After an exciting start to the final Major of the year, the third round at the US Open is set to get underway on day three with 16 matches on the slate. As always, we here at LWOT are offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Nick Kyrgios vs Benjamin Bonzi, Casper Ruud vs Tim van Rijthoven and Andy Murray vs Emilio Nava. But who will secure their spot in the third round in New York?
US Open Day 3 Predictions
Daniil Medvedev vs Arthur Rinderknech
Yesh: Daniil Medvedev looks strong so far here. Maybe he’ll struggle in the later rounds, but he’s a man on a mission and Arthur Rinderknech won’t get in the way.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Jakub: Defending champion and top seed Medvedev was not really troubled by Stefan Kozlov in the opener but will have more of a challenge in Rinderknech. The Frenchman beat his countryman Quentin Halys in the opener and plays a big game, though expect Medvedev to come through here.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Medvedev means business. There were question marks over how he’d turn up to defend his title in New York but his first-round win against Kozlov comprehensively put those doubts to bed. Expect Medvedev to turn up in full flow against Rinderknech – the Frenchman is good enough to steal a set (he may even serve-and-volley given his long levers) but shouldn’t do more damage than that.
Prediction: Medvedev in 4
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Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Marton Fucsovics
Yesh: Marton Fucsovics looked terrible all summer but perhaps turned it around. He should in theory love these courts, but it’s hard to trust him after the last few months.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 4
Jakub: Since taking out Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has struggled for form. The Spaniard looked very solid in his first-round win over Yoshihito Nishioka here. Fucsovics got through with a retirement from Maxime Cressy. The two play a similar style with Davidovich Fokina just a step above at this point, so he should be winning.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 4
Getting through in straight sets against Yoshihito Nishioka wasn’t on many people’s predictions cards for Davidovich Fokina. But the Japanese is a good match-up for Davidovich Fokina however so maybe the one-sidedness of the win isn’t so surprising. Though Fucsovics was fairly lucky to survive given an injury sustained by Maxime Cressy, he showed great fight in the second set to pull through from 5-4 30-0 down with Cressy serving. I won’t overrate Davidovich Fokina or underrate Fucsovics – this match should be incredibly close with Davidovich Fokina possessing the slight edge.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 5
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Brandon Holt vs Pedro Cachin
Yesh: What a first round from Brandon Holt. And his reward is a winnable second match against a young player who prefers clay anyway. Gonna be quite a week for the youngster.
Prediction: Holt in 4
Jakub: After surprisingly qualifying, Holt pulled off an incredible upset over tenth seed Taylor Fritz. Pedro Cachin has been one of the best players on the Challenger Tour this year though playing almost only on clay. It’s a tough one to call but I will go with the Argentine grinding out a win.
Prediction: Cachin in 5
Though Holt beat Fritz, the tenth-seed himself admitted to playing far below his best having let nerves get the better of him. The qualifier is playing well but not quite the top-10 level you’d expect of someone who beat Fritz. Cachin, meanwhile, has propelled himself into the top-100 over the last two months having won 32 of his last 40 matches at all levels. The Argentinian may be more of a clay-courter but when a player’s feeling it as well as he is, I’ve got to give him the edge regardless of the surface.
Prediction: Cachin in 4
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Corentin Moutet vs Botic van de Zandschulp
Yesh: Botic van de Zandschulp survived a brutal battle in the first round, but he gets a little lucky here. Corentin Moutet is a solid player, but nowhere near the Dutchman’s league when van de Zandschulp is hitting the ball cleanly.
Prediction: van de Zandschulp in 4
Jakub: Moutet entered the main draw as a lucky loser after losing to Yibing Wu in the final qualifying round and faced Stan Wawrinka, who retired after the first two sets. Van De Zandschulp began his defence of a quarterfinal run last year with a tough five-set win over Tomas Machac. I expect a battle here with the Dutchman coming out on top.
Prediction: Van De Zandschulp in 5
Jack: Flashbacks to Moutet’s second-round loss to Sebastian Korda in Australia come to mind when trying to predict any match of his. The lefty is as scrappy as they come and can make his opponent’s life hell on any surface. Van de Zandschulp is one of the most unflappable characters in the game however and should feel right at home in these conditions. His booming serve, deceptively pacey forehand and great hands should give him enough options to get through this one unfazed.
Prediction: van de Zandschulp in 3
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