U.S. Open Day 5 expert picks, including Anderson vs. Shapovalov and Wawrinka vs. Raonic

Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand and Pete Ziebron of Tennis Acumen make their picks for four of the best matchups on Day 5 of the U.S. Open. A blockbuster schedule includes Kevin Anderson, Denis Shapovalov, Stan Wawrinka, and Juan Martin Del Potro.

(28) Denis Shapovalov vs. (5) Kevin Anderson

Ricky: As usual, Shapovalov is making headlines at the U.S. Open. The 19-year-old Canadian had a blockbuster first-rounder on his hands against countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime (it ended in retirement at one set apiece) and he came back from two sets to one down to outlast Andreas Seppi in five on Wednesday night. Anderson, also as usual, is quietly going about his business. The world No. 5 needed five to get past Ryan Harrison, but never really seemed in danger of losing. He then destroyed Jeremy Chardy in round two. Shapovalov can make this competitive, but he plays too many loose service games to win this kind of match against an opponent whom you have to hold serve against basically every time. Anderson in 5: 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3.

Pete: Last year at the U.S. Open is where it really all started for Anderson–a trip to the final and then another appearance in a major final, earlier this year at Wimbledon. As a result of these deep runs at majors, the South African possesses a significantly different demeanor on court and believes that can indeed win against the very top of the ATP Tour. Both Shapovalov and Anderson have each recorded a five-set win through two rounds in New York. In Anderson’s case, his wake up call came out of the gate in round one when he had to rally from two sets to one down against Harrison. Anderson is yet another example of a man in his 30s playing the best tennis of his career at the moment, and his big game is a bit too much for the young Canadian. Anderson in 4: 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-4.

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(25) Milos Raonic vs. Stan Wawrinka

Ricky: The jury is still out on Wawrinka’s comeback–or at least it should be. The Swiss is definitely looking like a top 30 player again, but expecting him to already be contending for slam titles would be premature. Two wins over Grigor Dimitrov (Wimbledon and the U.S. Open) are overrated given Dimitrov’s current form. Raonic, meanwhile, is healthy at the moment and a lack of health is the really thing that has held him back in recent seasons (well, that and bad groundstrokes). While the majority of the money will be on Wawrinka, this is the Canadian’s match to win as long as he serves well. Raonic in 4: 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).

Pete: Here we have an example of a Hall of Famer (Wawrinka) against a very good player (Raonic). A multiple-major winner against a one-time major finalist. Rewind a couple of weeks to Cincinnati, where Raonic had a prime opportunity to defeat Novak Djokovic–who was not playing particularly well. It didn’t happen. The very good player failed in his attempt to defeat an elite player on that day. Similarly, Wawrinka will not even need to play his best on this day and it will still be more than enough. The Swiss is still in search of a vintage performance since returning from injury and he is getting closer, so Friday could be it.  Historically, Wawrinka improves in each round in a major when he is a threat to win it and he will just now begin to feel the implementation of that formula. Wawrinka in 4: 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4.

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(3) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. (31) Fernando Verdasco

Ricky: Del Potro vs. Andy Murray probably would have been better–depending on Murray’s physical state. After all, the Argentine leads the head-to-head series with Verdasco 5-1 overall (4-1 at the ATP level) and has been by far the better player throughout 2018. Alas, the Spaniard took down Murray in four sets on Wednesday. Del Potro has not played a ton of hard-court tennis this summer and he looks well-rested in New York, having clobbered both Donald Young and Denis Kudla. Although Verdasco is no pushover, he is probably too inconsistent these days to turn in a second straight stellar performance. Del Potro in 3: 6-2, 7-5, 6-3.

Pete: Del Potro finally gets to face a non-American opponent in New York–not that it would really matter so much, as he has won each set he has played in the first two rounds.  Verdasco has to feel good about his ability to defeat Murray in the second round and the fact that he has dropped just one set through two matches. The Spaniard did not play particularly well in the U.S. Open Series, winning just one match, while Del Potro reached a post-Wimbledon hard-court final in Los Cabos and also competed well in Cincinnati.  Surprisingly, this will be just their second meeting since 2012 and the Argentine has dropped just one of the previous five matches played in this series. Expect more of the same in this third-round encounter. Del Potro in 3: 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.

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