The third round of the men’s singles starts on Day 5 of the US Open. We get eight matches on Friday, as players will be searching for a coveted second week appearance. Who will get that, and who will fall short? As always, our writers here at LWOT share their thoughts on the matches with you. We split the eight matches between this and a separate article. Predicting these matches are Jack Edward, Damian Kust, and Jim Smith. Who do you think will advance?
US Open Day 5 Men’s Predictions
Taylor Fritz vs Jakub Mensik
Jack:
Taylor Fritz may have been very comfortable in his first two rounds but Johnson and Varillas were a clear level below the world #9. Jakub Mensik’s huge hitting will be a different test of his mettle. Despite the fact Fritz hasn’t had the greatest season, his base remains lofty enough to take out the 17-year-old at this stage in his career.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Damian:
Mensik will turn 18 on the day of the match and what an incredible Slam debut this has been already. He qualified for the main draw and then managed to score two wins with very mature performances. Beating Fritz right now would be a monumental achievement for him and while eventually he might have the ability to win these kinds of matches, I think it might be a bit too early for that just yet.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Jim:
Jakub Mensik has announced himself as one to watch with his run through the qualifying all the way into the third round at the US Open. But Fritz, even after an indifferent few weeks is a player for the here and now.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Borna Gojo vs Jiri Vesely
Jack:
Who will serve better? I’m inclined to side with Borna Gojo here. Whilst both players have struggled to piece together consecutive wins this season, I am doubtful that Vesely will be quite as sharp given how he started to tire against Cerundolo.
Prediction: Gojo in 4
Damian:
Vesely progressed in back-to-back five-setters, which is quite the achievement given his reputation as one of the least fit players on the tour. You have to wonder how much he has left in the tank though and the answer is probably not much. The third career meeting with Djokovic (2-0 record!) is in sight, but Gojo will be so much fresher and probably takes this big-serving duel.
Prediction: Gojo in 4
Jim:
Jiri Vesely is not exactly a model of consistency, but he is a man for the big occasion and can take the racquet out of opponent’s hands. He should be able to overpower Gojo here.
Prediction: Vesely in 4
[cta id=4014 type=cta]
Dominic Stricker vs Benjamin Bonzi
Jack:
It was always a matter of when for Dominic Stricker, and his win against Tsitsipas certainly felt like a defining moment in his career. The youngster should have more than enough left in the tank to take out Benjamin Bonzi.
Prediction: Stricker in 4
Damian:
It would be quite anticlimactic if Stricker ended up losing to Bonzi here, following a career-best win against Tsitsipas that has the feeling of a real breakthrough result for him. It’s a big run for the Frenchman too as he had been struggling majorly since an injury. This is where we find out just how much that Stricker awakening already means.
Prediction: Stricker in 4
Jim:
Bonzi is perhaps not the ideal opponent to come up against after the biggest win of Stricker’s career. The solid Frenchman will ask Stricker to make most of the running and will give little away. But there are slight weaknesses – namely his backhand – for Stricker to target and the Swiss should have enough to win this match.
Prediction: Stricker in 5
Frances Tiafoe vs Adrian Mannarino
Jack:
Frances Tiafoe has arrived in New York determined to go two better than last year. His season has been great, reaching a career-high of #10 in the world… but he is still prone to the odd dip and Mannarino is sneaky good. I still think Tiafoe grits through this match but the Frenchman will make things very awkward for last year’s semifinalist.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 5
Damian:
Mannarino is always a tricky opponent to face and you could argue that he’s playing the best season of his career at 35 years of age. Tiafoe loves the big stage in New York though and he’s got all it takes to repeat his run from last year. It’s a banana skin all right, but he already beat him at this very event in 2018. He’s the favorite to overcome the Frenchman again.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 4
Jim:
Speaking of potentially dangerous Frenchmen – Adrian Mannarino. Tiafoe will need to defend his backhand corner effectively and avoid letting Mannarino disrupt his rhythm. But if he can get the crowd involved and dictate with his forehand, expect Tiafoe to have enough to escape unscathed.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 4
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
