The US Open kicks off on Monday with a whopping 32 men’s matches on Day 1. It should be an incredible day of tennis action and–as always–we here at LWOT want to share our thoughts on every match with you. We split the 32 matches between eight articles. In addition to this article, our other articles feature Novak Djokovic vs Radu Albot, Andrey Rublev vs Thiago Seyboth Wild, Ben Shelton vs Dominic Thiem, Gael Monfils vs Diego Schwartzman, Alexander Zverev vs Maximilian Marterer, Taylor Fritz vs Camilo Ugo Carabelli, and Holger Rune vs Brandon Nakashima. Predicting these matches are Ateet Shrivastava, Damian Kust, and Yesh Ginsburg. Who do you think will reach Round 2?
US Open Day 1 Men’s Predictions
Tallon Griekspoor vs Sumit Nagal
Ateet:
Griekspoor hasn’t won a match in this North American hard-court swing but he has a great chance to do so in the first-round. Sumit Nagal hasn’t appeared like a threat outside of clay courts and doesn’t have the serve to win easy points.
Prediction: Griekspoor in 4
Damian:
Griekspoor is probably the favorite in this one on hard courts, even if his form isn’t particularly impressive. That’s mostly as Nagal is winning about one in three matches on the main tour and hasn’t been setting the world on fire. The firepower of the Dutchman will probably get him through this one in the end.
Prediction: Griekspoor in 4
Yesh:
Griekspoor looked like he was ready for a breakthrough last year and earlier this year, though he’s somewhat stalled. Still, he’s better than Nagal and should be able to advance.
Prediction: Griekspoor in 3
Francisco Cerundolo vs Sebastian Ofner
Ateet:
Francisco Cerundolo has lost his momentum since winning the epic final against Lorenzo Musetti in Umag. His US Open preparation didn’t go as planned as he failed to win a set in his two matches. Ofner on the other hand, hasn’t played since the Paris Olympics. If Ofner is rusty, Cerundolo is good enough to take advantage despite his form.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 5
Damian:
Ofner hasn’t played a single warm-up event and will be playing for the first time since the Olympics. Cerundolo tried Cincinnati and Winston-Salem but it’s not like he’s gained any momentum here either. On hard courts their games seem pretty close to each other quality-wise, so this could be a battle. Cerundolo has the higher ceiling.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 5
Yesh:
On clay, Cerundolo would be a heavy favorite. On hard courts, it should be a fun match. The Argentine is still a better player, but Ofner’s bigger serve might even things up a bit on this court. Still, I’ll take the seed.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 4
Ugo Humbert vs Thiago Monteiro
Ateet:
Ugo Humbert has lost two close matches on hard courts recently and will look to get off to a good start here. Surprisingly, Humbert has a terrible record at the US Open, winning the first round just twice out of six appearances. Monteiro has had a good season on clay courts but hard courts are not his specialty. He can hold his own behind his serve, but Humbert is just the better player when it comes to adjusting to lower bounce.
Prediction: Humbert in 4
Damian:
Humbert isn’t firing on all cylinders like at the beginning of the season anymore, but this isn’t a draw he’ll hate. Monteiro tends to be at his most dangerous when no one expects him to win and that’s kind of the only thing the Brazilian has going for him here. Pulling it off in the best-of-five format will be a bit more tricky, though.
Prediction: Humbert in 4
Yesh:
Humbert looked like a near-elite at the beginning of the year. He’s not quite at that level anymore, but he’s better than the Brazilian, especially off of clay courts. I’ll take the Frenchman here.
Prediction: Humbert in 3
Frances Tiafoe vs Aleksandar Kovacevic
Ateet:
Frances Tiafoe has found his best form at the right time as he is suddenly a dark horse heading into the US Open. He thrives playing in front of his home crowd and Kovacevic hasn’t been in good form. Kovacevic pushed Tiafoe when they played in Washington, earlier this month but Tiafoe is a much more confident player right now. Tiafoe shouldn’t lose more than a set here.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 4
Damian:
Tiafoe is coming off a final in Cincinnati and he usually plays well at the US Open. Kovacevic has received plenty of these tricky early draws at Slams and this one isn’t an exception. Maybe if the higher-ranked of the two Americans was still out of confidence, he would have been able to hang with him a bit more than he will now.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 4
Yesh:
Tiafoe reached the final in Cincinnati and has reached the semifinals here at the US Open before. He loves these courts and he always brings his best for his home events. I expect him to blow past his countryman here.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 3
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
