The second day of the US Open features Carlos Alcaraz taking on Sebastian Baez and fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco looking to turn back the clock and win his opening round match. We have predictions for every day 2 match at the US Open including Rafael Nadal’s.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Baez
Damian Kust: Sebastian Baez might evolve into a very decent hard-court player in the future, but his warm-up campaign was a disaster, even if mostly due to terrible draws. Carlos Alcaraz should be able to capitalize and win this one with relative ease. Alcaraz in 3
Glenys Furness: Alcaraz is third seed and likes hard courts. Having made the quarter final last year the Spaniard will want to go deeper and claim his maiden slam. Baez has lost in the first round of the two lead up events he has played. In Cincinnati the Argentine only won two games! This should be an easy match for the Spaniard. Alcaraz in 3
David Gertler: Alcaraz has not had the post-Madrid summer that many were perhaps expecting, but he’s still an incredible player. He’s extremely quick around the court, has a powerful forehand, and has excellent variety. He should overwhelm Baez, who is much more comfortable on clay compared to hard courts. Alcaraz in 3
Soon-Woo Kwon vs Fernando Verdasco
Damian: Fernando Verdasco has been looking quite solid in recent weeks, but the Spaniard is nowhere near the player he once was. Over a longer format, Soon-Woo Kwon should be able to outlast him.
Kwon in 5
Glenys: Verdasco came through qualifying here to hit the main draw. The Spaniard got to the quarter final in Vancouver as well. Kwon got to the second round in Winston Salem and lost in the first round of qualifying in Cincinnati. Verdasco has a lot of experience at Grand Slams so this will not be new to him. Verdasco in 5
David: Kwon has a good serve, decent controlled aggression, but nothing special. Verdasco did well to make it to the final round of qualifying for the US Open (got in as a lucky loser), but at this stage in his career, both his fitness and his backhand aren’t quite good enough to beat Kwon in a best-of-five format. Kwon in 5
Diego Schwartzman vs Jack Sock
Damian: Diego Schwartzman is certainly vulnerable to an early upset, but Jack Sock hasn’t done well in recent weeks and doesn’t seem to be in his grass season form. He’d need to improve rapidly to eliminate someone as solid as the Argentinian, although the New York will certainly help. Schwartzman in 4
Glenys: The Argentine should have the edge over the American. Although Sock has played every US Open since 2010, the furthest he has progressed was the fourth round in 2016. This will be Socks second Slam of the year as he didn’t play Australia and failed to qualify for the French. Schwartzman has taken part in each of the slams this year and made the quarter final here in 2019. Schwartzman in 4
David: Schwartzman has not been great all season, with his forehand becoming fairly inconsistent and his serve becoming even more of a liability. Sock has one of the best forehands on the ATP Tour and he will have the home crowd on his side. I think that this one has “upset potential” written all over it, as Sock can dictate play from the baseline and exploit Schwartzman’s forehand. Sock in 5
Fabio Fognini vs Aslan Karatsev
Damian: Both players are so error-prone and up-and-down that it’s practically impossible to predict what could happen. Despite the famous win over Rafael Nadal, Fabio Fognini hasn’t really played well in New York most years. Aslan Karatsev could maybe enjoy the conditions a bit more. Karatsev in 5
Glenys: Fognini has plenty of Grand Slam experience under his belt, but he can be a bit flaky when it comes to the matches. The Italian has made the first or second round only of the lead up events to Flushing Meadows. Karatsev has had direct entry to several lead up events, but has not progressed very far. Outside factors could be playing on his mind when he is trying to play which makes this a tricky match up. Fognini in 4
David; Fognini is a mercurial player with excellent speed and variety. Karatsev is always an unknown, but does have the biggest weapons on the court in his serve and forehand. While there will be plenty of ups and downs, I expect Karatsev’s power to ultimately will him to victory. Karatsev in 4
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