The second round of the US Open gets going on Wednesday, and several Americans will be in action during the day session.
Jessica Pegula opens play on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Sofia Kenin, followed by Ben Shelton vs. Hubert Hurkacz. Meanwhile, 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens will look to turn back the clock as she takes on Marta Kostyuk.
Below, we’ll break down our top tennis predictions for Wednesday’s US Open matches, including winner payouts, key stats, and match predictions for PrizePicks.
Make your US Open predictions on PrizePicks for Wednesday’s matches now!
{{tennis_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
US Open Predictions, Picks Today – Wednesday, September 2
Before we get into our tennis predictions for Wednesday, here’s a quick look at the matches we’re focusing on and the consensus favorites on PrizePicks Team Picks—where you can pick winners on each match.
Tennis on PrizePicks got its biggest upgrade yet just in time for the US Open. Users can now combine a player to win outright with Player Picks, including aces, total games won, and more! Click here for more information.
On PrizePicks Team Picks, a 2x payout represents a return of $200 on a $100 entry (or $20 on $10). A lower payout multiplier signals a higher implied probability of that result based on user picks.
Payouts are live at the time of writing and are subject to change. Tennis winner markets are available in 36 states.
Jessica Pegula vs. Sofia Kenin US Open Prediction – Wednesday, September 2
Match Winner Payouts: Pegula 1.03x | Kenin 11.11x
Tournament Round: Second Round
2026 Record Entering the US Open: Pegula 45-12 | Kenin 6-20
Head-to-Head Record: Pegula leads 4-2
Scheduled Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN
Jessica Pegula admitted to being nervous ahead of her first-round match but ultimately proved to be too much for Elena-Gabriela Ruse, winning 6-3, 6-2.
Pegula is now 29-7 on hard courts for the year and 11-3 this summer, with runner-up finishes in Cincinnati and Washington.
She’s a heavy favorite to advance against fellow American Sofia Kenin.
Kenin is in the midst of a rough season, and while she got a straight-sets win over Venus Williams in the first round, that doesn’t carry the same weight it used to. Venus is winless this season and is now riding a 15-match losing streak that dates back to 2025.
The victory over Williams is just the seventh for Kenin this season, and she hasn’t won two matches in a row even once in 2026. She’s 1-11 against players ranked in the top 50, and she’ll now go up against the world No. 3.
Per Tennis Abstract’s Elo ratings, Pegula enters the US Open as the fifth-best player on hard courts, whereas Kenin barely sneaks into the top 100. It’s difficult to envision Kenin giving Pegula a scare on Wednesday.
Make your Pegula vs. Kenin US Open prediction on PrizePicks now!
Jessica Pegula vs. Sofia Kenin Pick for the US Open on Wednesday
Jessica Pegula Pick – 25 Fantasy Score
Note: In PrizePicks tennis fantasy scoring, players earn 10 points to start (match played), games won/lost are +1/-1, sets won/lost at +3/-3, aces are 0.5, while double faults count for -0.5.
Dating back to the beginning of the Cincinnati Open, Pegula has scored 24, 22, 18, 13, 16, -2.5, and 24 fantasy points. Outside the negative score, the other six were all wins, and three were in straight sets.
On hard courts, Pegula has solid marks in ace rate (6.9%) and double-fault rate (2.8%), but they typically don’t translate to a significant boost in fantasy points.
Despite her iffy form this season, Kenin’s last three matches have gone three sets and/or featured a tiebreak. One of those three-setters came against world No. 11 Marta Kostyuk.
Pick Pegula to win + fantasy score on PrizePicks for higher payouts!
{{tennis_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Ben Shelton vs. Hubert Hurkacz US Open Prediction – Wednesday, September 2
Match Winner Payouts: Shelton 1.38x | Hurkacz 2.77x
Tournament Round: Second Round
2026 Record Entering the US Open: Shelton 33-13 | Hurkacz 16-16
Head-to-Head Record: First Career Meeting
Scheduled Time: 12:40 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN
Ben Shelton draws a tricky second-round matchup against Hubert Hurkacz, a former top-10 player who’s been derailed by injuries of late.
Hurkacz missed the second half of last season due to knee surgery, entering the year ranked 83rd and struggling to find consistent form. At one point early in the year, he lost seven consecutive matches across all levels.
Despite these setbacks, he’s worked his way to a 16-16 tour-level record and recently had a promising run to the round of 16 at Wimbledon. However, back and abdominal injuries would ultimately force him to retire in the fifth set of a grueling match against Jan-Lennard Struff.
Hurkacz seems to be healthy again after winning a Challenger title just before coming to New York, and he finished his first-round match strong, defeating Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Still, it’s fair to wonder how long his body will hold up in a best-of-five format.
Anyone who can serve like Hurkacz is dangerous, though. The Polish player has put up an absurd 18.5% ace rate on hard courts this season, the best mark among the top 50 players.
While that increases the likelihood of Shelton facing some adversity in this match, the American ought to have a good chance of prevailing. The American isn’t far removed from a fantastic run to the Canadian Open title, where he didn’t drop a set, and he’s won three other titles in 2026.
In the first round, Shelton dealt with some nerves against Tallon Griekspoor, but he eventually raised his level and got through 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2.
According to Tennis Abstract’s Elo ratings, Shelton comes in as the sixth-best player on hard courts, whereas Hurkacz ranks 35th.
Make your Shelton vs. Hurkacz US Open prediction on PrizePicks now!
Ben Shelton vs. Hubert Hurkacz Pick for the US Open on Wednesday
Shelton vs. Hurkacz Pick – 40.5 Total Games
These are two of the best servers on the ATP Tour. Per Tennis Data Innovations, Hurkacz boasts the second-best serve shot quality over the past 52 weeks, while Shelton owns the fifth-best.
On hard courts this year, Hurkacz has won 69.5% of his service points, and Shelton is even better, winning 71.0%. Both are elite marks.
The players have been less successful returning serve. In the same sample, Hurkacz has won 32.1% of his return points, while Shelton has won 34.4%. The tour average among the top 50 players is 35.8%.
With that in mind, break point chances could be difficult to come by on both sides, leading to tight sets. Hurkacz has played a tiebreak in 34.9% of his tour-level matches on hard courts this season, which is the second-highest mark among the top 50 players.
Pick Shelton to win + total games on PrizePicks for higher payouts!
Marta Kostyuk vs. Sloane Stephens US Open Prediction – Wednesday, September 2
Match Winner Payouts: Kostyuk 1.08x | Stephens 6.25x
Tournament Round: Second Round
2026 Record Entering the US Open: Kostyuk 32-8 | Stephens 15-17
Head-to-Head Record: Kostyuk leads 1-0
Scheduled Time: 12:40 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN
Marta Kostyuk cruised through her opening match against Storm Hunter 6-4, 6-1, and she continues to play well in what’s easily been a career-best season. In addition to winning two titles (Madrid and Rouen), she was a semifinalist at both the French Open and Wimbledon, losing to the eventual champion in both cases.
Kostyuk has lost just eight times all year, and seven of those defeats came against players presently ranked inside the top 10. She’s 23-1 against players ranked outside the top 20, showing how consistently she’s maintained her level.
That’s bad news for Sloane Stephens, who’s still working her way back from injury after playing just five matches in 2025. She began the season ranked outside the top 1000 and has needed to grind through qualifiers and lower-level tournaments to work her way back up to No. 209.
While Stephens still has a losing record on the year, she’s coming off a convincing 6-4, 6-1 victory over Clara Tauson in the first round, and she also played Kostyuk tough in Cincinnati. Stephens ultimately lost that match in straight sets, but the final scoreline was 7-5, 7-5, and both players had nine break-point chances, showing a thin margin.
That being said, it’s probably a big ask for the 33-year-old Stephens to pull off the upset in what’s been a difficult season. Per Tennis Abstract, Kostyuk comes in with the sixth-best Elo rating on hard courts, while Stephens still ranks outside the top 100.
The American’s recent showing against Kostyuk is encouraging, but the more in-form player seems likely to go through.
Make your Kostyuk vs. Stephens US Open prediction on PrizePicks now!
{{tennis_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Marta Kostyuk vs. Sloane Stephens Pick for the US Open on Wednesday
Kostyuk vs. Stephens Pick – 19 Total Games
Kostyuk and Stephens played 24 total games in their Cincinnati Open match two weeks ago. The Ukrainian’s other two wins in Cincinnati went 31 and 24 total games.
Although Kostyuk has performed well on all three surfaces in 2026, six of her eight losses have come on hard courts. Her only loss against a player ranked outside the top 50 came at this year’s Australian Open (Elsa Jacquemot).
Kostyuk sometimes has trouble with her serve, as she logged 7+ double faults in three of her four matches in Cincinnati.
Pick Kostyuk to win + total games on PrizePicks for higher payouts!
Make Your US Open Predictions Today on PrizePicks
The second round of the US Open gets underway on Wednesday. Which Americans will advance and live to see another day?
Don’t wait until Wednesday’s matches start—make your US Open predictions on PrizePicks now.
{{trophy_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Pick players, predict More or Less on their stats like games won or aces, or make match winner predictions with Team Picks, available in 36 states!
Stay locked in on Playbook for daily US Open predictions, tennis picks, and PrizePicks analysis throughout the tournament.
Team Picks and Culture Picks are event contracts offered by Performance Predictions II, LLC d/b/a PrizePicks Predict, a CFTC-registered FCM and NFA Member. All event contract customers must be U.S. residents and 18+. Some event contracts may not be available in every state.Event contract trading carries significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. No guarantee against loss is offered. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results.Void where prohibited by law. Restrictions apply. For full terms of service see prizepicks.com/predict-regulatory. Team and Culture Pick Early Payouts subject to market liquidity. The content provided is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, or a recommendation to trade any commodity interest.
