There should be no shortage of entertaining action on day five at the US Open as the 16 men left standing in the top half of the draw battle for a place in the fourth round. We here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all eight matches on the schedule in New York, including Novak Djokovic vs Jan-Lennard Struff. Giving their picks for this slate of matches are Jim Smith, Damian Kust and Andrew Watson.
US Open Men’s Day Five Predictions
Alexander Zverev vs Adrian Mannarino
Jim: This is probably a tougher test for Zverev than it looks to be on paper. The Frenchman may not be one of the most expansive players on the Tour, but he gives little away and excels at taking the ball early. Zverev, however, did win both of their previous meetings in straight sets and has looked sharp so far at the US Open. He has the power to hit through Mannarino and should be able to do just that.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Damian: The German’s second serve remains an issue, but he has been excellent off the ground so far this week. Zverev will have to dictate the play more than in his first two matches, but he’s hitting the ball well enough to make the necessary adjustment. Mannarino can be a nightmare to play with his unusual angles and flat strokes but he doesn’t possess anything like the weapons that Zverev has.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Andrew: The German will have been pleased with the way he eventually saw off the challenge of Brandon Nakashima in the last round. Mannarino is a more wily opponent though and will know all the tricks in the book to try and thwart the German’s tactics. Ultimately though Zverev should have too much quality, too much athleticism and too powerful a first serve for the Frenchman.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
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Taylor Fritz vs Denis Shapovalov
Jim: Denis Shapovalov made rather hard work of his opening two matches at this year’s US Open, but managed to come through largely unscathed. But he will face a serious step up in the quality of his opposition when he takes on Taylor Fritz, who has excelled so far in New York. The American’s serve has looked particularly potent, whilst Shapovalov’s has misfired at times. That could well prove to be the difference between them.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Damian: This match hasn’t been attracting as much attention as it should have been. The two in-form youngsters should produce a classic. While Shapovalov leads the head-to-head 2-0, both straight-set victories were close enough not to make Fritz dread this matchup. The American is serving well and appeared the slightly better player in the first two rounds. This should be a great opportunity to reverse the trend in their fledgling rivalry.
Prediction: Fritz in 5
Andrew: The serve will be the big weapon in this match. Both players are still improving and should be contenders for big titles down the line, but Shapovalov has slightly more dynamism in his game right now. The difference may well be the backhand of the Canadian and his ability to hit it hard into different areas.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 4
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Pablo Carreno Busta vs Ricardas Berankis
Jim: It has been a fine couple of weeks for Ricardas Berankis, who has equalled his best showing at a Grand Slam by reaching the third round. But it is hard to see him getting the better of Pablo Carreno Busta. The Spaniard, who is a former US Open semifinalist, looks to have found his range and should be able to outmanoeuvre and overpower Berankis.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 4
Damian: Carreno Busta was unexpectedly taken to five sets in the opening round by Yasutaka Uchiyama, but was back to his best against Mitchell Krueger on Wednesday. He played Berankis at the US Open last year, winning in four sets. A similar result should be expected but no one really knows what to expect from the Lithuanian. He gave Novak Djokovic a bit of a scare last week, only to struggle against Federico Gaio in the opening round of the US Open. Berankis can surprise, but over the long best-of-five distance, he probably won’t be able to maintain his highest level for long enough.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 4
Andrew: The Spaniard will be aiming to get past the third round for only the second time at Flushing Meadows. Of course, the other time he managed it he went on to reach the semifinals. This is already the furthest that the Lithuanian has been and he will be hoping to reverse the result from last year. Carreno Busta came out on top then in four sets and there may be a similar outcome here as Carreno Busta actually has a much better hard court record than most give him credit for.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 4
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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Borna Coric
Jim: Stefanos Tsitsipas has looked sharp so far at the US Open after a poor showing at the Cincinnati Masters. Borna Coric, meanwhile, made a fine start to his week with a straight-sets win over Pablo Andujar, but he was taken the distance by Juan Ignacio Londero in the second round. That may well have taken a costly toll on his mental and physical stamina ahead of a match where he will need to be at his very best to stand a chance of winning.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Damian: Tsitsipas is coming off a completely different match against the serve-volleyer Maxime Cressy, one where the majority of rallies were over after a handful of shots. This will be an extreme change of pace, but the Greek is playing so well recently that he should be able to manage the situation. Coric was rarely at his best in the first two rounds and will also be coming off a very tiring physical battle against Juan Ignacio Londero.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Andrew: The fast-improving Greek fourth seed has yet to lose a set in the US Open this year. Coric, however, was dragged through a tough five-setter in the second round by the clay-court specialist Londero. Tsitsipas probably needed no further help, but he will now be the fresher of the two. The Greek will be a difficult man to break and he has found some rhythm on his groundstrokes too. Expect him to progress here.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
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