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, Ben Shelton vs Dominic Thiem, Gael Monfils vs Diego Schwartzman, Andrey Rublev vs Thiago Seyboth Wild, 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
Yoshihito Nishioka vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Ateet:
These two played very recently at the Cincinnati Open where Nishioka won in straight sets. Kecmanovic hasn’t been in great form so ideally he is the underdog in this match. But he is too good a player to lose to Nishioka twice in such a short space.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 5
Damian:
Nishioka just won this one in straights in the opening round in Cincinnati, so he should be feeling pretty confident. But that’s not always a guarantee in tennis and Kecmanovic was often pushing him much harder over the years. It seems pretty likely that this time they’ll deliver a massive battle that goes the distance.
Prediction: Nishioka in 5
Yesh:
These two met two weeks ago and it wasn’t particularly close. I can’t see any reason it will go differently now, on very similar courts.
Prediction: Nishioka in 3
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Arthur Cazaux
Ateet:
I would have a much better feeling for the Spaniard coming into this match if he didn’t retire from his semifinal match in Winston-Salem. Carreno Busta was playing at a high level all week but his mid-match retirement casts some doubt over his fitness. Arthur Cazaux isn’t in the best form, though, and if Carreno Busta’s fitness is not hampered a lot, he should still win this.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 4
Damian:
Carreno Busta might be a bit tired due to his Winston-Salem efforts, but he’s clearly getting the form back over the course of this North American hard court swing. The same can’t be said about Cazaux who’s been off his game for months. Maybe the two-time semifinalist can keep the momentum going despite the potential fatigue.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 4
Yesh:
Pablo Carreno Busta looked really impressive in Winston-Salem last week. Assuming he’s fully healthy, he should win this match pretty easily.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 3
Alexander Shevchenko vs Dominik Koepfer
Ateet:
Shevchenko has lost five matches in a row in all competitions while Koepfer hasn’t played a match since the Paris Olympics. Koepfer did play at a high level at the Olympics but without any match practice on hard courts, it will be tough for him to find his best level straightaway. It was a three-setter win when these two last met, earlier this year in Indian Wells. I will go with the German player to take revenge.
Prediction: Koepfer in 5
Damian:
This looks like a fun one. Shevchenko has been losing a lot more than winning this year, but is still situated around the Top 80 in the ATP Race. He defeated Koepfer in a grueling contest in Indian Wells earlier this season and generally excels in physical matches like this. It’s tough not to grant the German the edge purely on form though.
Prediction: Koepfer in 5
Yesh:
Koepfer had his first real breakout run at the US Open five years ago, and he hasn’t had a particularly amazing run since. Still, he’s a strong player, and this should be a fun match.
Prediction: Koepfer in 4
Alexander Zverev vs Maximilian Marterer
Ateet:
Zverev has been extremely consistent this year, especially at the Majors. He had some good reps on hard courts before coming to the US Open and his knee also seems to have recovered. Marterer has struggled to win matches this year with just two main draw wins and zero on hard courts. He might push Zverev in one set but that’s about it
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Damian:
Lucky break for Marterer with Ruusuvuori’s withdrawal, but is it actually that lucky? Zverev will be extremely hard for him to beat, especially as he hasn’t exactly been firing this year. This improves the chances of the No. 4 seed to go deep in the event as he avoids a much more tricky opponent in the opener.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Yesh:
Marterer got into this spot as a lucky loser, but that’s all he’ll get. Zverev is just way too good here to fall early.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
