Tennis fans will be hyped for the Nick Kyrgios vs Roberto Bautista Agut match on day 1 of the US Open in New York. Our panelists Jim Smith, Yesh Ginsburg, and Damian Kust offer all their predictions for the first day of play.
Jiri Vesely vs Kevin Anderson
Jim: Kevin Anderson rolled back the years with a memorable run to the title in Newport, but the South African has struggled to back that up since, losing in the first round in Atlanta, Washington and Cincinnati – although he did come through the qualifying in Ohio. But Jiri Vesely has not been winning many matches either and he has not been playing on the clay. Anderson should have enough here. Anderson in 4
Yesh: Injuries have derailed Kevin Anderson, who looked like a consistent challenger for the late rounds of Slams a few short years ago. His serve isn’t where it once was either, so he’ll be reliant on Vesely’s errors to win this one. Knowing Vesely, that’s a decent proposition. Anderson in 4
Damian: The former runner-up has finally caught some form recently and it’s pleasing to see. Vesely hasn’t played in a month and had to pull out of Liberec Challenger because of being in a car crash. Anderson in 4
Cristian Garin vs Norbert Gombos
Jim: Cristian Garin’s failure to push on after his run to the last 16 at Wimbledon has been somewhat surprising, but the Chilean has a good chance to get back to winning ways here. Norbert Gombos is a good competitor, but he looks out of his depth. Garin in 3
Yesh: Garin is quietly one of the world’s best on clay, and even more quietly he’s strong on hard courts too. He should cruise. Garin in 3
Damian: New York could actually be a good major for Garin in the future. He’s excellent at creating points and it seems like he should handle the humidity quite well, unlike, possibly, his opponent. Garin in 4
Alex Molcan vs Cem Ilkel
Jim: Alex Molcan and Cem Ilkel both play the majority of their tennis at Challenger-level with this a big opportunity for both to earn valuable prize money and ranking points. But Molcan has that much more experience than the Turk and he is in the midst of a career-best season. Expect him to prove too strong for Ilkel. Molcan in 4
Yesh: This is a great opportunity for both these men. Molcan looks better on hard courts recently, so I’ll give him the edge. Molcan in 4
Damian: The battle of the qualifiers but Molcan seems to be quite a bit ahead. His ability to take his counter-punching clay success to other surfaces has been really impressive. Molcan in 4
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Nick Kyrgios
Jim: This is a potentially a very difficult first-round draw for Roberto Bautista Agut to negotiate. Nick Kyrgios in particularly good form of late, but the Australian is often able to turn on the style on the big occasion. With the Spaniard having struggled this season, don’t be surprised if Kyrgios’ pulls off another upset win. Kyrgios in 5
Yesh: This is an incredible matchup. Bautista Agut hasn’t been perfect recently. When playing Nick Kyrgios, you need to be perfect. The Australian’s serve and powerful game should see him through in a great battle. Kyrgios in 5
Damian: He called himself a “part-time player”, and I just don’t think someone like that can take out Bautista Agut in best-of-five sets. Even someone this talented. Bautista Agut in 4
Main Photo from Getty Images
