The main draw of the 2024 U.S. Open doesn’t begin until Monday, but there’s plenty of tennis action going down out in Queens this week as hopeful qualifiers duke it out for the right to play in the year’s final Grand Slam.
One such hopeful is former World No. 10 Lucas Pouille.
Once considered to be the next big thing in French tennis, Pouille was sidelined for the vast majority of the 2021 and 2022 seasons as he rehabbed from injuries and dealt with mental health issues.
But Pouille picked himself off the mat in 2023 and qualified for the French Open, where he won his first-round match in front of a raucous crowd.
The Frenchman’s 2024 season has also seen some successes, most notably winning a title on the Challenger Tour in May.
Pouille followed that performance up by qualifying for and winning two matches at Wimbledon.
That was an encouraging showing from Pouille, who now sets his sights on 22-year-old Harold Mayot in Round 2 of qualification Wednesday.
One thing that is important to note for qualifiers — especially at the U.S. Open — is that the crowd can be a factor.
It’s an intimate setting on the outer courts, but the environment can be electric, which is good news for Pouille.
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In a match that is priced as a coin flip, Pouille’s experience and the backing of the crowd should be a difference-maker.
Back the fan favorite to get by his fellow countryman Wednesday.
THE PLAY: Lucas Pouille (-110, BetMGM)
