U.S. Open R1 previews and predictions: Tsitsipas vs. Kokkinakis, Auger-Aliassime vs. Mensik

Seeds Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime have intriguing first-round matches on their hands at the U.S. Open. Tsitsipas is going up against Thanasi Kokkinakis on Tuesday, while Auger-Aliassime runs into Jakub Mensik.

(11) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis

Tsitsipas and Kokkinakis will be going head-to-head for the second time when they clash in round one of the U.S. Open on Tuesday. Their only previous encounter also came at a Grand Slam and–not too surprisingly–went the distance, with Tsitsipas prevailing 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-4 in the 2021 Australian Open second round. Even though the Greek is a sizable favorite in this one, another thriller can be expected. He is a disappointing 8-7 in his last 15 matches dating back to the French Open quarterfinals and now plays at what is by far his worst major. Tsitsipas has reached the third round in New York only twice and has never advanced to the fourth round.

If healthy, Kokkinakis is playing well enough to capitalize on a golden opportunity. The 86th-ranked Australian made it to the Washington, D.C. third round and is coming off a second-round performance in Cincinnati as a qualifier (lost to Hubert Hurkacz in a third-set tiebreaker). Moreover, Kokkinakis has advanced at least one round at all four slams so far in 2024. This has all the makings of an upset, and it could be another five-set marathon that Kokkinakis has been so accustomed to throughout his career.

Pick: Kokkinakis in 5

[yop_poll id=”1458″]

Jakub Mensik vs. (19) Felix Auger-Aliassime

Auger-Aliassime and Mensik will–hopefully–get to finish what they started at the Madrid Masters earlier this season. Their only previous meeting came a few months ago on red clay and Auger-Aliassime led 6-1, 1-0 before getting a retirement on his eventual way to the final. That positive Madrid result came basically out of nowhere for the 19th-ranked Canadian, but he has since continued to play decent tennis. Auger-Aliassime reached Roland Garros fourth round, the semifinals of the Olympics (lost the bronze-medal match to Lorenzo Musetti), and the Cincinnati third round.

At only 18 years old, Mensik has already climbed to No. 65 in the world–and he would probably be even higher if not for some injury issues. Unfortunately for the Czech, he has cooled off a bit since a red-hot start to the season and failed to qualify in both Montreal and Cincinnati. Mensik has the talent to trouble anyone on tour, but Auger-Aliassime has his confidence back and he is the physically more reliable player–especially in a best-of-five situation.

Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 5

[yop_poll id=”1459″]