With 16 intriguing second-round matches on the schedule on day three at the US Open, there should be plenty of entertaining tennis around the grounds at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Nick Kyrgios vs Benjamin Bonzi, Daniil Medvedev vs Arthur Rinderknech and Casper Ruud vs Tim van Rijthoven. But who will advance?
US Open Day 3 Predictions
Andy Murray vs Emilio Nava
Yesh: Emilio Nava might be a rising young American, but he won’t get the crowd backing here. Andy Murray looked clean and sharp in his opening match. If that continues, the Brit will go far.
Prediction: Murray in 3
Jakub: Murray got his first straight-set win at a Slam since 2017 in the first round over Francisco Cerundolo while Nava got through a five-set battle with the experienced John Millman. Nava might provide a challenge to Murray with some high-quality retrieving but expect the former #1 to come through with his experience.
Prediction: Murray in 4
Emilio Nava shouldn’t be underestimated. The American is still very young and is slowly but surely growing into his game. If there’s one thing Murray doesn’t do though, it’s underestimate his opponents. He’ll come in with a comprehensive game plan against the youngster and will hope to replicate some of the returning prowess that earned him a straight sets win over Francisco Cerundolo. I’m backing Murray to outfox the junior prodigy.
Prediction: Murray in 4
Embed from Getty Images
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Jack Draper
Yesh: Felix Auger-Aliassime often struggles in early rounds of Majors, and this was no different. If he does the same against Jack Draper, the young Brit will pull an upset. I expect the Canadian to put things together eventually, though.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 5
Jakub: Auger-Aliassime began his semifinal defence on the right foot, dispatching Alexander Ritschard in four sets. Draper, 41-13 on the season, is going to be an interesting challenge. The Brit impressed in the lead-ups, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a Montreal quarterfinal run out of qualifying. This will be a popcorn match to watch but the Canadian should come through.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 4
Jack: These courts suit Auger-Aliassime. Last year’s semifinalist is in need of a decent result at the Slams and should get his reward if he can find his feet quickly. FAA frequently drops the ball against other big servers like Jack Draper however – his record against taller opponents is less than 50%. Ironically though, he’s got a great record in tiebreaks. There’s quite a lot of statistics to wrestle with here but the best-of-five cushion points to FAA eventually coming out on top even if Draper can keep it close.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 5
Embed from Getty Images
Alex de Minaur vs Cristian Garin
Yesh: Alex de Minaur looks solid so far, and he gets an opponent who would generally prefer other surfaces. That’s always a nice combination.
Prediction: de Minaur in 3
Jakub: De Minaur started the tournament with a strong straight-set win over Filip Krajinovic and at this point, Garin should not be much more of a challenge. The Chilean did defeat Jiri Lehecka in his first win since Wimbledon. The Australian also leads the head-to-head 3-1.
Prediction: De Minaur in 3
Jack: Many people probably didn’t expect Garin to get through his first-round against Jiri Lehecka. Fair enough – Garin is not particularly adept on hard-courts and Alex de Minaur will know this going into a rematch of their fourth-round tussle at Wimbledon when Garin saved two match points and came back from two sets down. De Minaur will be out for blood and will likely be able to redirect the groundstrokes of Garin with more venom than he could on a grass-court.
Prediction: de Minaur in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Alexander Bublik
Yesh: Alexander Bublik looked sharp in taking out Hugo Gaston, but challenging Pablo Carreno Busta is another order entirely. The Spaniard isn’t anyone’s favourite to win this tournament, but he’ll only lose to a top contender.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 4
Jakub: Two-time US Open semifinalist and Montreal champion Carreno Busta fended off a potentially tough challenge from Dominic Thiem and will now face Bublik. The Kazakh beat Hugo Gaston in straight sets and though he lost the three previous matches against the Spaniard (including one retirement), all of them were very close. Ultimately, expect the higher-percentage game of Carreno Busta to win out but Bublik will likely push him here.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 5
Jack: Who knows what mood Bublik will be in as he saunters onto court on Wednesday to face Montreal champion Carreno Busta. If their head-to-head is anything to go by, he’ll know he can do damage. Despite losing all three of their matches, he’s nabbed a set in every encounter and will be aware he strikes the bigger ball of the two players. Carreno Busta is undoubtedly a dark horse at this tournament however. If he can maintain his recently outstanding base-level, it should be too much for Bublik to consistently overcome.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 4
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
