versus Prizmic's ability to score early points could combine for over 10.5 games in the opening set.
Dino Prizmic Over 2.5 Breaks of Serve (+125)
Coming through that five-setter against Shevchenko has to boost Prizmic's confidence. He forced seven breaks of serve in round one.
Paul was broken only once by Wong, but this opponent can put more pressure on his serve, with his ability to fire winners from the back of the court giving him the potential to hurt the American.
Dino Prizmic vs. Tommy Paul odds
Dimo Prizmic | +350 |
Tommy Paul | -500 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
