Carlos Alcaraz has been heralded has been heralded as the future of the men’s tennis, while Richard Gasquet is very much a talented figure of yesteryear, both the 36 year old Gasquet and the young gun Alcaraz feature on day 4 of the US Open. We have predictions for every second round match including John Isner’s match from our panelists.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Federico Coria
Shane Black: Alcaraz is looking to take out back-to-back Argentines after his Round 1 victory over Sebastian Baez. Coria won their only previous meeting 6-4 4-6 6-4 back in February of 2020, but the Spaniard has turned into a completely different player since that meeting. Alcaraz is poised for a deep run in Queens and should not have much trouble in this match. Alcaraz in 3
Damian Kust: Federico Coria had one of the best hard-court performances of his career to take out Tallon Griekspoor. That’s probably where it stops though as Carlos Alcaraz should have all the arguments in this matchup on a fairly fast hard court. Alcaraz in 3
Dan Evans vs James Duckworth
Shane: Dan Evans played a fantastic three sets in his 6-4 6-1 6-1 Round 1 victory over Jiri Vesely. The Brit is 7-3 in the month of August. Duckworth, on the other hand, is just 2-4 in his last six matches. I do not believe the Aussie has any weapons to punish Evans. The lefty is too consistent to let this one slip away. Evans in 3
Damian: Dan Evans made very light work of Jiri Vesely in the opening round. It’s a great opportunity for him and while he’s wasted chances like that in Slams before, producing a level close to something like that should guarantee him a win. Evans in 4
Andrey Rublev vs Soon-Woo Kwon
Shane: I believe Rublev’s five-set victory over Djere is the perfect confidence booster that will help elevate his game through the rest of this tournament. He is 3-0 against Kwon this season and should make it 4-0. Rublev in 4
Damian: Andrey Rublev had to fight through his issues to beat Laslo Djere and it’s clear he’s still very far from optimal form. Soon-Woo Kwon can trouble him, but it’s hard not to view the Russian as the favorite anyway. Rublev in 4
Richard Gasquet vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Shane: Kecmanovic routed Gasquet 6-0 6-3 back in April, though I expect more pushback from the Frenchman in this match. The 36-year-old knows he is on the back end of his career and should relish any Grand Slam opportunities he has left. With that said, the hard court consistency of Kecmanovic may be too much in a best of five match. Kecmanovic in 4
Damian: Miomir Kecmanovic doesn’t really perform below a certain level this year and this consistency should give him the win here. He makes it very physical and over the longer format, Richard Gasquet might not be ready for it at this stage. Kecmanovic in 4
Main Photo from Getty Images
