The first round of the US Open wraps up on Day 2 with 32 men’s matches scheduled for Tuesday. There should be some incredible action in New York, and–as always–we here at LastWordOnTennis share our thoughts on every single match. We split the day’s 32 matches between eight articles. The other articles feature Carlos Alcaraz vs Li Tu, Jannik Sinner vs Mackenzie McDonald, Tommy Paul vs Lorenzo Sonego, Denis Shapovalov vs Botic van de Zandschulp, Hubert Hurkacz vs Timofey Stakov, Arthur Fils vs Learner Tien, and Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Thanasi Kokkinakis. Predicting this set of matches are Damian Kust, Yesh Ginsburg, and Ateet Shrivastava. Who do you think will advance?
US Open Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Alex de Minaur vs Marcos Giron
Damian:
Since Wimbledon we’ve only seen de Minaur in action in one doubles match at the Olympics, so his performance here will very much be under a question mark. Facing someone like Giron there will be lots of running to do as well. This is just guesswork and my hunch is de Minaur will not be at his best, but will get over the line somehow.
Prediction: de Minaur in 5
Yesh:
Giron is an interesting younger American who always seems to play his best tennis at the Majors. He might be able to stick with the Aussie longer than expected.
Prediction: de Minaur in 5
Ateet:
Alex de Minaur will play his first singles match since Wimbledon and he does not have an easy first-round match. Marcos Giron has a 3-1 win-loss record against the Australian, although their last meeting came in 2021 and de Minaur has improved a lot since. The Australian’s movement would be in question but if he is 100%, he should get the win.
Prediction: de Minaur in 4
Otto Virtanen vs Quentin Halys
Damian:
Two qualifiers with massive weaponry, especially on serve. Halys wasn’t quite as good in his campaign as at Wimbledon and had to lean on Jerome Kym in the deciding set as the Swiss couldn’t serve out the match. Otto Virtanen provided rollercoaster matches as usual and was only playing really well when desperation struck and he was close to losing. Just flip a coin.
Prediction: Virtanen in 5
Yesh:
Virtanen has stepped up his game recently, but that still won’t put him within range of the Frenchman, who’s better than he is.
Prediction: Halys in 4
Ateet:
This match is between two qualifiers who have huge serves. Most likely this match will be decided in tiebreaks. It could be anyone’s match but Virtanen has played more matches on hard courts recently which gives him a slight edge for me.
Prediction: Virtanen in 5
Nicolas Jarry vs Christopher O’Connell
Damian:
Both Jarry and O’Connell have been very unspectacular in the last three months, their problems originating due to a physical condition of some sort (illness and shoulder injury, respectively). With neither on top of their games right now, it’s the Chilean’s huge game that still fills you with a bit more confidence.
Prediction: Jarry in 4
Yesh:
Nicolas Jarry sometimes looks like he can be up there as a contender with the other elites, but usually he looks pretty average. Then again, O’Connell is a pretty average player himself. Assuming Jarry can find somwhere close to his best, he should win easily. That’s not always a safe assumption, though.
Prediction: Jarry in 4
Ateet:
Nicolas Jarry has lost five consecutive matches after reaching the biggest final of his career in Rome. No one would have expected such a dip in form from the Chilean. O’Connell should like his chances here if he can put enough returns back and hope that Jarry isn’t at his best. But I am not convinced with his recent form.
Prediction: Jarry in 5
Daniil Medvedev vs Dusan Lajovic
Damian:
Two opening-round losses for Medvedev in Montreal and Cincinnati wasn’t ideal preparation, but it’s not like he lost to some weak opposition. The best of five format should help him ease his way into an event that’s been very successful for him in the past and Lajovic isn’t the same threat level as Jiri Lehecka or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Yesh:
Daniil Medvedev is a former champion here and has reached several other Grand Slam finals. Lajovic can be solid when he’s playing well, but he’s no match, really.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Ateet:
Daniil Medvedev has lost his last three hard-court matches which is a rare occurrence. He faces Dusan Lajovic in the first round who has a winning record against him. However, winning three sets against Medvedev is a completely different thing than winning two sets. Medvedev would still need to bring a high level which I think he will.
Prediction: Medvedev in 4
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
