US Open 2022: Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Baez preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (3) Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Baez.

Date: August 30, 2022.

Tournament: US Open 2022.

Round: First round (Round of 128).

Venue: New York, United States.

Category: Grand Slam.

Surface: Hard.

Prize money: $60,102,000.

Live telecast: USA - ESPN & ESPN2 | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv, Sony Ten & Sony Six.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Baez preview

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open

Teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz will lock horns with Sebastian Baez in the first round of the 2022 US Open on Tuesday.

Alcaraz has been one of the standout players this season. While he lost early at the Australian Open, he claimed his second career title at the Rio Open after that. He gave Rafael Nadal a tough fight in the semifinals at Indian Wells, but came up short.

Alcaraz then won his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open. The Spaniard made an early exit from the Monte-Carlo Masters, but won back-to-back titles in Barcelona and Madrid. His winning streak came to an end in the quarterfinals of the French Open.

Alcaraz reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, after which he recorded consecutive runner-up finishes at Hamburg and Umag. He was stunned by Tommy Paul in the second round of the Canadian Open. The teenager rebounded by reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, where he lost to Cameron Norrie.

Alcaraz has a tour-leading 44 wins this season. He made it to the quarterfinals of the US Open last year and will be aiming to do better this time around. He's also in contention for the World No. 1 ranking.

Sebastian Baez at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Sebastian Baez is in the midst of his own career-best season. He competed in the Majors for the first time this year and made it to the second round in all three of them. He's now set to make his debut in New York.

Outside of the Grand Slams, Baez has reached three ATP finals this year, all of them on clay. He finished as the runner-up at the Chile Open and the Swedish Open, but won his maiden ATP title at the Estoril Open. The Argentinian scored his first win over a top-10 player by defeating Andrey Rublev at the Swedish Open.

Beaz's results this season have propelled him to a career-high ranking of World No. 31. However, he has done quite poorly in the lead-up to the US Open, having lost in the first round of all three tournaments he competed in.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Baez head-to-head

Alcaraz leads Baez 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2021 ATP Next Gen Finals.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Baez odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (Over & Under)
Carlos Alcaraz	-5000	+1.5 (-10000	Over 29.5 (-105)
Sebastian Baez	+1200	-1.5 (+1750)	Under 29.5 (-135)

(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Baez prediction

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 Miami Open

Both players have done well this season, though Alcaraz has been leagues above Baez when it comes to their accomplishments. As such, the teenager will be the favorite to win this encounter.

Baez prefers to duke it out from the back of the court in extended baseline exchanges. He's able to get a lot of balls back in play, which tests the patience of his opponents.

However, almost all of the Argentinian's good results have come on clay, and he's yet to prove himself as a contender on other surfaces.

Alcaraz is also quite capable of slugging it out in lengthy rallies, but knows when to dial up the aggression. The Spaniard is capable of producing sublime winners even when on the backfoot. His drop shots work quite well, while he's got good hands at the net too. His court coverage also gives him a huge advantage.

Considering their form and recent results, Alcaraz should advance to the next round without breaking a sweat.

Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.