Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini starts his 2021 US Open campaign against Jeremy Chardy, Gael Monfils also takes to the court. Yesh Ginsburg, Anish Joshi, and Steen Kirby offer their predictions for every day 2 match.
Gael Monfils vs Federico Coria
Yesh: Gael Monfils had a disastrous year following the pandemic break. He’s finally playing well and finishing matches since his wedding this summer, and he has a pretty winnable opening match here. Monfils in 3
Steen: Monfils won four matches in his last two tournaments, which is a massive improvement from how poorly he was playing. Coria is a credible player, but he’s not comfortable on hard courts, this match would be more competitive on clay. Monfils should continue to enjoy playing at the US Open. Monfils in 3
Anish: Monfils has found decent form of late, if not outstanding. He reached the quarterfinal at Toronto, before making the third round at Cincinnati. He is moving as good as ever, and though not in the best shape right now, he is still fitter than many others. Coria on the other hand has an experience of just two matches in the North-American hard court swing, at the Winston-Salem Open. He lacks power on his serve, which is essential for survival at the Us Open. Also, we have to consider the fact that this is a hard court matchup, best-of-five sets. When the occassion demands, trust the old guard to step up. Monfils in 4
Steve Johnson vs Max Marterer
Yesh: Marterer has played well at Majors in the past, including a run to the French Open fourth round in 2018. He hasn’t been well recently, though, and Steve Johnson is always pretty solid. Johnson in 4
Steen: Johnson won their only meeting, he put together two quarterfinals since Wimbledon but has been inconsistent. Marterer qualified, an impressive result for him on hard courts, but the home player Johnson is well positioned to get an opening round win. Johnson in 3
Anish: Steve Johnson is coming into the match off two consecutive losses. The 31 year old American has a lot of matches under his belt from the Us Open Series to get warmed-up for the tournament. His best run came at the Citi Open where he made it to the Quarterfinal. On the other side of the net there is Maxmilian Marterer, the 26 year old from Germany. Marterer is actually a challenger-level player, and hardly goes deep in ATP Tour events. He did really well to come through the qualification rounds, which consisted of three matches– all of them fairly difficult. But it seems unlikely that he will challenge Johnson. Johnson in 3
Matteo Berrettini vs Jeremy Chardy
Yesh: Berrettini hasn’t fully gotten over the disappointment of losing the Wimbledon final, but his powerful game will just be too much for Chardy. Berrettini in 3
Steen: Berrettini won their only meeting, Chardy surprised with a run to the Olympic quarterfinals but is generally fading as his career winds down. Berrettini had an amazing grass court season, highlighted by the Wimbledon final, he should be able to continue his Grand Slam momentum with an opening round win. Berrettini in 3
Anish: After he lost in the quarterfinal at the Olympics, Jeremy Chardy has played just one match in the lead up to the Us Open, that being at the first qualifying round at Cincinnati. He was serving well, and gave a tough fight in the first set, before giving up in the second. If such a plot is followed in the first round here, Berrettini will run away with the match in no time. After recovering from injury, Berrettini made a comeback at Cincinnati. There he fell in the third round to Felix Auger-Alliassime. Though he is not a pushover anymore, and in fact one of the favourites, Berrettini might take some time to get settled, as he always does. Hence, it is possible that Chardy will win a set, but not the match. Berrettini in 4
Marton Fucsovics vs Andreas Seppi
Yesh: Fucsovics is a solid player who hasn’t quite been at the top of his game this year. Seppi has been decent this year, but he’s well past his peak. Fucsovics in 4
Steen: Fucsovics leads the h2h 2-1, Seppi is just 1-5 in recent matches on hard courts, Fucsovics was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist, and will have his sights set on a run in New York. Seppi is playing too poorly to win this match. Fucsovics in 3
Anish: Andreas Seppi has had largely disappointing performnaces in his past few tournaments. He has only one win from five matches, in the first round at Washington. At 37 years of age, it is to be seen how much he extends his career, clearly not able to keep up with newcomers. Marton Fucsovics too didn’t impress much in the hadful of tournaments he played this North-American swing. Still, he is the better player and also ranked higher. Fucsovics plays a game well suited to the fast courts. He should be able to win this. Fucsovics in 4
Main Photo from Getty Images
