Gael Monfils takes his shotmaking talent into the second round of the US Open, while Taylor Fritz and Aslan Karatsev also play. Anish Joshi and Damian Kust offer their predictions for every second round match on Thursday.
Gael Monfils vs Steve Johnson
Anish: Monfils showed excellent defense and athleticism as he defeated Federico Coria convincingly in straight sets. Though he didn’t impress on the serve wing, he was highly proficient in winning points at the net, and his use of dropshots was very clever. Steve Johnson defeated Maximilian Marterer in his first round encounter. Johnson’s handling of nerves in the tiebreaks has to be his biggest takeaway from the match. But, Monfils is riding high after a decent warm-up. As I have already said, trust Monfils to do well when time calls. Monfils in 4
Damian: Monfils is not quite in his pre-pandemic shape yet, but has made a ton of progress towards that in the last month or so. Johnson hasn’t been quite as strong as in the past, so the Frenchman should be able to advance. Monfils in 4
Alexander Zverev vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Anish: Zverev looked a bit shaky in his first round match against local boy Sam Querrey, but he managed to prevail in straight sets. Zverev committed just 15 unforced errors in the match, which is a positive sign. On the other side, Albert Ramos Vinolas edged out Lucas Pouille in five sets. Ramos Vinolas is not a very promising player on fast surfaces, as his serve doesn’t manage to trouble opponents. Zverev should face no problems advancing to the third round. Zverev in 3
Damian: Should be smooth-sailing. The German has a lot more ways to win points on a hard court and should be able to dominate the baseline rallies. Even on an off day, the serve will carry him through. Zverev in 3
Aslan Karatsev vs Jordan Thompson
Anish: Russian sensation Karatsev blasted 57 winners in his drubbing of Jaume Munar in the first round. However, he also committed 57 unforced errors — a very disappointing stat. Though not poor, Karatsev does not have a monster serve. He will need a very good serve to survive on courts this fast. Thompson edged out Gianluca Mager in his first round match in five sets. It was a great display of nerves in the tiebreak, but it seems that he will have to bow out here. Karatsev in 4
Damian: Can Karatsev find his form from the first half of the season? This match should once again be mostly decided on his performance and whether he can take the ball early and create massive threats from the ground. The win over Munar was good enough that it suggests he might be able to. Karatsev in 4
Jenson Brooksby vs Taylor Fritz
Anish: Taylor Fritz played exceptionally to record his first win against Alex de Minaur in five matches. He served very well, but made too many errors. Jenson Brooksby did well to defeat Mikael Ymer. He will give Fritz a tough time, but Fritz is the favourite for me in five sets. Fritz in 5
Damian: This should be really entertaining. Brooksby made his service games a mess against Ymer and will probably need to be cleaner against someone with more power like Fritz. He’s way better prepared physically though and fitness could matter a lot in this one. Brooksby in 4
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