Who will make the quarterfinals of the 2020 US Open? The fourth round in the bottom half of the draw sees blockbuster clashes like 6th seed Matteo Berrettini against 10th seed Andrey Rublev or the 2nd seed Dominic Thiem taking on 20-year-old prodigy Felix Auger-Aliassime. Predicting today are Jim Smith, Damian Kust, and Yesh Ginsburg.
US Open Day 8 Predictions
Vasek Pospisil vs Alex de Minaur
Jim: This is surely amongst the most intriguing matches of the fourth round. Both men were taken the distance in the third round, Alex de Minaur against Khachanov and Pospisil in beating eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut. And match seems likely to be equally close, despite the disparity in their rankings. But de Minaur is the fitter of the two, which could well prove to be the difference between them, particularly after Pospisil received treatment on his leg during his win over Bautista Agut. De Minaur in 5
Damian: Pospisil is still under-ranked after his injuries but even his biggest fans probably didn’t expect him to achieve what he has this week. His upset wins over Raonic and Bautista Agut were both high-quality and surely allowed him to gather a lot of confidence. Alex de Minaur has been somewhat underwhelming in this event so far with uncharacteristic momentum shifts happening throughout his matches. If Pospisil gets a good percentage of 1st serves in and plays the first shot after the serve well, he surely has more than a decent chance. Pospisil in 5
Yesh: Pospisil has been incredible to reach this point, and he is rewarded with a winnable match. De Minaur is solid, but Pospisil has been in more stressful situations before. He should be able to reach his second Grand Slam quarterfinal. Pospisil in 4
Matteo Berrettini vs Andrey Rublev
Jim: Berrettini may not be the most consistent of players, but when he gets on a roll he can take some stopping. Rublev, meanwhile, is in the midst of what is surely the best season of his career. Both men boast enough power to suggest that this be will close match, but Rublev has that much more speed around the court and his willingness to take the ball down the line could cause the net-rushing Berrettini real problems. Rublev in 5
Damian: Berrettini leads the head-to-head 3-1, including a straightforward win over Rublev at last year’s US Open. Will it be closer this time around? I believe so, especially as the Russian seems to have improved his serving which should be of massive help in this matchup. They both did very well in the first three rounds and are in great shape coming into this one. This is a battle between maybe the two best forehands in the game and whoever takes it, it’s bound to be an exciting watch. I’ll give the slight edge to Berrettini, mostly because of the head-to-head lead. Berrettini in 5
Yesh: These are two young guns who could each win Slams soon. I like Berrettini better on faster surfaces, but Rublev is less likely to crack under pressure. Rublev in 5
Daniil Medvedev vs Frances Tiafoe
Jim: Tiafoe delivered one of the best performances of his career to beat Marton Fucsovics in straight sets. It was a win made all the more impressive by the fact that he had lost both of his previous meetings with the Hungarian. But it is still hard to see him getting the better of Medvedev. The Russian is playing something close to his best tennis in New York and should be able to blunt Tiafoe’s attempt to impose himself from the baseline. Medvedev in 4
Damian: The American impressed in his straight-set win against Marton Fucsovics, serving well and selecting all the right shots on the way to a straightforward defeat of a potentially tricky opponent. Still, this should be where the last home player standing ends his run. Medvedev was the runner-up here last year and appears to be playing just as well 12 months later. The Russian’s defense is unmatched by pretty much anyone else on the tour and getting through the baseline wall he sets up is almost impossible to do. Tiafoe will have his flashes of brilliance but the longer this match goes on, he’ll also be fading away physically. Medvedev in 3
Yesh: Medvedev is in imperious form, and Tiafoe’s power won’t be enough to penetrate the Russian’s counterpunching. Expect another easy victory for last year’s runner-up. Medvedev in 3
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Dominic Thiem
Jim: Thiem was far from his best at the Cincinnati Masters, but he has demonstrated once again at the US Open why he is a force to be reckoned with on hard courts and his campaign appears to be picking up steam. He will, however, probably need to play his best tennis against Auger-Aliassime, with the Canadian having delivered some inspired displays so far in New York. But if Thiem can find his best, he should be able to hit through the 15th seed. Thiem in 4
Damian: While not many mentioned him as a serious contender for this event, Felix Auger-Aliassime has been doing extremely well in his past two rounds. The Canadian just made his first Grand Slam second week and it’s a shame he’ll have to face Dominic Thiem this early. The Austrian has just faced a pretty similar type of opponent, taking down in Marin Cilic in four sets. While the first two sets there were easily dominated by Thiem, the next two will offer some interesting insight into how to play the Austrian that Auger-Aliassime and his coach could analyze. The youngster is playing very well and seems ready for a deep run at a Grand Slam. Thiem is more battle-tested though and will be better prepared for a mental and physical war. Expect just that. Thiem in 5
Yesh: Auger-Aliassime has been in the best form of his life at this US Open, a scary prospect for the entire tour. Thiem might be better, barely, but not on hard courts, and he’s not playing his best now. The Canadian’s run continues. Auger-Aliassime in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
