US Open Men's & Women's Singles Quarterfinals Picks, Prediction, Odds, and Line Movement for Wednesday September 9 2026

The second day of U.S. Open quarterfinals brings four matches with very different profiles. Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina enter as heavy favorites, Coco Gauff faces a dangerous young challenger in Mirra Andreeva, and Karen Khachanov meets Alexander Blockx in the matchup most likely to turn into a long, physical contest.

Blockx has already eliminated Flavio Cobolli and Francisco Cerundolo, while Khachanov needed five sets to survive Learner Tien. With both players comfortable extending sets and neither owning an overwhelming return advantage, their quarterfinal offers the most appealing number on Wednesday's card.

U.S. Open Quarterfinal Best Bet

• Khachanov vs Blockx Over 40.5 Games: +105

Karen Khachanov vs Alexander Blockx Preview

Blockx has gone from an intriguing young player to one of the stories of the men's tournament.

After beating Cobolli in four sets, the Belgian followed with another four-set victory over Cerundolo, winning 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5. That result was particularly impressive because Cerundolo had just eliminated Taylor Fritz and entered the fourth round playing some of his best tennis of the season.

Blockx has been able to build his run around the serve. When his first delivery lands, he gets enough pace and placement to dictate the following shot rather than immediately falling into defense. That becomes particularly important against Khachanov, who is more dangerous when he can establish himself around the baseline and repeatedly attack second serves.

Khachanov's route has required more work. He needed five sets to defeat Tien 7-5, 4-6, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, recovering after falling two sets to one behind. The Russian was especially effective when opportunities appeared, converting nine of 12 break chances.

Surface and Matchup

Khachanov owns the heavier baseline game, but Blockx has enough serve to prevent this from becoming a simple sequence of return games controlled by the favorite.

That is important for the total. Blockx does not necessarily have to dominate Khachanov from the back of the court. If he continues protecting enough service games to push sets toward 5-5, 6-6 or tiebreak territory, the game count can climb quickly.

Khachanov has also shown throughout this tournament that he is comfortable surviving long matches rather than needing to win quickly. Blockx has already demonstrated the same quality.

This will be their first career meeting.

Odds and Line Movement

Blockx was around 2.36 earlier and has shortened into approximately the 2.20 to 2.25 range, while Khachanov is now around 1.60. The movement toward the Belgian has also left the primary game total around 40.5, with the Over available close to 1.95.

That number can be reached in four competitive sets and becomes very reachable if the match goes five.

What Will Decide the Match

The key is whether Khachanov can consistently attack Blockx's second serve.

If the Russian begins breaking two or three times per set, the match can become shorter very quickly. But Blockx has been serving too well during this run to assume that pattern develops easily.

Khachanov has more experience in this situation and should be slightly steadier in the biggest points, but Blockx has enough firepower to take at least one set and force another two into the later stages.

Prediction: Khachanov wins 3-2

Qinwen Zheng vs Elena Rybakina Preview

Rybakina has arguably produced the cleanest tournament of any player remaining in the women's draw.

She has not dropped a set and was dominant against Naomi Osaka, winning 6-1, 6-4. Her serve was particularly effective, allowing her to control short points and prevent Osaka from establishing consistent return pressure.

Zheng arrives with much more dramatic momentum. She defeated Madison Keys in three sets before producing one of the tournament's biggest results against Iga Swiatek, winning 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals. Reuters notes that Zheng has repeatedly recovered from difficult situations during this run, while Rybakina remains unbeaten in sets.

Surface and Matchup

Both players want to control points with the serve and first forehand, but Rybakina has been producing easier holds.

Their recent history also favors Rybakina. She beat Zheng in Doha and Madrid earlier this season, although both matches required three sets. Zheng's lone win in the matchup came at the 2024 WTA Finals.

That history suggests Zheng has enough power to make the match competitive, but Rybakina has repeatedly found the better answers when their matches tighten.

Rybakina remains around 1.32, while Zheng is available near 3.20. The straight-sets market has Rybakina -1.5 sets around 1.89.

Prediction: Rybakina wins 2-0

Mirra Andreeva vs Coco Gauff Preview

Gauff enters Wednesday on a 10-match winning streak and produced her strongest performance of the tournament against Iva Jovic, winning 6-1, 6-4. She finished with twice as many winners as Jovic while committing half as many unforced errors.

Andreeva has taken a more difficult route. She dropped the opening set against Anastasia Potapova before recovering to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

The matchup has historically belonged to Gauff. The U.S. Open notes that she has won all five of their previous meetings, including their 2023 meeting in New York.

Andreeva's ability to redirect pace and disguise changes of direction can still create problems, but Gauff owns the more reliable defensive floor and has consistently forced Andreeva into playing additional shots.

The market has moved slightly toward Andreeva, with Gauff drifting from around 1.49 to approximately 1.53 and Andreeva near 2.44.

Prediction: Gauff wins 2-1

Alexander Zverev vs Botic van de Zandschulp Preview

Zverev has settled into the tournament after a difficult opening week and was ruthless against Luciano Darderi, winning 6-2, 6-2, 7-6.

Van de Zandschulp has taken almost the opposite route. He has already eliminated Alex de Minaur and then survived consecutive five-set matches, most recently coming back from two sets down against Arthur Gea.

That workload matters against Zverev, whose serve can make return games extremely short. The German has also reached 50 wins this season and enters as the highest-ranked player remaining in this half of the draw.

Zverev is approximately -800 to -900, with van de Zandschulp around +500.

Prediction: Zverev wins 3-0

Best Bet - Khachanov vs Blockx Over 40.5 Games +105

Blockx has shown enough serving quality to avoid being treated like a routine quarterfinal underdog, while Khachanov has already demonstrated that he can win deep into a fifth set.

The Belgian has won sets in bunches throughout the tournament and has repeatedly held up when matches tighten late. Khachanov should eventually have the more reliable baseline game, but the Russian has not been dominating opponents quickly enough to make a short match the most likely scenario.

Four tight sets can threaten the number, and a fifth set should put it in excellent position.

Best Bet: Khachanov vs Blockx Over 40.5 Games +105

Prediction: Khachanov wins 3-2