{"id":58955,"date":"2023-08-27T15:02:28","date_gmt":"2023-08-27T19:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=58955"},"modified":"2023-08-27T14:48:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-27T18:48:10","slug":"us-open-day-1-mens-predictions-thiem-bublik","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2023\/08\/27\/us-open-day-1-mens-predictions-thiem-bublik\/","title":{"rendered":"US Open Day 1 Men&#8217;s Predictions Including Dominic Thiem vs Alexander Bublik"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The US Open begins on Monday with a whopping 32 men&#8217;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 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2023\/08\/27\/us-open-day-1-mens-predictions-djokovic-mueller\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Novak Djokovic vs Alexandre Muller<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2023\/08\/27\/us-open-day-1-mens-predictions-fritz-johnson\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2023\/08\/27\/us-open-day-1-mens-predictions-tsitsipas-raonic\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Milos Raonic<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2023\/08\/27\/us-open-day-1-mens-predictions-thiem-bublik\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Dominic Thiem vs Alexander Bublik<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2023\/08\/27\/us-open-day-1-mens-predictions-eubanks-kwon\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Christopher Eubanks vs Soon-Woo Kwon<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2023\/08\/27\/us-open-day-1-mens-predictions-ruud-nava\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Casper Ruud vs Emilio Nava<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2023\/08\/27\/us-open-day-1-mens-predictions-paul-travaglia\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Tommy Paul vs Stefano Travaglia<\/a>. Predicting this set of matches are Damian Kust, Shane Black, and Jordan Reynolds.<\/p>\n<h2>US Open Day 1 Men&#8217;s Predictions<\/h2>\n<h4>Sebastian Korda vs Marton Fucsovics<\/h4>\n<p><em>Damian:<\/em><br \/>\nThey played in Winston-Salem last week with Korda coming out on top in two. Since then, the American has suffered another injury scare though. I\u2019m gonna trust that he\u2019ll be fine for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/us-open\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">US Open<\/a> and who\u2019s winning this match then? Probably him again, but don\u2019t be surprised if it\u2019s one of the best matches of the round.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Korda in 5<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Shane:<\/em><br \/>\nSebastian Korda beat Marton Fucsovics 7-6 6-3 last week in Winston-Salem. The American subsequently withdrew from the event due to injury. If Korda is not 100% fit, he will struggle against Fucsovics. This match should be close regardless, so I\u2019ll take the security of a fully-fit Fucsovics.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Fucsovics in 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Jordan:<\/em><br \/>\nHopefully Korda is fully fit for this one. He had a nasty fall during his epic win against Richard Gasquet in Winston-Salem and withdrew from his semifinal as a precaution. Fucsovics is a clean ball striker and no pushover. Also despite his wins in Winston-Salem, Korda has not looked been at his best for many weeks now. I do think he will win this contest if he is fit and ready though.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Korda in 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"wXWROoAkSAl0qD0u7BvOTw\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1636565205\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'wXWROoAkSAl0qD0u7BvOTw',sig:'ic-03lUtODCAibaUo4s9OK8hibRSloWBgZ4dZdVxp0Q=',w:'594px',h:'367px',items:'1636565205',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs Ilya Ivashka<\/h4>\n<p><em>Damian:<\/em><br \/>\nWinston-Salem last week was the best we\u2019ve seen Cerundolo play on hard courts. He took that slightly more aggressive mindset he has nowadays and really brought it to his opposition. Would this be enough for Ivashka? With the Belarusian\u2019s uninspiring form, it\u2019s probably not out of the question.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Cerundolo in 5<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Shane:<\/em><br \/>\nNot much separates these two in the rankings. Ilya Ivashka is the much better hardcourt player, but Juan Manuel Cerundolo picked up confidence last week with a run to the Winston-Salem quarterfinals. Ivashka is 0-4 in his last four matches. I\u2019ll side with the current form of Cerundolo.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Cerundolo in 5<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Jordan:<\/em><br \/>\nThe younger Cerundolo is set to make his first appearance at Flushing Meadows. He has mostly been a clay court specialist so far in his short career, but now has a chance to show he is an all rounder. It has not been Ivashka\u2019s best season so far. But he does have the memories of reaching the fourth round in New York las year. I think a greater familiarity will see Ivashka over the line.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Ivashka in 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[cta id=4013 type=cta]<\/p>\n<h4>Alexei Popyrin vs Dominic Stricker<\/h4>\n<p><em>Damian:<\/em><br \/>\nThis was also a first-round matchup at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wimbledon\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Wimbledon<\/a> and Stricker won it in five. We\u2019ve seen a ton of growth from him this year and it was on full display again in the qualifying here. He\u2019s capable of taking down Popyrin again, but it\u2019s very likely going to be a tight battle again with their amazing serves.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Stricker in 5<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Shane:<\/em><br \/>\nDominic Stricker took down Alexei Popyrin in a first-round, five-set battle at Wimbledon last month. Popyrin holds a 9-2 record since that loss and will be eager to avenge his defeat on Monday. I like the serving prowess and first-strike power to get him over the finish line.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Popyrin in 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Jordan:<\/em><br \/>\nPopyrin\u2019s last two tournaments have been memorable. He won his second ATP title on the clay courts of Umag, and then made it all the way to the quarterfinal in Cincinnati as a lucky loser. Stricker has done well to qualify, which included an epic win 13-11 in a final set championship tiebreak. I am actually backing Stricker here to defy the ranking difference. Despite his big serve, Popyrin often plays best on slow courts where he has time to set up his shots. A medium speed hard court might be better suited to Stricker.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Stricker in 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"FcN8tRm3RWhEIb-borqGbA\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1499025220\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'FcN8tRm3RWhEIb-borqGbA',sig:'oRVEAONz7JpyA1xEaB9Ro3Pr5LQP9EHsAanYwadeMn4=',w:'594px',h:'369px',items:'1499025220',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Dominic Thiem vs Alexander Bublik<\/h4>\n<p><em>Damian:<\/em><br \/>\nThiem is coming off that first final in a while in Kitzbuhel, but it remains to be seen whether that can be maintained. Last year, he was actually doing better on hard courts than on clay. This isn\u2019t quite holding up in 2023 and Bublik should have this one on his racket. Thiem doesn\u2019t have the game to deter him at the moment.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Bublik in 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Shane:<\/em><br \/>\nAlexander Bublik and Dominic Thiem square off in what sets up to be one of the best Round 1 matches of the tournament. Bublik had a strong grass season but has not won a match since Wimbledon. Thiem reached his first ATP final in three years earlier this month. That said, he is 0-6 on hard courts this year. Bublik will find a way.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Bublik in 4<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Jordan:<\/em><br \/>\nI think this match is the highlight of the first rounds on the men\u2019s side. Thiem has not played a tournament since his run to the final on the clay courts of Kitzbuhel, after withdrawing from Winston-Salem due to illness. The Austrian may be slightly undercooked for this one. It is near impossible to know what to expect from <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2021\/03\/03\/alexander-bublik-underrated-maverick\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">the mercurial Bublik<\/a>. I am going to give him a very slight advantage though, mostly due to Thiem\u2019s lack of recent matches.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Bublik in 5<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The US Open begins on Monday with a whopping 32 men&#8217;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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1601,"featured_media":55434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[510,15492,3970,15508,15779,15807,208,15708,7213,15558,13326,16380,3692,15664,8147,15503,2373,2369,3632,3616],"class_list":["post-58955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-predictions","tag-alexander-bublik","tag-alexander-bublik-predictions","tag-alexei-popyrin","tag-alexei-popyrin-predictions","tag-dominic-stricker","tag-dominic-stricker-predictions","tag-dominic-thiem","tag-dominic-thiem-predictions","tag-ilya-ivashka","tag-ilya-ivashka-predictions","tag-juan-manuel-cerundolo","tag-juan-manuel-cerundolo-predictions","tag-marton-fucsovics","tag-marton-fucsovics-predictions","tag-sebastian-korda","tag-sebastian-korda-predictions","tag-tennis-picks","tag-tennis-predictions","tag-us-open-mens-predictions","tag-us-open-predictions"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1601"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}