Day three at the US Open offers no shortage of entertaining action as the top half of the draw vie for a place in the third round. Top seed Novak Djokovic will be in action up against Juan Ignacio Londero, and five-time champion Roger Federer is set to take on Damir Dzumhur, whilst Cincinnati winner Daniil Medvedev will take on Hugo Dellien and seventh seed Kei Nishikori faces home hope Bradley Klahn. Offering their predictions for this slate of matches are Jim Smith, Yesh Ginsburg, and Harsh Bhoot.
US Open Day Three Predictions
Reilly Opelka vs Dominik Koepfer
Jim: This could well prove to be a productive fortnight for the big-serving Reilly Opelka if his first-round win over 11th seed Fabio Fognini is anything to go by. But he will likely not have things all his own way against Dominik Koepfer, who battled through the qualifying before beating Jaume Munar in four sets in the first round. That said, it is hard to argue against the Opelka serve on a North American hard court.
Prediction: Opelka in 4
Yesh: Qualifier Koepfer got tense at the end of his first-round match, while Opelka flew past 11th seed Fognini. The tall American is more than just a serve, though that is a considerable weapon, and he’s showing it once again.
Prediction: Opelka in 4
Harsh: Opelka is another player enjoying a great 2019. His first-round victory against Fognini was impressive without being massively surprising and Opelka looks to have a real chance of reaching at least the fourth round. The German Koepfer is a player who has yet to find his footing on the main tour. While Opelka has a killer serve, his baseline game is good enough to stand up to most opponents as well.
Prediction: Opelka in 3
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Pablo Carreno Busta vs Ricardas Berankis
Jim: Don’t overlook the fact that Pablo Carreno Busta is a former-US Open semifinalist. The Spaniard has been in good form lately and has carried that into the US Open, impressing in his 6-3 4-6 7-6 6-3 win over 19th seed Guido Pella. Ricardas Berankis, meanwhile, battled hard to beat qualifier Jiri Vesely in five sets. But he does not have the power to trouble Carreno Busta and he surely will not be able to outlast him either.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 4
Yesh: Carreno Busta was impressive in his upset of Argentina’s Pella. The former-world #10 should have no trouble against Lithuania’s Berankis, who will surely be weary after coming through a brutal five-set match.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 3
Neither Carreno Busta nor Berankis has had a great 2019. Both have a win-loss of 50% in 2019 and their rankings are 69 and 68, respectively. While they may be having similar results this year, one thing that differentiates them is that the Spaniard knows what it takes to compile a deep run at Grand Slams. That should give him the edge in this one.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 4
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Pablo Cuevas vs Kamil Majchrzak
Jim: Pablo Cuevas may not be one of the tour’s foremost hard-courters, but he has shown in recent years that he can play on any surface, a point he reinforced by dismissing Jack Sock in the first round. Kamil Majchrzak has put together an impressive run in New York after coming through the qualifying and played some excellent tennis to edge the struggling Nicolas Jarry in five in the first round. But he looks likely to struggle up against the consistent accuracy of Cuevas.
Prediction: Cuevas in 4
Yesh: Majchrzak is the luckiest of lucky losers. Not only did he get into the draw when Milos Raonic withdrew, but he’s in the second round after Nicolas Jarry couldn’t put him away when he had the chance. Uruguay’s Cuevas won’t be so forgiving.
Prediction: Cuevas in 3
Harsh: This match may not grab the headlines, but it’s definitely one of the more interesting clashes of the second round on paper. Cuevas looked strong winning against Sock and is the more experienced player. Majchrzak is still pretty new to Grand Slams having debuted this year at Melbourne. The young Pole was stretched to his limits and against Cuevas, he’ll be stretched even more. This looks to have all the makings of a five-setter, but expect Cuevas’ experience to prove the difference in the end.
Prediction: Cuevas in 5
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Novak Djokovic vs Juan Ignacio Londero
Jim: Novak Djokovic may not have been at his brilliant best in his 6-4 6-1 6-4 win over Roberto Carballes Baena, but he never looked to be in any danger of losing the match. Juan Ignacio Londero, meanwhile, played some great tennis to beat Sam Querrey in four. This will be his second crack at a member of the Big Three in a Grand Slam this year after he lost handily to Rafael Nadal in Paris. It is hard to see a different outcome on the other side of the Atlantic.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Yesh: Djokovic doesn’t have to face Querrey, not that he’d have cared much after dismantling the American in Cincinnati two weeks ago. He was solid, but not dominant in his opening match at the US Open against Carballes Baena. But solid is all Djokovic needs to beat just about anyone.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Harsh: Londero will look to continue his breakthrough year when he takes on world #1 Djokovic. In the first round, the Serb looked assured and strong especially on serve offering up no break points. Londero played exceedingly well to beat Querrey, but there aren’t many who can go toe-to-toe with Djokovic from the baseline.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
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