Two of the top comeback stories on the ATP Tour this year, Borna Coric and David Goffin play on day 2 of the US Open in New York. We have predictions for every day 2 match including John Isner and Cameron Norrie’s first round matches.
Borna Coric vs Enzo Couacaud
Damian Kust: It remains to be seen whether Borna Coric will take his Cincinnati form to New York. If he’s not serving as well as he was there, he’ll be expected to come through here regardless, even if he reverts to his old slightly too passive style. Coric in 3
David: Coric surprised many when he won Cincinnati, combining his excellent baseline game with a surprisingly great serving performance. Couacaud has a heavy forehand and moves the ball around the court well, but he struggles to flatten out his groundstrokes and hit through higher-level opponents from the baseline. There’s nothing Coric does that Couacaud does better and I look for Coric to win this match. Coric in 3
Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs Norbert Gombos
Damian: Norbert Gombos has done fine to qualify and is an excellent ball-striker, but he hasn’t faced anyone who would make his life as hard as Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Good counter-punching and unpleasant spins and angles should be enough to take the Slovakian down over a longer format. Ramos-Vinolas in 4
David: Gombos has a big serve and goes huge on his groundstrokes, which makes this a tricky matchup for Ramos-Vinolas on a hard court. However, in rallies, Ramos-Vinolas shoud.be able to pin Gombos in his backhand corner and force the Slovak to press on his groundstrokes. It will be tight, but Ramos-Vinolas should be able to come through. Ramos-Vinolas in 5
David Goffin vs Lorenzo Musetti
Damian: This one seems quite tight with David Goffin being very up-and-down recently and Lorenzo Musetti not handling faster hard courts that well. The Belgian’s expertise in such conditions should help him secure an advantage. Goffin in 4
David: Goffin has struggled during the summer hard-court swing, going 0-4 in the main draw of every tournament he’s played. He’s just not been able to put together the controlled aggression necessary to succeed. However, Musetti’s game is not built for a hard court and he’s too passive on quicker surfaces, so Goffin should be able to squeak out a victory. Goffin in 5
Marin Cilic vs Maximilian Marterer
Damian: Maximilian Marterer qualified by beating three clay-court specialists. While he has the arguments to play well on outdoor hard courts, he somehow never really made the most out of them. Marin Cilic is obviously not the ideal draw for him to start changing that. Cilic in 3
David: Both players have big first serves and like to play power tennis from the baseline. However, Marterer’s lefty forehand can sit up a little on hard courts and I trust Cilic on a hard court just a little more. The Croat should be able to rush Marterer and take this match. Cilic in 4
Main Photo from Getty Images
