The US Open begins on Monday with a whopping 32 men’s matches on Day 1 of play. There is a ton of action around the grounds of the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, and our writers here at LWOT will share their thoughts on all of the matches with you. We split the 32 matches between eight articles. Our other articles feature Novak Djokovic vs Alexandre Muller, Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem vs Alexander Bublik, Christopher Eubanks vs Soon-Woo Kwon, Casper Ruud vs Emilio Nava, and Tommy Paul vs Stefano Travaglia. Predicting this set of matches are Damian Kust, Shane Black, and Jordan Reynolds.
US Open Day 1 Men’s Predictions
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Juan Pablo Varillas
Damian:
Varillas is yet to beat a Top 200 opponent off clay, losing to them ten times on hard courts and three times on grass. It just doesn’t seem like this is where that streak will end, especially as Kecmanovic is among the most solid players on the tour. It sometimes holds him back, but will come in super handy here.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 3
Shane:
Miomir Kecmanovic has had an inconsistent summer. He holds a 5-10 record since mid-May and has not beaten a Top 50 ranked player since April. Juan Pablo Varillas made a dream run to the second week of the French Open earlier this year, but he has not been able to sustain that level on hard courts. Kecmanovic will push him around.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 4
Jordan:
This one should come down to Kecmanović being more comfortable on hard courts. Varillas is a clay court specialist, and has only played one match as hard court preparation for the US Open. The higher ranked Kecmanović to win.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 4
Laslo Djere vs Brandon Nakashima
Damian:
Nakashima has been steadily picking up his game the last few weeks and it seems like he might grab some sort of a reward soon. Maybe this is it already as while better than people think, Djere is still a winnable opponent on hard courts. The American is due a win like this and he often plays well at the US Open.
Prediction: Nakashima in 4
Shane:
Laslo Djere had a fruitful summer, winning nine of 13 matches over the last month. Brandon Nakashima has struggled to find consistency all season long as he battles back from a knee injury. This match should feature a lot of solid baseline exchanges, but I see Djere outlasting the American.
Prediction: Djere in 5
Jordan:
It has been a rough year for Nakashima, although he did at least get two morale boosting wins in Winston Salem a few days ago. Djere is generally more comfortable on clay, but reached the quarterfinals in Winston-Salem, a tournament where he was also a finalist last year. I am leaning towards Nakashima here. The American has a very good flat backhand when it is working, and pace into that wing of Djere is a weakness for the Serbian. That is not predicted with certainty due to Nakashima’s inconsistency though.
Prediction: Nakashima in 4
[cta id=591 type=cta]
Richard Gasquet vs Fabian Marozsan
Damian:
How will Marozsan fare on hard courts at the top level? That’s something that we still don’t really know. While the dropshots might be less effective, his style of trying to end the point in four shots or less could work fine. If he had played a warm-up event, I maybe would have picked him to win vs Gasquet. Can’t do it here though.
Prediction: Gasquet in 4
Shane:
Richard Gasquet is looking for his first Slam victory since the 2022 US Open. He has had his ups and downs but is the rightful favorite against Fabian Marozsan. The 23-year-old Hungarian has dominated the Challenger Level this season but has just four tour-level wins. His serve will bother Gasquet, but the Frenchman’s experience will be the difference.
Prediction: Gasquet in 4
Jordan:
Gasquet had a heartbreaking loss in the quarterfinal of Winston Salem in a final set tiebreak. However, the 37-year-old French veteran’s level was very high throughout the tournament. He has reason to feel optimistic for the US Open, and I expect him to win his opening round. Marozsan is very talented. But he is a clay court specialist yet to win a Grand Slam match. Gasquet to have too much class.
Prediction: Gasquet in 3
Casper Ruud vs Emilio Nava
Damian:
This one should actually be a bit of a test. Nava has been one of the strongest Slam qualifying players this year (8-1) and makes the main draw despite not getting the wildcard this time. He’s got the attacking potential to push Ruud here, it’s just that he’s so patchy and erratic that it’s hard to believe he can actually pull off the win.
Prediction: Ruud in 4
Shane:
It has been an odd season for Casper Ruud. He lost in the second round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon but reached the final at Roland Garros. He is just 6-8 on hardcourts this season. That won’t matter against Emilio Nava, who has only won two main draw ATP matches in his career.
Prediction: Ruud in 4
Jordan:
Despite an excellent run at the at French Open, it has mostly not been the best year for Casper Ruud. He is defending a lot of points after last year’s runner-up finish at Flushing Meadows, and will need to raise his level to defend those. The first step to that should not be an issue. Nava did reach a career high ranking of #155 last year after reaching the final of a Challenger event in Stanford. But that momentum won’t be enough even if Ruud weren’t at his best.
Prediction: Ruud in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
