US Open 2024 qualifying: Denis Kudla vs Richard Gasquet preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Denis Kudla vs (23) Richard Gasquet
Date: August 19, 2024
Tournament: US Open 2024
Round: First Round (Qualifying)
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $75,000,000
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN, RDS
Denis Kudla vs Richard Gasquet preview
Home favorite Denis Kudla will take on former top-10 player Richard Gasquet in the first round of the US Open 2024 qualifiers.
Kudla has only one win at the ATP level this year, which came at the Dallas Open against Radu Albot. He then lost to Jordan Thompson 6-1, 6-1 in the second round. He has since made two more main draw appearances, losing both - one at Indian Wells and the other in Houston.
Kudla has performed relatively better on the Challenger circuit, reaching a couple of semifinals. He made the last four in Cleveland in January, and later in San Luis Potosi in March. He has a 9-8 record on the Challenger tour this year and a 1-3 record at the ATP level.
Gasquet started the season ranked 76th. However, he failed to defend his title in Auckland at the start of the year, and his first-round exit pushed him out of the top 100. After four consecutive opening-round exits, he tallied his first win of the season at the Qatar Open by beating Alexander Shevchenko.
The Frenchman lost to Andrey Rublev in the second round. His next appearance on the ATP Tour was two months later, and he made the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open as a lucky loser. He bowed out of the French Open in the second round and failed to advance beyond the qualifying rounds at Wimbledon.
Gasquet's record for the season stands at 3-11. He dropped down to the Challenger level as well, and reached the final in Manama in February, losing to Mikhail Kukushkin in two competitive sets.
Denis Kudla vs Richard Gasquet head-to-head
Gasquet leads Kudla 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the Japan Open 2018 in straight sets.
Denis Kudla vs Richard Gasquet odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Denis Kudla vs Richard Gasquet prediction
Both players have struggled over the past year, especially Kudla. Gasquet still manages to produce moments of brilliance from time to time. He competed against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz this year, and the matches weren't a complete blowout despite him being in a slump.
Gasquet also has 605 career wins at the ATP level, while Kudla has notched up 72 wins. The Frenchman is a former semifinalist at the US Open, reaching the last four back in 2013, and has a 30-18 career record at the venue.
Kudla, meanwhile, has a 5-9 record in New York and has a third-round finish in 2019 as his best result here. He fell in the first round of the qualifying here last year, and with Gasquet being in slightly better form, a similar fate could await the American this time as well.
Pick: Richard Gasquet to win in straight sets.