A decade ago, Andy Murray was crowned US Open Champion, now he has a tough first round match at age 35 against Francisco Cerundolo in New York. We have predictions for every first round match at the US Open including Nick Kyrgios first round match.
Andy Murray vs Francisco Cerundolo
Damian Kust: Francisco Cerundolo’s forehand translates across surfaces without issues, that much is clear by now. If the Argentinian is firing, then he can probably expose the quality of Andy Murray’s movement being much worse than back in his prime, but it should be pretty tight. Cerundolo in 5
David Gertler: Andy Murray is still solid from the baseline and very crafty, although he’s shown in recent matches his fitness is not where it once was. A few hours chasing down Cerundolo’s huge forehands will further test his fitness and I believe Murray will crack. Cerundolo is the fitter player with the best weapon on the court in his forehand. Cerundolo in 5
Alexander Bublik vs Hugo Gaston
Damian: Trick shots galore, but whether they’re actually going to be a side dish to quality tennis? That remains to be seen. Form-wise it’s a big advantage for Alexander Bublik as Hugo Gaston is just not enjoying himself on the main tour this year. Bublik in 4
David: Bublik has a huge serve, but can mentally check out of matches. Gaston is a crafty player with an excellent drop shot, but Bublik just has such a power advantage, he should be able to hit through the Frenchman and win this match. Bublik in 4
Karen Khachanov vs Denis Kudla
Damian: Karen Khachanov won this one in four sets at the Australian Open. He should be able to do it again as Denis Kudla had an awful warm-up campaign and generally hasn’t been a big threat at the ATP Tour on anything else but grass. Khachanov in 4
David: Khachanov has a big serve and powerful forehand, which will be the two biggest shots on the court in this match. Kudla is out of form and, currently, has a shaky baseline game with a mediocre rally tolerance. Khachanov should be able to overpower Kudla in this one. Khachanov in 4
Jordan Thompson vs Lorenzo Sonego
Damian: Jordan Thompson lost in the quarterfinals at Granby this past week, but his performance was extremely shaky as he almost went out to Justin Boulais in the second round. He didn’t seem ready to go deep at the US Open. Lorenzo Sonego hasn’t been on top of his game either, but it should be more on his racket than the Australian’s. Sonego in 5
David: Thompson is a consistent and crafty player who will test Sonego’s rally tolerance and fitness. While Sonego has a big serve and a heavy forehand, I think in best-of-five in the New York City heat and humidity, he will falter against the Aussie.
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