New York R1 previews and predictions: Harrison vs. Young, Tiafoe vs. Korda

A couple of all-American affairs are on the schedule for the first-ever day of main-draw action at the inaugural New York Open. Ryan Harrison is going up against Donald Young, while Frances Tiafoe is facing Australian Open junior champion Sebastian Korda.

(6) Ryan Harrison vs. Donald Young

Harrison is basically the defending champion this week, as his points from last year’s triumph in Memphis are coming off the board (Memphis sold the tournament rights to New York). That marked the 25-year-old American’s first and only ATP title, but he has remained in fine form since that success. Harrison comes in at No. 45 in the world and his 2018 campaign already includes a runner-up performance in Brisbane (lost to Nick Kyrgios) and a third-round showing at the Australian Open (lost to eventual runner-up Marin Cilic).

Up first for Harrison on Monday night is a fourth career ATP-level encounter with Young, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1–and 5-2 overall. Harrison is 2-0 at Young’s expense on indoor hard courts (one Challenger result included) following last season’s 6-4, 6-4 outcome in the Memphis semifinals. Young is struggling just a bit down at 65th in the rankings and he is still searching for his first match victory of 2018. The 28-year-old fell to Joao Sousa 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-2 in Auckland and to Novak Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 at the Australian Open. All signs point to Harrison taking care of business without too much trouble on Day 1 of the inaugural New York event.

Pick: Harrison in 2

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Frances Tiafoe vs. (WC) Sebastian Korda

Tiafoe and Korda will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Monday night. At 20 years old, Tiafoe has generally been the youngster in most of his ATP-level matchups during the early stages of his professional life. But that won’t be the case this time around, as Korda is just 18 and has never played on the main tour. The son of former Australian Open champion and world No. 2 Petr Korda, Sebastian just recently made a name for himself by capturing the Aussie Open junior title 20 years after his father triumphed Down Under.

While Korda registers at No. 870 in the world, Tiafoe is slowly climbing up the pro ranks at No. 94. The American has endured some competitive losses (such as to Juan Martin Del Potro last season in Acapulco and to Roger Federer at the U.S. Open), but he does not have many wins to show for his efforts (9-31 at the ATP level). This is a rare occasion on which Tiafoe has a favorable draw, and he should be able to make the most of it against an inexperienced opponent.

Pick: Tiafoe in 2

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