U.S. Open R2 previews and predictions: Johnson vs. Del Potro, Troicki vs. Donaldson

The highly-anticipated showdown between Steve Johnson and Juan Martin Del Potro will come to fruition on Thursday at the U.S. Open. Viktor Troicki and Jared Donaldson are also aiming for a spot in the third round.

(19) Steve Johnson vs. (WC) Juan Martin Del Potro

Tennis is a funny game, pitting Johnson against Del Potro in the early stages of the U.S. Open. After all, two weeks ago Johnson questioned whether the USTA should give Del Potro a wild card into the season’s final Grand Slam, at risk of seeing him take out one of America’s best players. Not only did the 2009 champion get one of the coveted spots, but he will now face–you guessed it–none other than Johnson during second-round action on Thursday. Del Potro, the recent Rio Olympics silver medalist, advanced on Tuesday by beating compatriot Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(3).

It was Johnson who came dangerously close to missing out on this mouth-watering showdown. The world No. 22 trailed Evgeny Donskoy 4-6, 1-6, 2-5, 0-40, staring down a triple match point situation in the eighth game of the third set. But Johnson, who had hammered Donskoy 6-1, 6-1 at the Olympics, ended up saving six match points and capping off an improbable 4-6, 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-3 comeback. The 19th seed is now 28-22 for the season, with a title on the grass courts of Nottingham, a semifinal showing in Washington, D.C., and a quarterfinal performance in Rio. Even though Del Potro may be the favorite based on how he played at the Olympics, Johnson will be feeling the pressure as a result of his recent comments. He also may be feeling less than 100 percent after his mental and physical struggle against Donskoy that lasted more than three hours.

Pick: Del Potro in 4

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Viktor Troicki vs. (Q) Jared Donaldson

Speaking of improbable escapes, Troicki pulled off a hard-to-believe victory of his own on Tuesday. Normally on the wrong end of five-set comebacks, the 32nd-ranked Serb recovered from a two-set deficit–and from 4-0 down in the fifth-set tiebreaker–to outlast Radu Albot 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(5). To say it was a much-needed win would be an understatement, because Troicki had been a mere 4-9 in his last 13 matches prior to arriving in New York.

Up next for Troicki on Thursday is a first-ever meeting with Donaldson, who had surprisingly little trouble advancing to the last 64. Facing No. 12 seed David Goffin, Donaldson dropped the opening set but was borderline dominant the rest of the way en route to a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-0 upset. Thus continues an awesome summer run for the 19-year-old American, who successfully qualified in Washington, D.C. (reached the second round), Toronto (reached the third round), Los Cabos, and at this U.S. Open. Against an opponent who struggled physically in a five-setter than lasted four and a half hours, Donaldson should be able to maintain his momentum.

Pick: Donaldson in 4

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