The US Open kicks off on Monday with a whopping 32 men’s matches on Day 1. It should be an incredible day of tennis action and–as always–we here at LWOT want to share our thoughts on every match with you. We split the 32 matches between eight articles. In addition to this article, our other articles feature Novak Djokovic vs Radu Albot, Frances Tiafoe vs Aleksandar Kovacevic, Andrey Rublev vs Thiago Seyboth Wild, Gael Monfils vs Diego Schwartzman, Alexander Zverev vs Maximilian Marterer, Taylor Fritz vs Camilo Ugo Carabelli, and Holger Rune vs Brandon Nakashima. Predicting these matches are Ateet Shrivastava, Damian Kust, and Yesh Ginsburg. Who do you think will reach Round 2?
US Open Day 1 Men’s Predictions
Alexander Bublik vs Juncheng Shang
Ateet:
Bublik played just one build-up tournament before the US Open where he lost in the first-round. Bublik’s level is difficult to evaluate because he can play excellent tennis or lose easily to anyone. Juncheng Shang won’t be an easy opponent. The 19-year-old has had lots of matches recently and will look to win his first match at the US Open. I will go with the Chinese player to make the upset.
Prediction: Shang in 5
Damian:
Shang pulled out of Winston-Salem after getting two wins and for a player who’s ranked where he is, that’s probably not just a precaution ahead of a Slam. This should be a wild match as Bublik is just as all over the place. The more likely winner here? Maybe the Kazakh, but just by a tiny bit.
Prediction: Bublik in 5
Yesh:
Bublik is one of the most fun players on Tour to watch. His unique and unpredictable style makes him a tough opponent for lots of players, and I think Shang is more likely to struggle against him than most.
Prediction: Bublik in 5
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Laslo Djere
Ateet:
Struff hasn’t quite played to his potential in the last month or so but he shouldn’t have any difficulties in defeating Laslo Djere, who has won just five main draw matches this year and is nowhere at the level he can produce.
Prediction: Struff in 4
Damian:
Djere needs a big run with his season so far not going as planned at all. His performance against Svajda in Winston-Salem didn’t seem to suggest he’s close to returning to top shape though. Struff can be a little inconsistent and isn’t the worst opponent you can get, but the favorite is pretty clear here.
Prediction: Struff in 4
Yesh:
Struff is a solid and consistent player who’s had some impressive runs recently. Djere, meanwhile, hasn’t impressed in quite a while. I think the German will have the advantage here.
Prediction: Struff in 3
Casper Ruud vs Yunchaokete Bu
Ateet:
Casper Ruud has struggled with health in the last couple of months, which has affected his form. He is heading to the US Open with just a single hard-court win since the Olympics. However, this place has been a happy hunting ground for the Norwegian. Bu Yunchaokete has won a lot of matches on the Challenger Tour this year, which helped him win his qualifying rounds. He’ll want to put on a show in his maiden Slam main draw encounter, but Ruud is a cut above anyone he’s played against.
Prediction: Ruud in 4
Damian:
Ruud lost to a Chinese player at the US Open last year, but Zhang has a bit more explosive power than Bu. Nonetheless, the underdog has been in the form of his life and seemingly improving on a weekly basis. He’ll get some great experience out of this and be able to test his game, but he can’t quite put Ruud on the defense like Zhang did.
Prediction: Ruud in 4
Yesh:
It is so easy to forget that Casper Ruud is one of the best players in the world. He’s still ranked in the Top 8 and Top 5 in the race. He might not be winning bigger tournaments, but he always goes deep.
Prediction: Ruud in 3
Ben Shelton vs Dominic Thiem
Ateet:
This could most likely be Dominic Thiem’s last ever Grand Slam match and he wouldn’t have hoped it come anywhere else. The former US Open champion will try to extend his run but Shelton is too strong a player to lose this match. Thiem would have to play at his peak to have any chances here, which I don’t see happening.
Prediction: Shelton in 3
Damian:
They played at the US Open last year with Thiem retiring at the start of the second set. Now he’s going to be out of the sport for good in two months and announcing that seemingly hasn’t given him too much of a motivation boost. Shelton can even win this in three, but maybe we’ll get some magic from the former champ?
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Yesh:
I want to pick Thiem here, just because the Austrian deserves one more good run to end his career. I don’t think we’ll get it, though. Thiem’s body just isn’t up to competing at the top level, which is exactly what it would take to keep up with Shelton.
Prediction: Shelton in 3
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
