Rafael Nadal will kick off his U.S. Open campaign as the No. 1 seed when he goes up against Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday. An all-Australian affair, meanwhile, pits recent Cincinnati runner-up Nick Kyrgios against John Millman.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Dusan Lajovic
Nadal will begin his quest for a third U.S. Open title, 16th Grand Slam overall, and second this season when he takes the court at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday. The 2013 champion in New York has not been past the fourth round since, missing the event in 2014, losing a stunner to Fabio Fognini in 2015, and falling in another five-setter against Lucas Pouille last summer. This year’s version of Nadal, however, is turning back the clock. The Spaniard boasts a 49-9 record in 2017 that includes a 10th French Open title and a runner-up finish at the Australian Open.
Up first for Nadal on Tuesday is a second career contest against Lajovic, who trails the head-to-head series 1-0 after losing their only previous encounter 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 in the Roland Garros fourth round three years ago. A hard court will obviously give the 85th-ranked Serb a much better shot, but not to the extent that he can be expected to seriously compete or even take a set. Lajovic is a modest 14-15 at the ATP level this season with a pair of quarterfinal appearances at 250-point events (Istanbul and Kitzbuhel). He is 0-8 lifetime against top 10 opponents and 2-21 in total sets. A date with the current world No. 1 is not going to end that trend.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 11-14 games
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John Millman vs. (14) Nick Kyrgios
Kyrgios and Millman will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Tuesday. Aside from their country of origin, these two Australians could not be more different. Kyrgios, of course, is a combustible character who is oozing with talent throughout his big-hitting game. Millman, meanwhile, is generally considered to be one of the nicest guys on tour and he gets the absolute most out of himself even though his natural ability is not exactly off the charts. The result is a matchup in which Kyrgios is heavily favored but will have to work extremely hard in points if he is not serving well enough to win a whole host of free ones.
The world No. 17 is coming off a stellar showing in Cincinnati, where he recovered from a lingering hip issue to reach the final before losing to Grigor Dimitrov. Kyrgios had been a mere 2-5 in his seven previous matches, a stretch that included three consecutive retirements. Millman has dealt with physical problems of his own; in fact, the 28-year-old is down at No. 235 in the world mainly because he missed the first five months of this season due to a groin injury. The veteran is just 1-3 at the ATP level in 2017 and he is also a disappointing 1-3 in his last three Challenger matches this month. All signs point to one-way traffic for Kyrgios.
Pick: Kyrgios in 3
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