After a comeback in five sets, does Andy Murray have anything left in the tank for his matchup against Felix Auger Aliassime? Our panel of Jim Smith and Yesh Ginsburg predicts this and other US Open matches on day 4.
Andy Murray vs Felix Auger Aliassime
Yesh: What a matchup. Can Andy Murray have anything left to challenge one of the tour’s rising stars? Honestly, I hope so. Auger-Aliassime struggled against Thiago Monteiro in the first round, and if he doesn’t step up his level, Murray can spring the upset. Murray in 4
Jim: Murray’s commitment continues to astound. There are surely few players who could engineered the sort of comeback that took him past Yoshihito Nishioka and into the second round from 4-6 4-6 1-3 down. But that effort will surely have emptied his reserves and the talented young Auger-Aliassime looks to be in good position to take advantage. Auger Aliassime in 4
Marton Fucsovics vs Grigor Dimitrov
Yesh: Fucsovics has very quietly become a tough player for anyone to beat. He likes these quicker hard courts, and this will put Dimitrov’s abilities to the test. The Bulgarian will be up for it, though. Dimitrov in 5
Jim: Last week at the Cincinnati Masters, Dimitrov scored an excellent first-round win only to end up losing narrowly to Fucsovics. Will we see the same result at the US Open? It would not be a massive surprise. But Dimitrov does have more experience of and a better record in best-of-five-sets tennis and that could well make all the difference here. Dimitrov in 5
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Yesh: Kecmanovic struggled in his opening match, while Bautista-Agut took care of the potentially tricky Tennys Sandgren. Bautista-Agut in 3
Jim: Bautista Agut, fresh from making the semifinals at the Cincinnati Masters last week, made a typically composed start to his US Open campaign and he seems primed for a deep run in New York. The conditions certainly appear to suit his style of play. Kecmanovic, meanwhile, impressed in battling past Gianluca Mager in five sets, but his tournament seems destined to end here. Bautista Agut in 3
Ernesto Escobedo vs Salvatore Caruso
Yesh: Ernesto Escobedo was gifted a spot in the draw when Marcel Ganollers opted to play doubles and not take a spot in the singles draw. Escobedo is going to ride that gift all the way to the third round. Escobedo in 4
Jim: Caruso, who has enjoyed the majority of his successes on clay, perhaps defied expectations by beating James Duckworth from a set down in the first round. Escobedo, meanwhile, was most impressive in dispatching Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak in his opener. With the quick conditions appearing to suit his big serve and aggressive approach, he looks to be in good position to reach the third round at a Major for the first time in his career. Escobedo in 4
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