The 2023 US Open continues Round 1 play on Tuesday, with 32 men’s matches slated for play. The first few days of a Slam are action-packed from sunup to sundown, and Day 2 in Flushing Meadows is no different. We at LWOT have analyzed the matches and provided our thoughts on all 32 matches. We split the 32 matches between eight articles. Our other articles feature Carlos Alcaraz vs Dominik Koepfer, Cameron Norrie vs Alexander Shevchenko, Alexander Zverev vs Aleksandar Vukic, Andy Murray vs Corentin Moutet, John Isner vs Facundo Diaz Acosta, Daniil Medvedev vs Attila Balazs, and Jannik Sinner vs Yannick Hanfmann. Predicting this set of matches are Damian Kust, Yesh Ginsburg, and Jordan Reynolds.
US Open Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Nicolas Jarry vs Luca Van Assche
Damian:
Van Assche is holding up fairly okay on the main tour this year, just not exactly setting the world on fire. For Jarry, his favorite surface used to be clay by far. However, it seems like with his 2023 form, the conditions kind of stopped being important anymore. Now the Chilean’s just a beast regardless of the surface.
Prediction: Jarry in 4
Yesh:
Jarry hasn’t risen as quickly as expected, likely due to his recent suspension. Still, the talent is there. So is Van Assche’s but I’ll take Jarry on a faster court.
Prediction: Jarry in 4
Jordan:
Jarry is having a career best season, with two titles and a fourth round appearance at the French Open to his name. That was all on his favoured clay, although he had a decent run to the quarterfinals in Los Cabos a few weeks ago. The hugely talented 19-year-old Van Assche is making his debut in New York. The Frenchman’s level often fluctuates though from excellent to poor and back again during a match. This could be tight, but Van Assche gets a small edge on a hard court.
Prediction: Van Assche in 5
Lloyd Harris vs Guido Pella
Damian:
Pella only plays the biggest events, but he’s actually competitive whenever we see him on the court. Harris could be a similar story. The South African suffered a couple of early exits this summer and it keeps him at a lower ranking than he actually deserves. He will get pushed by Pella, but probably serve him off the court.
Prediction: Harris in 4
Yesh:
Lloyd Harris likes fast courts and has an aggressive game to suit it. Plenty of players can pick that apart, but I don’t think Guido Pella, in his current form, is one of them.
Prediction: Harris in 4
Jordan:
Harris was a quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows in 2021, but he has been struggling more in recent times. Injuries have been a part of that, and he is in the main draw based on a protected ranking. Clay court specialist Pella though has played no hard court tournaments before the US Open. Harris may not be at his 2021 level, but this is a good draw for him to get a morale boosting win.
Prediction: Harris in 3
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Jason Kubler vs Matteo Arnaldi
Damian:
This looks like a straight-up toss-up. Arnaldi can play on hard courts with a sneaky good serve and his refined game. Kubler has only been mediocre and finds himself without too many wins in this part of the season. Let’s give a slight nod to the Italian, who might have a slightly higher ceiling.
Prediction: Arnaldi in 5
Yesh:
Matteo Arnaldi’s name keeps popping up in draws now, and he’s been solid at times–but not so much on faster courts. Kubler should like this courts, which spells a lopsided matchup.
Prediction: Kubler in 4
Jordan:
Kubler has only played two tournaments since Wimbledon, and has not registered a main draw win in either. By contrast Arnaldi is at a career high ranking of #61 after some very good tournaments. Some were on his favoured clay, but he had a good run to the third round at the Toronto Masters. On a hard court this is a close call. Arnaldi’s momentum might just edge it, in addition to his style being suitable for disrupting Kubler.
Prediction: Arnaldi in 5
Gael Monfils vs Taro Daniel
Damian:
Monfils has been playing fantastic tennis in the past few weeks, quality that we never thought we were still going to get from him. Is Daniel at potential banana skin? He lost just five games to him at Roland Garros four years ago, but that was a long while ago and at a different stage of their careers. Should be closer now.
Prediction: Monfils in 4
Yesh:
Gael Monfils still has one of the biggest forehands in the world, and he’s still the most fun player to watch. I hope we see him for a bunch of matches here.
Prediction: Monfils in 3
Jordan:
Can Monfils continue his renaissance at the US Open? His runs in Toronto and Cincinnati included wins against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur. Daniel has been a solid pro for many years, and had a very good win of his own against Adrian Mannarino in Toronto. But I think Monfils will have too much. His athleticism and firepower are both slightly ahead of the Japanese player.
Prediction: Monfils in 4
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
