Our expert LWOS panel of Yesh Ginsburg, Niall Clarke and Steen Kirby are back to predict the best of the US Open Men’s day 5 matches as more seeds could be ousted.
Rafael Nadal vs. Fabio Fognini
Yesh:
Upset special? Fognini seems to bring his best whenever he meets Nadal, and when Fognini brings his best he’ll beat Nadal’s current form on a fast hard court.
Prediction: Fognini in 4 sets
Niall:
The Italian has proved to be a tricky customer for Nadal, even on his beloved clay. The Spaniard is a shadow of his former self these days and a far cry from his level in 2010 or 2013 where he won the US Open. Fognini has been playing pretty well so far and will cause Nadal problems, but I see the former champion pulling through.
Prediction: Nadal in 4 sets
Steen:
Fognini has won two out of the last three clay court meetings over Rafa, but Rafa won their last meeting on clay, showing he retains mental competitiveness in the h2h, Nadal also leads the hard court h2h, and before the US Open the wild Italian Fognini hadn’t won a hard court match this season. Nadal is clearly down in form and no one doubts the dip but with just one set dropped to a talented and tenacious Borna Coric through his first two matches, I favor him to survive a surprising Fognini who tends to perform well in slams except against top competition.
Prediction: Nadal in 3 sets
Milos Raonic vs. Feliciano Lopez
Yesh:
Assuming Raonic is healthy, he should easily handle the Feliciano Lopez who couldn’t find any rhythm in his last match against Mardy Fish.
Prediction: Raonic in 3 sets
Niall:
A battle of two big servers here. Lopez got the better of their last meeting but the head to head is tied 3-3. Raonic had some physical issues in his match against Verdasco, so I am unsure if he is 100% fit for this match. So with that in mind I am going to side with the Spaniard.
Prediction: Lopez in 5 sets
Steen:
Both players have great abilities on serve when they are on their games but have showcased train wreck play through their first two matches. Lopez struggled to put away the semi-retired Mardy Fish in a near debacle for him, and Raonic was locked in battles for a while against the out of form Tim Smyczek and Fernando Verdasco. Raonic still doesn’t look 100% physically, and with Lopez having won the last h2h meeting weeks ago and pushed their last slam meeting at the AO this year to five sets I’m favoring him eking this out, but he could’t well bomb out.
Prediction: Lopez in 5 sets
David Goffin vs. Roberto Bautista Agut
Yesh:
Goffin has been incredibly solid for a long time now. He might have the least weapons of any top 20 player, but he is also the most underrated top 20 player we’ve seen in a long time.
Prediction: Goffin in 4 sets
Niall:
This match has the potential to be a long one and go five sets. Both are quite consistent baseliners, but I feel Bautista Agut has the biggest weapon in his forehand. Couple that with the 2-0 head to head, I am going to continue with the Spanish victory theme.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 5 sets
Steen:
Coming off of demanding afternoon five setters in round 2, neither guy is likely to have a lot left in the tank for this one, and that will give Novak Djokovic an edge in the next round. That aside though, Goffin has played better tennis over the past weeks and months than RBA has, and though the Spaniard owns a 2-0 h2h edge it seems pretty clear Goffin is on the upswing of his career, while RBA has hit a bump in the road to say the least. RBA likely would be gone if Pablo Carreno Busta hadn’t choked from a break up in the 5th, and thus I’m going with Goffin.
Prediction: Goffin in 4 sets
Tommy Robredo vs. Benoit Paire
Yesh:
Paire is having the tournament of his life (well, not yet) and is playing at a consistent level that we always knew he could but that he hasn’t been able to really ever find. He’ll get through a struggling Robredo here.
Prediction: Paire in 4 sets
Niall:
Benoit Paire’s victory over Kei Nishikori was not only the best of his career, but It has also given the Frenchman a big chance of making the round four here (And I predicted this, just saying). Robredo recently routined Sam Groth in round two which is impressive considering the Aussie’s serve. Paire claimed two victories on the clay recently and looks good so far, but can he hold up physically?
Prediction: Paire in 4 sets
Steen:
Paire followed up his upset thriller against Kei Nishikori, in which his shotmaking and defensive magic was on showcase display, with a four set win over Marsel Ilhan, and now has a chance to reach the second week of a slam as a true dark horse candidate, as long as he can take care of business for the third time this year against Robredo. Robredo always plays well at the US Open, and once more has scored a pair of Grand Slam wins, his consistency is admirable and he’s a fighter, but I actually trust Paire to outskill him and get a win. Keep in mind both players could fail physically in this match, while Paire could fail mentally.
Prediction: Paire in 5 sets
David Ferrer vs. Jeremy Chardy
Yesh:
David Ferrer has been very under the radar this year, but he is still in the Top 10 and still playing solid tennis.
Prediction: Ferrer in 5 sets
Niall:
Chardy has the big game to hit almost every player off the court, and he is going to need that firepower to overcome Ferrer. However the Spaniard is not 100% after a recent injury so he is not playing his best tennis. This is a good chance for the Frenchman but I see Ferrer’s defence causing too many problems.
Prediction: Ferrer in 4 sets
Steen:
David Ferrer isn’t playing like a top 10 player this US Open but neither is Jeremy Chardy, and with Ferrer dominating the h2h, though he may drop 1, or even 2 sets, the Spanish grinder should still be consistent enough to beat the big hitting underdog Chardy.
Prediction: Ferrer in 4 sets
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