Day 1 at the US Open features an All-American battle between Frances Tiafoe and Christopher Eubanks. Our panelists Jim Smith, Yesh Ginsburg and Damian Kust are on hand to offer all their predictions for Monday’s Grand Slam tennis action.
Thiago Monteiro vs Dan Evans
Damian: Evans has had a string of losses recently, but this is still a matchup he should be winning on this surface. Needs to stay aggressive though and avoid getting pinned to his backhand corner by the big lefty topspin. Evans in 4
Yesh: Evans has been playing really well this year. He’s been somewhat quiet recently, but he’s much better on faster courts than Monteiro. Evans in 3
Jim: Thiago Monteiro is invariably willing to apply himself to winning matches, but no amount of hard work can compensate for his lack of punch off the ground against the best in the game. Dan Evans is not quite in that category, but his record in New York is solid and his variety stands to cause the Brazilian significant problems. Evans in 4
Marco Trungelliti vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Damian: Trungelliti’s two clay-court wins from 2018 shouldn’t matter much here. He’s pretty much stagnated, while Davidovich Fokina went on to develop himself into a tour-level force. Davidovich Fokina in 4
Yesh: Davidovich Fokina is both rapidly improving and staying under the radar at the same time. I don’t know how much longer the latter can last. Davidovich Fokina in 3
Jim: Marco Trungelliti vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s results have been below par of late, with the Spaniard perhaps still suffering from the hangover of losing to Denis Kudla from two sets to the good in the first round at Wimbledon. But quality will surely out before too long and this is far from the most difficult first-round draw he could have received. Davidovich Fokina in 4
Pedro Martinez vs James Duckworth
Damian: Duckworth should probably take this on hard courts, especially as he’s had a lot more hardcourt preparation. The Aussie played most of the warm-up events, while Martinez stayed on European clay. Duckworth in 4
Yesh: Pedro Martinez had an impressive run earlier in the year. On balance, he’s probably more talented than his Australian opponent. But Duckworth is in better form right now, and likes this surface better. Duckworth in 5
Jim: This should be a battle well worth watching. But it is James Duckworth who comes into the match in the better form. The Australian is currently at a career-high world #67 and impressed in Toronto, reaching the third round as a qualifier. Pedro Martinez is a solid professional who looks to have a good future, but he remains far more comfortable on the clay than away from it – a run to the third round at Wimbledon notwithstanding. Duckworth in 4
Frances Tiafoe vs Christopher Eubanks
Damian: Fair play to Eubanks for his qualifying run but this should be where it ends. As long as Tiafoe gets enough returns in, he should expose his opponent’s shaky baseline game. Tiafoe in 4
Yesh: Tiafoe is coming off an impressive week in Winston-Salem, but Eubanks was so strong in qualifying. Eubanks will know these courts better already, and has a real chance in what should be a pretty even matchup. Eubanks in 5
Jim: Frances Tiafoe should like his chances of reaching at least the third round in New York. Christopher Eubanks’ big serve should keep him competitive, but he cannot match Tiafoe’s quality off the ground. This should prove a challenge too far for the former-All American as a result. Tiafoe in 3
Main Photo from Getty Images
