The wide open bottom half of the US Open draw will find more clarity after today’s action as American Sam Querrey, big server Kevin Anderson, Canadian wonderkid Denis Shapovalov, and French young gun Lucas Pouille are the favorites to reach the men’s quarterfinals. Ryan Schick, Vithun Illankovan and Steen Kirby offer their predictions.
Sam Querrey vs. Mischa Zverev
Ryan: Matchup of two players few would’ve picked to reach major quarterfinals this season, with Querry making it to the Wimbledon semis. Mischa was able to handle Isner’s big serve, but Big John has a tendency of not playing his best tennis at majors. Querry is on an absolute role and will overpower Zverev and keep winning. Querrey in 4
Vithun: Zverev struggled through his first two matches and then beat John Isner who put in an awful performance. Querrey has been in better form this tournament and I expect him to back up reaching the semi-final at Wimbledon by reaching the final at the US Open. Querrey in 4
Steen: Querrey is feeling the pressure while Zverev can be pretty loose. Playing at home and in great form, Querrey could have an advantage, or he could crack under the Germans relentless volley pressure. I’ll back Querrey but I’m not confident. Querrey in 5
Paolo Lorenzi vs. Kevin Anderson
Ryan: Lorenzi is yet another surprise to make it this far, especially beating resurgent Gilles Muller. He faces yet another old, big server in Anderson who has found a groove after an ugly 2016. Anderson’s game is more suited for the hard court and will prevail in a close one. Anderson in 5
Vithun: Lorenzi has been quite fortunate with who he had to play to reach this stage, with the only seeded player Gilles Muller being a grass-court specialist. Anderson has made a miraculous return from injury this year when he started the year ranked outside the top 60. He lost in the 4th round of both the French Open and Wimbledon, but I believe it will be third time lucky here. Anderson in 3
Steen: Lorenzi defeating Anderson would be one of the greatest grand slam upsets of all time. Lorenzi deserves a medal for reaching the 4th round of a slam on hard courts but regardless Anderson hasn’t dropped a set, and I’d be shocked if that streak didn’t extend to four matches. Anderson in 3
Denis Shapovalov vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Ryan: Denis Shapovalov has taken the tennis world by storm after a great run in Montreal that has continued in New York. PCB has quietly had a stellar year, highlighted by a semifinal run at Indian Wells. The youngster is a great story and exciting to watch, but Carreño Busta will prove to be too much to handle. Carreno Busta in 4
Vithun: If Shapovalov hadn’t gone through qualifying, I would have definitely thought he could win this match. However all these matches might catch up with him, probably mentally more than physically. In addition, Carreno Busta must now be highly fancying his chances, being the highest ranked player left in this half. Carreno Busta in 4
Steen: Carreno Busta has faced weak opposition even though he hasn’t dropped a set through three matches. Shapovalov is a big time player on a big stage, I see him fighting off fatigue and mental stress to get a big win. Shapovalov in 4
Lucas Pouille vs. Diego Sebastian Schwartzman
Ryan: In this unpredictable half of the draw, many are picking Shapovalov or Querrey to reach the final, and few have picked the Frenchman Pouille. He has played well at the US Open before, beating Nadal last year, and will put up a fight against anyone. Schwartzman excels on clay but has really improved his game on hard to be a serious threat. Coming off a massive victory emotionally over Cilic, he will be drained and Pouille will play a solid all-around match and advance to the quarters. Pouille in 3
Vithun: I actually didn’t expect Pouille to match his seeding in this tournament because of the pressure of defending quarter-final points from last year, as he struggled with this at Wimbledon this year. I predicted Schwartzman to make the quarter-finals after Murray’s withdrawal and as a fellow short person I am backing one of my favourite players to come through this match! Schwartzman in 5
Steen: Pouille has more weapons but Schwartzman has been redlining his game this tournament and has only dropped a set. Del Potro gets all the attention in Argentine, but the undersized DSS has great court coverage and should surprise. Schwartzman in 4
Main Photo:
