The first day of the US Open is upon us, while the tournament is different this year, the tennis action still promises to be a must watch. We here at LWOT 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 Alexander Zverev vs Kevin Anderson. For this slate of matches, our Damian Kust and Harsh Bhoot will be giving their predictions.
Reilly Opelka vs David Goffin
Damian: Opelka could very well be a dark horse for the tournament, but his knee injury didn’t look well in a retirement loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas last week. In reportedly faster conditions, his serve should do a lot of damage, but it is really doubtful that the American will be 100% match-fit. Goffin in 4
Harsh: On current form and barring any injury problems for the American, Goffin should be extremely wary of a first round exit here. Both of their previous meetings have gone to the wire. Opelka can very well blast anyone off with his huge serve but the Belgian has proved over the years that he’s a great counter puncher and negates heavy serves very efficiently. Even though the Belgian lost early in Cincinnati, I’m still backing him to pull this one off in the fifth set. Goffin in 5
Filip Krajinovic vs Mikael Ymer
Damian: The Serbian had a very commanding win over Ymer in Montpellier early in the season and while it might be harder this time around, he shouldn’t be made to work very hard here again. Ymer’s hardcourt game still needs some work and Krajinovic was one of the most impressive performers of the Western & Southern Open. Krajinovic in 3
Harsh: The young Swede failed to impress in Cincinnati failing to qualify while his opponent had a decent run to the quarter-finals. Krajinovic blew away Ymer in Montpellier earlier this year and should be extremely confident of closing out this match. Krajinovic in 3
Kyle Edmund vs Alexander Bublik
Damian: Edmund appears to have picked up some confidence in the Battle of the Brits exhibitions, where the only opponent to beat him was Dan Evans. He looked quite solid last week against Kevin Anderson and should have enough to prevail against a tricky, yet really, really unstable opponent. Edmund in 4
Harsh: In all likelihood, this match should go to five sets. This is the first time these two are playing each other and is a must watch in my opinion. Both of them lost in their first rounds in Cincinnati and a win for either would be extremely satisfying. Edmund plays his best on hard courts and the unorthodox Bublik too has his own bag of tricks. This is an extremely tough match to pick a winner but expect the Brit to be more consistent and eke out a win. Edmund in 5
Lorenzo Sonego vs Adrian Mannarino
Damian: The Italian leads the head-to-head 2-0, but they haven’t faced each other on hard yet. Mannarino might get the job done this time around though, as the faster conditions should suit his flat, unusual groundstrokes. This can go the distance. Mannarino in 5
Harsh: Can the Italian beat the experienced Frenchman ? Well if their head to head is anything to go by, Sonego has a real chance here. Neither impressed in Cincinnati making this one all the more unpredictable. Mannarino’s tennis acumen is very high and can be an uncomfortable player to beat. He places the ball at great angles but the Italian is quick around the baseline and has superior power in his groundstrokes. If the Italian can minimize his error count, then that should be good enough for the win. Sonego in 4
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