The U.S. Open gets underway on Monday, starting with a wide-open bottom half of the men’s draw. Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand and Steen Kirby of Tennis Atlantic preview and predict four of the most intriguing matchups on the opening-day schedule.
(Q) Denis Shapovalov vs. Daniil Medvedev
Ricky: This is about as intriguing as it gets in the first round, especially for fans of up-and-coming stars. These are two hot-heads (although Shapovalov’s transgressions are isolated to one incident, whereas Medvedev misbehaves on a consistent basis) who also have plenty of talent. An edge in form and confidence go to the Canadian, who not only reached the Montreal semifinals but also came through U.S. Open qualifying. Shapovalov in 4: 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6.
Steen: Medvedev has dropped four straight matches since he played well in Washington. Shapovalov made that miracle run at the Rogers Cup, of course, but prior to that he was also doing plenty of damage on the Callenger tour. The Canadian is no flash in the pan; he is the real deal and could go as far as the semifinals at this U.S. Open. Shapovalov in 4: 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
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(17) Sam Querrey vs. Gilles Simon
Ricky: Simon leads the head-to-head series 4-2, but none of his wins have come since 2013. The 32-year-old Frenchman is a shadow of his former self and his 2017 match record stands at a mere 12-18. Meanwhile, Querrey is coming off the first Grand Slam semifinal appearance of his career at Wimbledon. Additionally, the conditions and home-court advantage favor the American. Querrey in 4: 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.
Steen: Simon has a way of fluking solid results in slams and he has a good head-to-head record against Querrey, but his form of late has been terrible. Querrey, on the other hand, is playing the best tennis of his career and he has the benefit of home soil under his feet in this one. The American will likely serve well enough to get a win. Querrey in 4: 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 7-5.
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Bernard Tomic vs. (19) Gilles Muller
Ricky: Tomic is wasting away down at No. 146 in the rankings. The 24-year-old Australian will probably get it back together at some point–but not at this U.S. Open. His form–and interest level–is simply too terrible right now. Muller, on the other hand, is playing the best tennis of his life at 34 years old. He is also 4-1 lifetime against Tomic. Muller in 3: 6-3, 7-5, 6-0.
Steen: Like a surprising number of other men at this year’s U.S. Open, Tomic has not played since Wimbledon. His motivation will probably be better than it has been in recent weeks, but Muller is in superior form and on hard courts he is at his best. The Luxembourgian’s serve should be too strong. Muller in 3: 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.
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Jiri Vesely vs. Borna Coric
Ricky: Coric is just 20 years old and Vesely only 24, but they have already faced each other on four occasions—twice in 2016 and twice in 2017. The head-to-head series stands at 3-1 in favor of Coric, but they have split a pair of clay-court encounters this season. A quarterfinal appearance in Winston-Salem bodes well for Coric, whose defense usually gets the best of Vesely’s good-but-not-great offense. Coric in 4: 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Steen: Coric is coming off a solid run in Winston-Salem, where he picked up form after a struggling earlier in the summer. Vesely has been playing poorly and trails the head-to-head series. The young Croat should win this and perhaps move on to even bigger things in New York. Coric in 4: 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
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who ya got?
Everything I have though Steen saying Shapovalov “could go as far as the semifinals at this U.S. Open” is simply not well thought out. He’s been infected by the hype 😉
its more based on the draw, not on Shapo
It’s possible. Draw is wide open at the bottom.
Semis? If it was best of three, maybe .
He said “could” not “probably”. In fact it’s about as probable as Shapo reaching the semis of Monreal was. Not very, I grant you.
I got:-
1) Shapovalov in 5
2) Querrey in 4
3) Muller in 3
4) Coric in 4
Will be going with the ML on most as we are not sure of the exact form after a couple of weeks of summer vacation by many (My Federer included), some permanently out of form (ex:- Tomic, Curber, SHARPova, Kvitova, Mladenovic etc.), some averse to hard (like Cuevas!lol) and some over playing and can go out quickly like Dzumhur, The Dominatrix, Dasha, Isner (had a lot of fun on grass and hard so far, knee Issues?)-might win a couple of Rds. tho!
Who is Steen by the way? Steen=Stern or Howard Stern of Tennis?lol
Melvedev in four; Querrey in four; Coric in four; Muller in three.
Shapovalov in 4, Querrey in 5, Muller in 4, Coric in 5
Shapovalov in four Querrey in five Muller in three Coric in four
At this rate Muller will lose to Tomic. And Isner already playing a four set match. Yeah I’m just pulling for guys now. In that bottom section I wanna see runs from Muller Isner Johnson Shapovalov Kokkinakis or Cilic. Top half I want Fed/Kyrgios winner to win the title and in my opinion, the winner of that match will likely win the tournament. These conditions suit both Fed and NK very well.