U.S. Open R2 previews and predictions: Djokovic vs. Edmund, Mannarino vs. Sock

Novak Djokovic will continue his U.S. Open campaign when he goes up against Kyle Edmund during second-round action on Wednesday. Jack Sock is still alive after surviving a five-setter and faces Adrian Mannarino.

1) Novak Djokovic vs. Kyle Edmund

To the surprise of no one, Djokovic has been completely dominant in the bubble with no other member of the Big 3 around. It is true that the world No. 1 did not have his ‘A’ game at the Cincinnati Masters, but he still captured the title with no Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer there to compete with him. He looked better in round one of the U.S. Open on Monday night, destroying Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-4, 6-1.

Up next for Djokovic on Wednesday is Kyle Edmund, who actually boasts a win in this head-to-head series. The Brit trails it 5-1, having pulled off a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 upset at the 2018 Madrid Masters to end a three-match losing streak to the Serb. Djokovic went on to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 at Wimbledon in 2018 and 7-6(7), 6-1 at the Paris Masters last fall. Edmund advanced on Monday by beating Alexander Bublik 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-0. That is a decent result, but not one that suggests the Brit can give Djokovic any real trouble.

Pick: Djokovic in 3

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(32) Adrian Mannarino vs. Jack Sock

Mannarino and Sock will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers on Wednesday. Sock leads the head-to-head series 4-1 (all on hard courts), but they have not faced each other since 2016. That was during the proverbial first half of Sock’s career, and the ongoing second half has been especially difficult. Mainly due to injuries, the 27-year-old American has disappeared from singles action over the past few seasons despite enjoying occasional dominance on the doubles court. Sock, who is ranked all the way down at No. 389 in the world, did well to battle past Pablo Cuevas in five sets on Monday.

That is not ideal preparation for what will surely be a grueling battle with Mannarino. The 39th-ranked Frenchman absolutely loves fast surfaces, even against bigger hitters like Sock. He proved it again with a 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Lorenzo Sonego during first-round action. Mannarino will likely get way too many balls back in play for a fatigued and still mostly out-of-form Sock.

Pick: Mannarino in 3

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