The 2020 US Open begins Monday and at LWOT we will be offering our predictions for 24 matches on day, including Novak Djokovic vs Damir Dzumhur, Denis Shapovalov vs Sebastian Korda, Borna Coric vs Pablo Andujar, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Albert Ramos and Reilly Opelka vs David Goffin. Alexander Zverev and Kevin Anderson facing off in a highlight worthy round 1 matchup. Our panel of Harsh Bhoot and Damian Kust offer their predictions.
Alexander Zverev vs Kevin Anderson
Harsh: The head to head stands at 5-0 favoring the German but that can take a backseat considering Grand Slams and Zverev. It’s no secret Zverev struggles while Anderson has shown he can play well at the Majors. Expect Zverev’s woes to continue as he brings no confidence from Cincinnati. Anderson should prevail over the vulnerable Zverev. Anderson in 4
Damian: One of the ties of the round. Anderson showed signs of improvement last week but I think Zverev is flying a bit too far under the radar. It’s gotten easy to laugh at his double faults but he’s still playing solid tennis off the ground. Anderson’s issue at the Western & Southern Open was his fitness and I don’t think his body will hold up in an over three-hour-long battle. Zverev in 5
Kwon Soon-woo vs Thai-Son Kwiatkowski
Harsh: This should be an interesting one. Kwiatkowski is still searching for his first ATP main tour win and Kwon won’t make it any easier for him. The American is yet to play a competitive match since the tour restarted and may feel rusty. Kwon is a solid baseliner and should find a way to progress through. Kwon in 3
Damian: Kwiatkowski had some decent performances at the Open before but he’s one of the players we actually haven’t seen during the pandemic break. Kwon at least got two three-setters played last week and should have enough match rhythm to prevail. Kwon in 4
Pedro Martinez Portero vs Jan-Lennard Struff
Harsh: Based on the German’s recent showing in Cincinnati, this should be an easy one for Struff. The Spaniard would do well to stay competitive but Struff carries good form and his powerful baseline strokes should see him through. Struff in 3
Damian: While Pedro Martinez has massively improved his game on hard courts in the past year, he doesn’t really have an equivalent to Struff’s big weaponry. The German seems to be in great shape following a quarterfinal run in “Cincinnati” Struff in 3
Hubert Hurkacz vs Peter Gojowczyk
Harsh: Hurkacz’s US Open campaign will be an interesting one to follow. His draw till the third round looks manageable for the 24th seed and a strong showing in the first round would bolster his confidence after a first round exit in Cincinnati. Gojowczyk hasn’t played since March and to expect the German to knock out Hurkacz would be somewhat of a shock. Expect Hurkacz to dictate points from the baseline and sail through to the second round. Hurkacz in 3
Damian: After a terrific start to the season, the past few events didn’t go Hubert Hurkacz’s way. But losing to Gojowczyk here shouldn’t really be an option for the Pole, who should have way too much consistency from the baseline than the erratic and way past his best German. Hurkacz in 3
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