The second round starts on Day 3 of the US Open, and we have 16 men’s matches on the schedule for Wednesday. As always, our writers here at LWOT will share their thoughts on every match. We split the 16 matches between four articles. Aside from this article, our others feature Novak Djokovic vs Laslo Djere, Taylor Fritz vs Matteo Berrettini, and Casper Ruud vs Gael Monfils. Predicting Wednesday’s matches are Ateet Shrivastava, Damian Kust, and Jim Smith. Who do you think will reach Round 3?
US Open Day 3 Men’s Predictions
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Lorenzo Musetti
Ateet:
Musetti is slowly becoming a great player against big servers, thanks to his variety on return of serve. Kecmanovic was in all sorts of trouble against Nishioka and probably got lucky that the Japanese got injured and had to retire. Kecmanovic can go toe to toe with Musetti when he is on but he hasn’t won consecutive matches since Wimbledon. I will go with the Italian player in a close match.
Prediction: Musetti in 5
Damian:
Musetti’s grass and clay improvements don’t have to mean much ahead of the rest of the season, but he was blocking his returns very well against Opelka in the first round. This is a different matchup, and the Italian will have to create the game a bit more here. Seems like with his form right now, he might find a way.
Prediction: Musetti in 4
Jim:
It was some summer for Lorenzo Musetti. Now, as Autumn approaches, it will be interesting to see how motivated he is – particularly as players will be that much more motivated against him. But this looks like a good match-up against a player with a broadly similar skillset but fewer weapons.
Prediction: Musetti in 3
Ugo Humbert vs Francisco Comesana
Ateet:
Francisco Comesana is creating a habit of punching above his weight in Grand Slams. He defeated Dominic Stricker in four sets as an underdog. His first serve was very effective and he will need that working against Humbert. The Frenchman easily dispatched Thiago Monteiro and looked dangerous. These are great conditions for Humbert, and it would be a surprise if he lost this match.
Prediction: Humbert in 4
Damian:
Humbert wasted no time defeating Monteiro in the opening round and is flying a bit under the radar. While Comesana’s game isn’t completely inapplicable on hard courts, he’ll still quite far off from reaching a level that would allow him to regularly contend with players like that. The Frenchman won’t struggle that much here.
Prediction: Humbert in 3
Jim:
Francisco Comesana delivered a very solid performance in the first round, but this is a different sort of test for the 23-year-old Argentine. Ugo Humbert’s game is in very fine shape and this should be a fairly comfortable outing for the 17th seed.
Prediction: Humbert in 3
Alexei Popyrin vs Pedro Martinez
Ateet:
Popyrin is in the form of his life and he has a favorable draw in the second-round. Pedro Martinez is a solid player but hard courts are not his best surface. A third-round clash with Novak Djokovic is looming for the winner of this match and it will most likely be the Australian player. Martinez has a 2-0 winning record in this matchup but Popyrin is a much improved player since their last meeting.
Prediction: Popyrin in 4
Damian:
Popyrin is coming off that Montreal title and while it’s unlikely this will suddenly make him contend for big titles regularly, at least partially that confidence might still be influencing him. Martinez had such a long and physical battle in the opening round, making his chances slimmer against someone who he probably has the edge over him on hard courts anyway.
Prediction: Popyrin in 4
Jim:
Alexei Popyrin is not the sort of player who will go deep in tournament’s week-in week-out, but it will be interesting to see if he kicks on after his triumph in Montreal. But this match probably won’t be the best test of that. Pedro Martinez is a very good competitor and will make Popyrin work for the points, but he just doesn’t have the weaponry to really hit back.
Prediction: Popyrin in 4
Ben Shelton vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Ateet:
Ben Shelton didn’t get bothered by the occasion that it was Dominic Thiem’s last Grand Slam match and played a solid match to win in straight sets. He will have the upper hand against a far-from-best Roberto Bautista Agut, who has struggled to win back-to-back matches. Shelton has already got the better of the Spaniard at the Australian Open this year.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Damian:
Repeating that 2023 run at this year’s US Open won’t be easy for Shelton and he has to stay on his toes with how low-margin his returns and baseline game tend to be right now. He’s the favorite here, but you just know that a cunning veteran like Bautista Agut will do everything in his power to potentially stop him.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Jim:
The pressure is on for Ben Shelton in New York this year after an indifferent season so far and a lot of points to defend. Will he be able to rise to the challenge? That remains to be seen, this match should give some indication of where his game and his head are at. Roberto Bautista Agut is not the player of old, but he remains a wily customer and will try to make this difficult for the American. But Shelton at his best can take the racket out of an opponent’s hands.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
