Two of the ATP Tour’s most beloved veterans, Feliciano Lopez and Andy Murray, play their round 1 matches at the US Open on Monday. With Murray in a big time match against Stefanos Tsitsipas, a potential US Open Champion. Our panelists Damian Kust, Yesh Ginsburg, and Jim Smith offer predictions for all the matches.
Feliciano Lopez vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles
Jim: Feliciano Lopez remains a very watchable player, but the Spaniard has found wins increasingly hard to come by. Bernabe Zapata Miralles is relatively inexperienced at this level, but his star looks to be on the rise. He should have the beating of his countryman here. Zapata Miralles in 4
Yesh: Feliciano Lopez is nearing the end of his career. He’s facing an impressive youngster, but Zapata Miralles has never seen a serve like his older compatriot’s. Lopez in 4
Damian: Zapata Miralles keeps proving he’s really surface-versatile, although he did lose to Otte in the final qualifying round. This could be a fun mess but the 23-year-old should be able to drag Lopez into a lot of extended rallies. Zapata Miralles in 5
Andy Murray vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Jim: It would be some story if Andy Murray were able to spring a shock here, but it looks extremely unlikely. The Briton cannot rely on his physicality to grind opponents down at this point in his career and he also appears to have lost half a step in speed. Though his ability is such that he is still able to win some matches at this level, the hard-hitting Greek will surely have too much. Tsitsipas in 3
Yesh: Brutal draw for Andy Murray. The Brit will give it his all on court, but he just doesn’t have the game right now to win this. Tsitsipas in 3
Damian: Murray’s performance against Shapovalov at Wimbledon was pretty telling. He’s probably playing a lot better than that at the moment, but still probably shouldn’t have enough to hurt Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas in 3
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Carlos Taberner
Jim: This should be an entertaining match between two well-matched players, both of whom will be match sharp after coming through the qualifying. But it is Botic van de Zandschulp who has been playing the better tennis in recent weeks – albeit at a lower level than the US Open. The Dutchman should have the edge here. van de Zandschulp in 4
Yesh: van de Zandschulp is a name to remember for the future. And he’s been given a draw here to introduce himself to some fans in New York. van de Zanschulp in 4
Damian: The Dutchman drew the best qualifier spot in the whole draw. His booming game should help him hit through Taberner’s defense, especially as he rarely plays his best off clay. van de Zandschulp in 4
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Arthur Rinderknech
Jim: It has been a very disappointing season for Miomir Kecmanovic, who has not been able to find any real consistency despite the addition of David Nalbandian to his coaching team. This should be a winnable match for Arthur Rinderknech. Rinderknech in 4
Yesh: Rinderknech has real potential. So does Kecmanovic. Neither is particularly consistent, so expect this one to be a fun coin flip with lots of errors. Rinderknech in 4
Damian: Rinderknech’s breakthrough season has been clay-heavy so far but his game seems a lot more natural for hard courts. Probably just a matter of time before he makes some impact here as well, and it could be this week. Rinderknech in 5
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