Perhaps the strangest US Open in history will kick off in New York on Monday in the COVID-19 bubble. We here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for 24 matches on day, including Reilly Opelka vs David Goffin, Denis Shapovalov vs Sebastian Korda, Borna Coric vs Pablo Andujar, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Albert Ramos and Alexander Zverev vs Kevin Anderson. World #1 Novak Djokovic is the tournament favorite and will start his tournament against Damir Dzumhur. Our panelists Damian Kust and Harsh Bhoot offer their predictions.
Novak Djokovic vs Damir Dzumhur
Damian: We don’t know how much of an issue Djokovic’s neck will be, but if Bautista Agut and Raonic didn’t manage to expose it, it would take a massive effort from Damir Dzumhur to do it. Djokovic should smoothly cruise to the next round. Djokovic in 3
Harsh: This should be an easy one for the Serb provided he’s recovered well after a gruelling week in Cincinnati. Leads the head-to-head 2-0 and with Dzumhur failing to qualify in Cincinnati, the upset looks very unlikely. Expect an easy win for the Serb. Djokovic in 3
Lloyd Harris vs Marco Cecchinato
Damian: Cecchinato is still yet to win a round in any Slam besides his 2018 French Open semifinal run. The Italian will be arriving straight from a Challenger on clay, while Harris at least got three matches in at this very venue. On top of that, he’s just a much better hard court player. Harris in 3
Harsh: This is an intriguing first round matchup and should be a tough tussle between the two. They’ve never played each other before and their first meeting shouldn’t disappoint. Neither carry any momentum to this match but the South African should be able to power through on his favourite surface against the Italian who has a pretty dismal history on hard courts. Harris in 4
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Dennis Novak
Damian: Davidovich Fokina’s style is best-suited to clay and he shouldn’t be favored against the lesser Novak here. The Austrian played a lot throughout the pandemic and should be in good match rhythm coming into the US Open. Novak in 4
Harsh: One of those matches which can easily go either way. Not much to choose from among the two in terms of head to head or recent performances but having watched the two players, the Austrian feels much more comfortable on the hard courts than the Spaniard. The Spaniard should provide an extremely tough fight till the very end but the Austrian should emerge the victor. Novak in 5
Jack Sock vs Pablo Cuevas
Damian: This should be fun as both players are masters of the occasional trick shot. Sock played a lot of one-set games in July and if his fitness won’t be an issue, the heavy topspin forehand is the biggest weapon in this matchup and should be deadly enough to get him a win. Sock in 4
Harsh: The American carries no confidence and momentum when it comes to the singles arena. While his opponent did fail to qualify in Cincinnati, Cuevas has managed to win against Sock both times they’ve met. Expect Cuevas to push through but will have to fight for it. Cuevas in 4
Main Photo:
