Richard Gasquet will look to pull off a miracle upset of potential US Open champion Daniil Medvedev (a finalist in 2019). Our panel of Yesh Ginsburg, Jim Smith, and Damian Kust offer all their predictions for day 1 action in New York City.
Peter Gojowczyk vs Ugo Humbert
Damian: Someone who plays so fast off the bounce is always dangerous to face if he redlines his game. Humbert is playing so well at the moment though and it would require something like Gojowczyk’s best-ever performance to take him out. Humbert in 3
Jim: Ugo Humbert has not found the sort of consistency that he would have been hoping for this season, but when the Frenchman is on form he is a very hard player to stop. Peter Gojowczyk, meanwhile, impressed in coming through the qualifying, but this will be a real step up in quality for the German. One that may well be too much for him to handle. Humbert in 3
Yesh: Humbert is rapidly improving and potentially one of France’s next stars. Gojowczyk, meanwhile, is a journeyman who just doesn’t have the talent to compete on the main tour. Humbert in 3
Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs Adrian Mannarino
Damian: Mannarino leads the head-to-head 3-0, but their last match came back in 2014. As the older of the Frenchmen has been sidelined by injury since Wimbledon, this should be a great chance for Herbert to get a win on the board. Herbert in 4
Jim: It will be interesting to see what sort of level Adrian Mannarino is at here. The Frenchman has been out of action since having to retire in the first round at Wimbledon so rust may well be an issue for him. He has won all three of his previous matches against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, however. Still, the most recent of those wins came in 2014 and Herbert has improved since then. Expect him to catch Mannarino slightly cold here. Herbert in 4
Yesh: Mannarino used to be incredibly solid, but he’s dropped off since the pandemic break last year. Herbert isn’t anything special either, currently, so I’ll go with the more talented player. But don’t expect a good match. Mannarino in 5
Alexei Popyrin vs Radu Albot
Damian: Popyrin’s big set of weapons should give him a lot of options to win points here. Albot is hanging onto his spots in slams due to the new ranking rules, but probably not for long. Popyrin in 4
Jim: Alexei Popyrin made a poor start to the North American summer swing, but he has found some form in recent weeks and arrives at the US Open fresh from reaching the second round in Winston-Salem as a qualifier. With Radu Albot looking increasingly like a spent force, expect the Australian to be the man to reach the second round. Popyrin in 4
Yesh: Popyrin looked amazing to start the year but struggled through the middle of the season and the surface changes. Back on hard courts he’s playing better, but nowhere near his early-year level. Popyrin in 5
Richard Gasquet vs Daniil Medvedev
Damian: There’s probably not much Gasquet can do to hurt Medvedev at this stage. He’d have to go for some all-out attack and that probably wouldn’t be enough anyway, even if executed well. Medvedev in 3
Jim: Richard Gasquet may well have felt hard done by when he read the draw. The Frenchman might well have made it as far as the third round – he has the quality even now – but it is hard to see him getting anything from this match. Daniil Medvedev will take some stopping in New York and it surely won’t be Gasquet who ends his title challenge. Medvedev in 3
Yesh: What a poor draw for Gasquet. He’s towards the end of his career, and he has absolutely no weapons that can trouble the Russian’s brilliant baseline game. Medvedev in 3
Main Photo from Getty Images
