US Open favorite Novak Djokovic starts his tournament against Holger Rune. We have predictions for all of the Tuesday matches at the US Open, with panelist predictions from Steen Kirby and Yesh Ginsburg.
Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune
Yesh: Can anyone stop Novak Djokovic? That’s the question of this year’s US Open. I don’t think he’s unbeatable, but I do know that Rune won’t be the one to beat him. Djokovic in 3
Steen: Novak Djokovic had a disappointing Tokyo Olympics, crashing out in the Bronze medal match, still he’s the world #1 with a trio of US Open titles, and now he’s just a few matches away from securing a calendar year Grand Slam, with the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the French Open already in his trophy cabinet for 2021. Holger Rune is a good player, so good that he’s won 13 straight matches (two Challenger titles and three US Open qualifying matches), Holger Rune is still in all likelihood, not a good enough player to beat Djokovic. I do think he will grab a set though. Djokovic in 4
Jack Sock vs Yoshihito Nishioka
Yesh: Jack Sock is not the same as he was four years ago, but he’s slowly returning. He’s played well in Challengers and a few Tour-level tournaments this summer, and has beaten Nishioka twice (once via retirement) in recent months. Sock in 4
Steen: Sock leads the h2h 3-1, with two wins this year, both players won a few matches this summer but are otherwise relative journeyman at this point in their careers. Sock is playing stateside, and although he’s a shell of the player he was at his best, he can probably play well enough to get a win. Sock in 5
Marco Cecchinato vs Zachary Svajda
Yesh: Cecchinato isn’t great on hard courts, to put it lightly. Luckily, his opponent just isn’t the same caliber of player. Yet. Cecchinato in 4
Steen: Zachary Svajda is a top junior who is trying to make that leap to the top of the professional game. Svajda has been a top junior for some time and already has played a five setter at the US Open previously. The Californian is brimming with talent, Cecchinato much prefers clay but probably still has the upper hand in this match. Cecchinato in 5
Jordan Thompson vs Gianluca Mager
Yesh: Thompson has been playing well this year, but his results haven’t matched what he’s capable of. On a hard court, though, he should be able to handle Gianluca Mager. Thompson in 4
Steen: Thompson won their only meeting, he also put together two quarterfinals and a semifinal this Summer. Mager prefers clay and shouldn’t prove to be much of a threat against Thompson. Thompson in 3
Main Photo from Getty Images
