The first round of the US Open wraps up on Day 2 with 32 men’s matches scheduled for Tuesday. There should be some incredible action in New York, and–as always–we here at LastWordOnTennis share our thoughts on every single match. We split the day’s 32 matches between eight articles. The other articles feature Carlos Alcaraz vs Li Tu, Jannik Sinner vs Mackenzie McDonald, Tommy Paul vs Lorenzo Sonego, Denis Shapovalov vs Botic van de Zandschulp, Hubert Hurkacz vs Timofey Stakov, Daniil Medvedev vs Dusan Lajovic, and Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Thanasi Kokkinakis. Predicting this set of matches are Damian Kust, Yesh Ginsburg, and Ateet Shrivastava. Who do you think will advance?
US Open Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Flavio Cobolli vs James Duckworth
Damian:
Cobolli made massive progress on hard courts this year and his last three weeks were a great example of that–not only did he make the Washington final, he was also getting a Top 20 win in every event. Duckworth’s resurgence in 2024 has been impressive too, it’s not just not the same quality at all.
Prediction: Cobolli in 4
Yesh:
Duckworth never took the strides I expected when he started to impress to start the season years ago. Cobolli is playing really well right now and should get a win here.
Prediction: Cobolli in 4
Ateet:
Cobolli has been one of the most impressive players this year and is getting better with each passing month. Duckworth plays well on fast surfaces but Cobolli is just a level above him currently. I expect the Italian to win his first US Open main draw match.
Prediction: Cobolli in 4
Fabio Fognini vs Tomas Machac
Damian:
Machac could really use this win after going out in the opening round twice in the warm-ups. Luckily for him he’s likely to get it, we just have to remember how talented Fognini is and that he doesn’t need to be in good match rhythm to perform well. Not to be underestimated, but what are the chances he can actually snatch three sets?
Prediction: Machac in 4
Yesh:
Does Fabio Fognini have any magic left at all? The crowd will certainly hope so. This fan favorite who has a love-hate relationship with the stands has a winnable draw. Let’s see what he does with it.
Prediction: Fognini in 5
Ateet:
Fognini hasn’t played a hard-court match since Indian Wells in March but he has enough experience to win matches with just his talent. However, the US Open has been his worst Slam and that gives Machac a boost heading into this match. Machac is still finding his rhythm since the Paris Olympics and this would be a good place to start.
Prediction: Machac in 5
Karen Khachanov vs Daniel Evans
Damian:
Evans feels like he’s barely hanging on, losing the points for his third round run last year might literally end his career if he’s not willing to grind it out in Challengers. At least the Khachanov he’s facing here is nowhere near the peak game of the former semifinalist. Still, the Russian remains the favorite here with how Evans is playing in 2024.
Prediction: Khachanov in 4
Yesh:
Both of these men have real potential. Neither is playing particularly well right now. Khachanov is more consistent, though, and has more margin for error in his game anyway.
Prediction: Khachanov in 4
Ateet:
Karen Khachanov hasn’t been at his usual consistent level in the last couple of months but he faces a player who is in the worst form possible. The one silver lining for Daniel Evans is that he has a terrific record against Khachanov. Other than the 4-0 record in the favor of Evans, everything else suggests a Khachanov win.
Prediction: Khachanov in 4
Arthur Fils vs Learner Tien
Damian:
Tien might not be a world-beater yet, but his Winston-Salem run proved that even on the main tour aggressive players will not have an easy time to blast through his counter-punching game. He should be able to threaten Fils with how erratic the Frenchman tends to be. Who gets over the line? An early loss like this at a big event would really hurt the Hamburg champion.
Prediction: Fils in 5
Yesh:
Learner Tien has real potential. The American teenager might be ready for the big time, especially as he’s playing the best tennis of his career so far right now. Arthur Fils might be further along in his progression, but the American will have some serious home-crowd support.
Prediction: Tien in 4
Ateet:
This is one of the most exciting matches of the first round between two extremely young talents. Fils is the much more accomplished player but Tien has barely lost a match this year. However, Fils is a tier above what Tien has been facing. Fils has just too much firepower which Tien won’t be able to handle.
Prediction: Fils in 4
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
