Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will continue their U.S. Open campaigns during second-round action on Thursday. They are set for respective meetings with Rogerio Dutra Silva and Carlos Berlocq.
(Q) Rogerio Dutra Silva vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Nadal and Dutra Silva will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in the U.S. Open second round on Thursday. It has already been a well-documented incredible summer for Nadal. The world No. 2, who also prevailed at the Indian Wells Masters this spring, remained undefeated on hard courts in 2013 by capturing titles in both Montreal and Cincinnati. Nadal kicked off his fortnight in New York on Monday with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 blowout of Ryan Harrison.
Dutra Silva is a 29-year-old Brazilian ranked 134th in the world, 50 spots off his career-high mark. Prior to this week, Dutra Silva had been 0-5 at the ATP level in 2013 and he had won only two main-draw Grand Slam matches in his career (surprisingly, both at the U.S. Open–in 2011 and 2012). It has been a dream tournament so far for Dutra Silva, who earned three qualifying wins before outlasting Vasek Pospisil 4-6, 3-6, 7-6(9), 6-2, 7-6(10) in a rain-delayed match that spanned two days. Dutra Silva saved a whopping seven match points over the four hours and one minute of play. The underdog will simply be happy to be in this spot, and it’s a spot in which he will not last long.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 5-7 games
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(7) Roger Federer vs. Carlos Berlocq
Federer and Berlocq will be squaring off for the second time in their careers on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came last year on the clay courts of Rome, where Federer cruised 6-3, 6-4. A hard-court surface, of course, will be even more advantageous to Federer. The seventh-ranked Swiss is a five-time champion at the U.S. Open and he boasts a 65-8 lifetime record at the event. Federer has been in an extensive slump dating back to Wimbledon, but he reached the quarterfinals earlier this month in Cincinnati and tested Nadal in a high-quality three-setter.
Berlocq, on the other hand, is by far his best on the slow stuff. The 48th-ranked Argentine owns 23 match victories this year, six of which have come away from clay–five on hard courts. He won his first-round U.S. Open match 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-2 over Santiago Giraldo, a contest that concluded on Wednesday due to rain. Federer, meanwhile, opened with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 dismissal of Grega Zemlja. Berlocq is tough competitor who has played in Arthur Ashe Stadium before (got destroyed by Novak Djokovic in the 2011 second round), so that experience will only help him. Obviously, though, it won’t be near enough.
Pick: Federer in 3 losing 8-10 games
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