Rafael Nadal will continue his U.S. Open campaign when he goes up against Vasek Pospisil on Wednesday. Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, John Isner–who also had a routine first-rounder–faces Nicolas Jarry.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Vasek Pospisil
Nadal and Pospisil will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in round two of the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Their only previous encounter came three years ago on the hard courts of Beijing, where Nadal prevailed 7-6(3), 6-4. A lack of meetings since then can be attributed to Pospisil’s struggles, as he has been relegated to Challengers at times over the past few seasons. The Canadian is showing signs of reemerging on the main tour with a ranking of No. 88 in the world, but the going has been slow. He is a modest 5-10 at the ATP level during this 2018 campaign following an impressive 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 rout of Lukas Lacko on Monday.
Although Nadal’s opening matchup made plenty of headlines, it was never expected to be competitive–and it wasn’t. The world No. 1 took the first set 6-3 from fellow Spaniard David Ferrer and the 36-year-old eventually retired due to a calf injury for the second. Thus Nadal improved to 41-3 this season, which includes recent titles at the French Open and Cincinnati Masters. The defending U.S. Open champion is 8-0 in his last eight matches in New York and he is 22-2 in his last 24 Grand Slam matches, with one those losses coming via retirement against Marin Cilic in the Australian Open semis. Nothing suggests Pospisil will be able to make this one particularly interesting.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 11-14 games
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(11) John Isner vs. Nicolas Jarry
Isner is nothing if not consistent at the U.S. Open, although he is certainly far from spectacular. In 11 previous trips to Flushing Meadows, he has reached at least the third round an incredible 10 times. Only once, however, has he made a run to the quarterfinals. The key for the 6’10” American is avoiding early-round marathons, something he is often unable to do at the U.S. Open and at every other slam. During his 2011 trip to the quarters, Isner dropped only one set through his first three matches. At Wimbledon this summer, when he delivered a breakthrough semifinal performance, he won two of his first three matches in straight sets. The world No. 11 is off to a fine start in that same effort this fortnight, as he took care of countryman Bradley Klahn 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4 on Monday.
Up next for Isner on Wednesday is a first-ever encounter with Jarry, who has been in stellar post-Wimbledon form with a semifinal showing in Hamburg, a semifinal result in Kitzbuhel, and a quarterfinal finish last week in Winston-Salem. The 42nd-ranked Chilean, however, has never put it all together at a Grand Slam; a 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 win over Peter Gojowyczk in the first round was just his second in a main draw of his career. A well-rested Isner, who has not played many matches since triumphing in Atlanta for the fifth time, should pick up another somewhat routine victory.
Pick: Isner in 3
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