U.S. Open R2 previews and predictions: Tsitsipas vs. Stricker, Ruud vs. Zhang

Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on the young Swiss Dominic Stricker as the Greek looks to make inroads at his least successful slam. Casper Ruud, the 2022 runner-up, will also be in second-round action on Wednesday in New York.

(7) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (Q) Dominic Stricker

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas has been surprisingly unsuccessful at the U.S. Open. His best result is the third round (2020, 2021). Last year,he crashed out in the first round to world No. 94 Daniel Elahi Galan. And perhaps even more shocking than the loss was the manner in which it occurred. Tsitsipas lost the first two sets 0 and 1. He was far better in his first-round match this year, however, dispatching Milos Raonic in straight sets.

Young up-and-comer Dominic Stricker earned his spot in the main draw through qualies. He has had unexpected success qualifying for slams this year. He qualified for the French Open, Wimbledon, and now the U.S. Open. Strangely, Stricker’s first-round U.S. Open opponent is the same as his first-round Wimbledon opponent: Alexei Popyrin. The pair of wins over Popyrin represent two of the Swiss’ tour-level victories this year.

Stricker and Tsitsipas have actually played before. They met on the grass courts of Stuttgart last year and Tsitsipas won in straight sets. Wednesday’s match should have a relatively similar outcome. Despite his struggles in New York, it’s hard to imagine Stricker adding a fourth match win for the season over a player of Tsitsipas’ caliber.

Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 4

Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 4

(5) Casper Ruud vs. Zhizhen Zhang

Casper Ruud is defending finalist points at the U.S. Open from his run in 2022. But he simply did not have the kind of hard-court preparation that is ideal for Grand Slam success. Ruud played three matches between Toronto and Cincinnati and has one match win to show for his efforts. The best-of-five format fits Ruud’s game better, but he is still at risk of an early-round upset.

China’s Zhizhen Zhang is dangerous second-round opponent. He played a barnburner of a match in the first round against American J.J. Wolf, spending four and a half hours on court for a five-set victory to earn his spot in the second round.

Ruud and Zhang played already in 2023, although it was at Ruud’s best tournament–the French Open. Zhang managed to take a set, but he went down in four. While Ruud is having a bad summer, he has proven that he brings his game in New York. The Norwegian should be able to pull this one out.

Cheryl pick: Ruud in 4

Ricky pick: Ruud in 5