Day 1 of the US Open sees the in-form Daniil Medvedev starting his campaign. Meanwhile Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych seek form. Yesh Ginsburg and Steen Kirby offer their predictions. We also have predictions for matches featuring Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Milos Raonic vs Nicolas Jarry
Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Raonic withdrew from his match and was replaced in the draw by Kamil Majchrzak.
Steen: Jarry isn’t good enough off of clay to trouble Raonic one would think. Raonic is far from his best but he’ll survive this one with his serve. Raonic in 4
Yesh: Jarry has a strong serve and good baseline game, but he hasn’t been at his best recently. Raonic is far from his peak, but he’s showing flashes. And that serve will always keep him in matches. Raonic in 4
Daniil Medvedev vs Prajnesh Gunneswaran
Steen: Medvedev is on-fire and Gunneswaran, who is happy to be at this stage, is not going to stop his momentum. It’s the Russian’s time to shine. Medvedev in 3
Yesh: Medvedev is having his breakout year, reaching a Masters final and winning a Masters this month. He’s going to roll in this one. Medvedev in 3
Tomas Berdych vs Jenson Brooksby
Steen: Berdych continues to struggle at this late stage of his career, while Brooksby is a name to watch. The future Baylor Bear qualified as a teenager and he’s set to give Berdych a serious test and perhaps win in an upset. Berdych in 5
Yesh: Berdych hasn’t been healthy this year, and he’s about to get a young American qualifier in New York. That’s not a good situation for Berdych. He’s going to get frustrated by the crowd and an inspired Jenson Brooksby. Brooksby in 4
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Laslo Djere
Steen: Kecmanovic is on the rise and Djere isn’t as good right now. In this all Serbian contest Kecmanovic will prevail. Kecmanovic in 4
Yesh: Djere was an up-and-coming player before Kecmanovic was, but seems to have peaked. Kecmanovic, meanwhile, keeps rising. This should be a fun battle, and I’ll go with the younger Serb. Kecmanovic in 4
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