The US Open begins on Monday with a whopping 32 men’s matches on Day 1 of play. There is a ton of action around the grounds of the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, and our writers here at LWOT will share their thoughts on all of the matches with you. We split the 32 matches between eight articles. Our other articles feature Novak Djokovic vs Alexandre Muller, Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem vs Alexander Bublik, Christopher Eubanks vs Soon-Woo Kwon, Casper Ruud vs Emilio Nava, and Tommy Paul vs Stefano Travaglia. Predicting this set of matches are Damian Kust, Shane Black, and Jordan Reynolds.
US Open Day 1 Men’s Predictions
Lorenzo Musetti vs Titouan Droguet
Damian:
Droguet is on a pretty crazy run with a 23-4 win/loss record since middle of June, but you kind of have to wonder whether it will still hold up at the highest of levels. The Frenchman has a very solid baseline game and a good serve, but the gut feeling is no. Musetti has been really consistent across events and surfaces recently too.
Prediction: Musetti in 4
Shane:
Lorenzo Musetti has been the mark of consistency this season. The 21-year-old Italian has won at least two matches in eight of his last nine events. Titouan Droguet does not have the power nor the consistency to hang with Musetti.
Prediction: Musetti in 3
Jordan:
Musetti has been very solid, but unspectacular this season. He regularly negotiates the early rounds, but has yet to make a really eye catching run. His consistent level makes an upset even harder for Frenchman Droguet. His run through qualifying was impressive, including a win against second seed Cristian Gaston. However Musetti should get the job done efficiently.
Prediction: Musetti in 3
Hugo Dellien vs Borna Gojo
Damian:
Dellien on hard courts is a very soft draw and he’s just 8-24 on the surface in his career. This win might be enough for Gojo to break the Top 100, although it likely won’t be certain yet on Monday. This used to tighten him up a fair bit, but the difference in quality (in these conditions) should be too huge for that to matter.
Prediction: Gojo in 3
Shane:
Qualifier Borna Gojo has won five of his last six matches. The 25-year-old has slowly climbed up the rankings all season and is one win away from breaking into the Top 100. Hugo Dellien has had an up-and-down season. I do not think he can sustain a high enough level in a best-of-five-set match.
Prediction: Gojo in 4
Jordan:
I cannot think of many bigger clay court specialists than Hugo Dellien. 33 of his 38 ATP wins have come on the dirt, in addition to all 35 of his Challenger or Futures level finals. One of his five hard court ATP Tour wins did come at the US Open in 2019 however. Gojo is making his debut at Flushing Meadows. But it is Gojo who I give the slight edge due to playing more regularly on hard courts than his opponent.
Prediction: Gojo in 4
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Jiri Vesely vs Enzo Couacaud
Damian:
Vesely has been performing at the Slams this year and finding it easier to produce one peak performance than a few solid ones in a row. This isn’t as high-profile as his matches against Tsitsipas or Korda, but the Czech is still highly-motivated and I’d expect him to bring his best for this one too.
Prediction: Vesely in 4
Shane:
Jiri Vesely is just 7-11 this season. The lack of matches concerns me and will be a problem against a mover like Enzo Couacaud. The 28-year-old Frenchman looked solid in qualifying and has been a good hardcourt player this season.
Prediction: Couacaud in 4
Jordan:
It is hard to know what to expect from either men. Vesely is in the draw on the basis of a protected ranking, and has been mostly losing matches on the Challenger Tour in recent times. His French opponent has only played one tournament since the middle of July. This was an opening round loss at a Challenger tournament a couple of weeks ago. Vesely gets a very slight edge just on the basis of having slightly more match sharpness.
Prediction: Vesely in 4
Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson
Damian:
Johnson is on fire recently with two Challenger titles and that serve + forehand combo is monstrous again. It’s a shame his draw is this tough. Fritz really needs a big Slam run after a few disappointments and he should be too strong here in the best-of-five format. Johnson won’t embarrass himself though.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Shane:
We have an all-American battle Monday night between No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz and Wildcard Steve Johnson. Johnson has had some past success against his compatriot, but his level is not nearly what it used to be. Fritz will not go down in the first round of the US Open again.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Jordan:
American #1 Fritz is seeking to banish the memories of his shock first round exit last year. If he is to make a challenge at a Grand Slam, American hard courts with the crowd behind him should be where it happens. Johnson should be a mostly comfortable challenge. The elder American is past his prime, and overall plays a not quite as good version of Fritz’s game. A repeat of last year for Fritz would be a massive shock.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
