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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who ya got?
Nadal in 3 and goes on to win the tournament. I also predicted the Australian open tournament and the French open correctly
Nadal in three losing 8-10 games and Kyrgios in three
I Like your summary Olly 🙂 ….
Alison how are you doing?
Fine thankyou Stanley ….
Alison between Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep who are you favoring?
I like Shara, do you like too?
I Cant stand Sharapovas gamesmanship and how shes allowed to get away with everything she does, the time she takes between points, turning her back on her opponents keeping them waiting when they are about to serve, her grunts during points trying to put her opponents off, the extended break she took after the second set, Simonas right she does this sort of thing all the time, i dont actually like Sharapovas game it seems all about attrition and waiting for her opponents to miss, much prefer to watch a player like Simona with an all round game, and shot making qualities ….
Sharapova’s game is not about attrition, it’s about hard hitting all the time (not unlike Ostapenko’s), hence the number of UEs. She’s aggressive alright but one dimensional, even though I think she does improve a bit when at the net.
Halep’s problem is that she doesn’t have a great serve, lacks power, and, she’s not as all rounded the way Radwanska is, hence she’s losing to power hitters like Serena, Ostapenko and Sharapova. She’s more like Wozzy than Radwanska imo, playing attritional tennis.
Agreed @lucky!
Sharapova deserved this win! She was agressive, took her chances while Simona played as she always does against lady big hitters: defensive and tentative! She will need to quit playing like this, where she was waiting for the opponent to miss and she will have to work on her serve!
Amazing how much support the Russian heroine gets from the US crowd! Good to see!
Agreed! Sharapova deserved to win last night! She was gutsy.
Natashao says (AT 10:18 AM): “Amazing how much support the Russian heroine gets from the US crowd!…”
Sharapova has lived in the USA since she was 7 years old.
Yeah, but my comment was about her doping scandal..,guess people forgive these things…as they forgave Cilic…
Saw some points of Nadal-Berdych practice. Rafa was CRUSHING his groundstrokes! Really hope he can bring that to the match court.
I Didnt say she didnt deserve to win, she was gutsy, and yes her mental toughness is second to none, and ive no doubt she will probably guts and bully her way her way to another USO title, its the other on court shenanigins she uses i dont care for, sadly alot of players on tour are intimidated by them, kudos to the few that are not ….
Alison, yeah I am not a fan of those either!
The screaming on every point makes her impossible to watch plus she annoys me with how she does that weird straight up walk to the bench and the staring at her opponent before her serve. Oh yeah and she got banned for doping. Yet had the crowd totally on her side. Pshh
I have very mixed feelings about Sharapova. On the one hand, she is mentally tough and fights hard in matches. She looked s lot sharper than I would have expected. But I also agree with those who dislike her gamesmanship. She took way too long when she left the court after Simona won the second set. She effectively disrupted Simona’s momentum. I also dislike her mannerisms on court. Turning her back on opponents when serving and then staring them down.
Simona can’t beat the big power hitters. Her serve let her down, too. She was always fighting from behind in too many service games.
Maria’s game is big risk tennis with brute power. I think that she deserves another chance. Players make mistakes. I have no problem with that. But the screaming is terrible and her arrogance on court is off putting,
Never liked Sharapova. I love it that Serena beats her every time.
Kerber gone
Same
Rafa would win easily in straight sets until round 4, after that we shall see
Keep calm, stay focused, be confident and enjoy the game, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIZ-450WAAAvWlf.jpg
NNY completely agree, although you put it better, im not really one with the words im afraid, and sometimes struggle to put my point across …
Benny.G great post too, return from doping, and get treated like a hero hmm ….
Alison,
You are just fine with words! I have read your posts and expressed how well you articulate your thoughts. I love your honesty! You say it in a straightforward way!
?
Yup, I almost forgot about Cilic. Sharapova gets all the heat, but guess this will die away with tme
Should be a nice match to get his rhythm going. Rafa will play well and advance in 3 sets losing less than 8 games.
Hope so VR ….
Alison, to me it won’t make any sense if Rafa doesn’t play well at the USO. I really am hopeful it will be a good showing.
vr,
I hope that you are right! Here’s hoping that Rafa comes out aggressive and focused!
Pretty in pink ❤️
103 mph second serve ACE down the middle on the Ad court! That’s what I am talking about baby!
Very sharp start from Rafa. 1-0
Equally shaky in the second service game lol. 0-40
Okay he was NERVOUS in that game. Very tentative. Expect him to settle down quickly.
What is going on with Rafa? Is he going to let himself get pushed by this guy? I never like it when Rafa is broken early in a match.
WTH
This is unreal! What is happening with Rafa? Wake up!