The round of 16 gets underway at the US Open with the legend Roger Federer taking on David Goffin, form player of the summer Daniil Medvevev battling surprise packet Dominik Koepfer, Alex De Minaur against Grigor Dimitrov, and the big name clash that is Novak Djokovic vs Stan Wawrinka. Jim Smith, Harsh Bhoot and Damian Kust offer their predictions.
Roger Federer vs David Goffin
Damian: Federer would likely want to contest this on a faster court but this is still a good matchup for him. The Belgian will come out firing and should make it interesting for a set or two but when Federer settles down and finds his timing, he usually manages to exploit the mismatch of firepower between the two. However, don’t forget that Goffin is a class player and if Federer has hiccups like against Dzumhur or Nagal, he’ll be there to take advantage. Federer in 4
Jim: Federer made a slow start to the US Open, but looked very sharp in dismantling Dan Evans for the loss of just five games in the third round. But Goffin, who has rediscovered his best tennis recently after a poor 18 months, looks set to provide a sterner test. The Belgian certainly has the game to beat the five-time former-champion, but does he have the belief? The available evidence would suggest he does not. Federer in 4
Harsh: This is a bad matchup for David Goffin from the get-go. The Belgian is 1-8 against Roger Federer over his career highlighting a skewed rivalry. Goffin is great at creating angles and defense but his game is going to be easily overpowered by Federer. The Swiss though isn’t in prime form since Cincinnati but he looked in full flight against Dan Evans. Expect the Swiss to progress through to the quarters. Federer in 3
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex De Minaur
Damian: The Bulgarian had periods of sheer brilliance against Majchrzak, yet mixed them up with ones where he let himself get dominated by the Pole, who isn’t exactly a hardest hitter in the world. De Minaur will work like an upgraded Majchrzak in this matchup – he’s way faster, has a better serve and made a lot of progress with his aggressive game. Don’t think of De Minaur as only a defender anymore – Nishikori put only 57 percent of first serve returns in against him. The increased number of “free” points he now gets from his serve and one-two punches has allowed him to take his game to the next level. De Minaur in 4
Jim: This is a massive opportunity for both men to reach a first US Open quarterfinal. Indeed, for De Minaur, who delivered an excellent performance to upset seventh seed Kei Nishikori in the third round, it would be a first Major quarterfinal. But though he lacks experience, he has plenty of quality and confidence. Expect that to be enough to carry him past Dimitrov. De Minaur in 5
Harsh: This is a resurgent Grigor Dimitrov no doubt about it. As he’s progressed he’s put up better performances and expectations are slowly rising with it. He now takes on Alex De Minaur for the first time ever in a match that should’ve some breathtaking rallies. The Aussie has extraordinary speed on court clearly evident in his match against Kei Nishikori. De Minaur is certainly having a great year and ranked much higher than Dimitrov. However, De Minaur can get sucked into extremely defensive play modes and that may prove to be his downfall. This matchup on court favors Dimitrov having the bigger serve and groundstrokes. If Dimitrov stays aggressive, a comeback Grand Slam quarterfinal should be his. Dimitrov in 5
Daniil Medvedev vs Dominik Koepfer
Damian: I’m sorry but I’m not too keen on Dominik Koepfer. The left-handed German is the random fourth-rounder here who simply benefited from his opponent’s struggles. Reilly Opelka was physically hampered and Nikoloz Basilashvili just played downright terrible, committing 68 unforced errors in four sets. Medvedev’s road at this US Open has been tougher than expected mostly due to him being not fully fit, but he keeps battling through it and should continue here as well. The Russian was the standout player of the last month and Koepfer will be no match for him. Medvedev in 3
Jim: Koepfer has put together a super run in New York, coming through the qualifying and playing fearless tennis through the opening week of the US Open. But now he comes up against the ATP’s form player in Medvedev. The Russian has had to battle hard at times so far, but he has managed to find a way to win even when his back has been up against the wall. Expect him to do so again. Medvedev in 4
Harsh: While Daniil Medvedev was certainly expected to have a good US Open, Dominik Koepfer has been the unexpected entrant into the round of 16. The pair has never met before and is going to be an interesting fourth-round clash. Medvedev had to dig deep to win against Feliciano Lopez in four tight sets on the back of playing the important points really well. Koepfer is generating lots of headlines but Medvedev won’t be a good matchup for him. The Russian is finding ways to win and his game seems to be locked in. More importantly, Medvedev isn’t fazed by the biggest stages and the confident Russian should clinch his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Medvedev in 3
Novak Djokovic vs Stan Wawrinka
Damian: Oh yes. We’ve been waiting for this since the final here three years ago and let’s hope it was worth the wait. Since Stanimal first showed up in 2013, their Grand Slam record against each other is 3-3 and none of these matches ended in straight sets. Wawrinka peaks against Djokovic in the Majors and it’s highly probable he’ll raise his game again. This’ll probably be a night match and if the conditions are slow and heavy it will be hard for the Serbian to take time away from Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss has the power to hit through everything on his way and we should be guaranteed another eternal battle between attack and defence. Djokovic has put his shoulder injury concerns aside with a stunning performance against Denis Kudla and if he can repeat performance, this should be a classic. Wawrinka in 5
Jim: Based on their previous Grand Slam meetings, this should be some match. Djokovic put to rest concerns over a shoulder injury with a fine display up against Denis Kudla in the third round. Stan Wawrinka, meanwhile, has looked back to something approaching his mighty best. But unfortunately for the Swiss, only his very, very best will be enough against Djokovic and we haven’t seen that level for awhile. Djokovic in 4
Harsh: Since last year’s Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic in Grand Slams is a different beast altogether. Stan Wawrinka knows the Serb’s game inside out but the Swiss has struggled for consistency of late. That being said, Wawrinka is by no means out of this contest. The Swiss has always been a tough matchup for Djokovic in recent years especially in Grand Slams. But the Serb has looked his strong self and barring any shoulder problems he’d be feeling pretty good about his chances. While the match may be eventful as the last time they met here, the result is likely to be different. Djokovic in 4
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