Second-round action wraps up at the U.S. Open on Thursday, when Rafael Nadal and Fabio Fognini headline the schedule. Another intriguing encounter pits unseeded American John Isner against Holger Rune.
Fabio Fognini vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: “Nadal vs. Fognini at the U.S. Open.” And Nadal fans surely do want to stop right there, as the first Nadal-Fognini meeting in New York resulted in one of the Spaniard’s most infamous losses ever. In the 2015 third round, Nadal squandered a two-set lead and ended up losing 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. On the bright side for the 22-time Grand Slam champion, this matchup has gone in his favor for the most part since that blemish six years ago. He has won eight of their last nine encounters, including five in a row on hard courts–most recently via a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 beatdown at the 2021 Australian Open.
Although Nadal is a heavy favorite to improve on his 13-4 overall lead in the head-to-head series, he does appear to be vulnerable at the moment. The 36-year-old dropped his only match in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to Borna Coric in Cincinnati and he also surrendered a set to little-known wild card Rinky Hijikata on Tuesday night. But is Fognini playing well enough to capitalize? Maybe not. The 35-year-old Italian is saddled with a losing record this season (17-18) and has plunged to 60th in the rankings. He has played 11 consecutive tournaments without advancing past the second round. That is where Fognini finds himself after outlasting Aslan Karatsev in five sets on Tuesday night, and it is likely where his U.S. Open road comes to an end. With a match–and his first win since Wimbledon–under his belt, Nadal should be on course for significant improvement.
Pick: Nadal in 3
John Isner vs. (28) Holger Rune
The Rune-Isner matchup is a much different story, as this will be their first-ever meeting. Somewhat surprisingly, it is Isner who is actually the unseeded player in this contest. The 6’10” American is understandably on the way down at 37 years old, but he remains extremely dangerous–especially on hard courts in the United States. He is coming off a quarterfinal run in Cincinnati, where he upset Hubert Hurkacz before falling to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a three-setter.
Rune is up to No. 33 in the world thanks in part to a breakthrough quarterfinal performance at the French Open. Since then, however, the 19-year-old Dane has a horrendous 3-9 match record–even after beating Peter Gojowyczk in straight sets on Tuesday. Rune would much rather face Isner on clay, too, as that has been by far the youngster’s best surface in the early stages of his career. He already has a history of being unable to physically withstand long matches, so best-of-five situations are not ideal. Isner may not be playing well enough to destroy Rune like he did Federico Delbonis in round one, but the American has to be considered the favorite despite being lower-ranked.
Pick: Isner in 5
sanju, I definitely think he has a slam left in him!
This tournament was just a step too far after all the injuries he has been through going back seemingly forever to way before RG21.
It doesn’t make any sense to say he has no slams left in him when he won 2 and had to withdraw in the semis of the third, otherwise he might have won that as well!
I agree, and have said before, he is mentally and emotionally.exhausted. It will be great for him to go through the joy of having a child and be with Mery and surely he will call time on his season. I think he should. He needs to recharge at home and be with her.
The things he said in his presser about lack of court position he has said before, including most notably in his presser after losing at RG21! !I have been getting a lot of vibes and echoes of that tournament. So let’s put them in some perspective.
Many people said he was done then and he came back and proved them wrong.
As for Novak, he has been extremely fortunate with injury but he will be hit by them at some point soon as he gets older. He hasn’t had to play in the endless stop start way Rafa has had to do with injury. But that will change at some point. It happens to everyone.
Please don’t fallinto the trap of negative thinking when you are disappointed sanju! It’s not actually looking at things in the whole…This has still been a very positive year for Rafa and the foot treatment has worked!
You were right about the match with Tiafoe! I am sorry. I haven’t watched him live and that didn’t help.
Let’s look to the future.
I like Matteo and Jannik. Hope that is the final. Either of them to win. 😀
I am sorry again sanju.
PS I don’t give a damn what the Mole Farm trolls are saying! I haven’t read them in ages and I am not going to go near them. They are utterly pathetic.
Who cares what they say?! They spend all their time posting anti Vax conspiracy theories. No one can take them seriously.
#22 over #21.
Another thing to have perspective about is the fact that the USO is very very hard to win multiple times. No one has won it more than 5 times including Fed who last won it in 2009 when he was 28!
There obviously are reasons for this eg it being the last slam of the year and people coming in beat up with fatigue and injury. Novak has had numerous surprising losses there. It just seems to be something about that tournament.at the end of the season.
Given this is true for everyone, then obviously Rafa was going in with a massive disadvantage carrying a dangerous injury which could suddenly get worse at any moment. Also, with practically no match practice and having altered his serve motion which is extremely difficult to get used to, especially while playing a slam. In fact it’s probably downright impossible.
I mean God knows what was going on with that serve given that the first set it was down 6mph, which is why he lost serve, and in the final set Rafa was hitting his second serve way harder than he ever did because he seemed not to want to be in any rallies. Courier said he had never seen Rafa do this and that it was extremely dangerous in running the risk of double faults and that there had to be some reason for it.I
Just trying to put things in perspective!
Sanju,
You did say that Schwartzman and Tiafoe could be dangerous in the fourth round. I watched Tiafoe’s matches abs saw him play better and get more confident. That is the reason I was worried about this match. I also knew that Rafa was not playing well .
I know that Rafa does not like to talk about physical injuries. But he will not lie. He answered a question in his presser about getting medical treatment and specifically denied that he got any treatment. Rafa is honest above all things.
No one should assume that they know what was going on with him. We can only go by what he says and what we saw with him. I was not being negative about his chances. Amy said I keep it real. Well I do. I was looking at how well Tiafoe was playing and Rafa was struggling. He never seemed comfortable. I think this loss hurt, but he did say in the Spanish part of his presser that there are more important things in his life now than tennis. He is going to have a child. He said he would think about his future at some point.
I do not presume to know what he will do. It has been a struggle all year with injuries. That takes a toll. Mentally he was struggling because he said so. That we do know. I was concerned about the lack of any match play going in. He did say that he wasn’t quick enough on the court. His words, not mine. He felt his shots were not effective. He looked very down after this loss. With what he has done this year I think he was disappointed. But it us clear that he has other things on his mind. Like his wife and the birth of their child.
It’s too soon to awfulize. I am nit ready to say that he will not win another slam. He needs time to regroup. He will take the time to mahe the right decision for himself.
This was a hard loss. To see him struggling was tough. I will not bother with the Novak trolls. They are not worth it. For now Rafa still has the most slams so they can shove it.
There was a lot on the line. The 23rd slam, 5 USO slams, the no, 1 ranking. A lot to lose. But he just could not do it. He won two slams and we have to be thankful gif that.
Sigh. Are we allowed to say anything about Rafa without being attacked, frequently gratuitously?!
I am a Rafa fan not a member of a cult and I am going to say what I think.
I have had it up to here with this authoritarian tone which is endlessly self contradictory.
It’s getting out of control.
PS Mona wasn’t rude yesterday you were. She may not mind but I am fed up with it.
Don’t know what to say or think but I am sure with time this too shall pass and be behind us .
Paris masters is 29 October and I think that is the earliest he will try to come back if he has to .so rafa has a good 7 weeks off ..i think he surely wants 1 ATP final title so may play i feel
Pull out from laver cup rafa ..
Rafa kept saying to Moya that I feel slow in tiafoe match, he surely was very anxious about something..I wonder if there is something on personal front..if you see his presser ,he said i need to go home and fix things..what is there to fix, if there is a pregnancy complication ,the doctor needs to fix it .i don’t know I got confused reading his statements and don’t know what to make of it…
Neither of us expected the 2 slams this year at start of year ,they were won in heroic fashion .however this has been year of multiple injuries ,something never happened before..the time is surely near..
I hope he somehow ends the year as no 1 but I’m not holding hope on that as if I want something badly for him ,he surely flops..ao 17, wimby 18, ao 19, wimby 19, rg 21, wimby 22, uso 22…
The only exceptions were rg 22 and rg 20
I didn’t know he kept saying that he felt slow to Moya sanju.
Courier was endlessly commenting on him doing things he wouldn’t normally do and saying that it’s difficult not to think it’s because of underlying injury issues.
If you are anxious then you get slower. I remember during his time of maximum anxiety everyone commented on how slow he looked on court. Endless reasons to do with ageing and losing speed were proferred then but as soon as he recovered mentally he went back to being super fast on court.
I said days ago pretty much what Moya said as the probable reason for his saying he felt very anxious.
It is a huge life change having a child. Surely he is going to want to spend time with Mery?
Let’s wait and see.
This site is becoming extremely difficult to use. I just lost a post after ages trying to access the site.
There us no reason for the attitude. I am fed up with it! I am entitled to have my opinion. If you don’t agree, then fine. But stop with the gratuitous attacks becayse I do not intend to put up with it.
Nastiness is not a response to anyone. You have done it before and I have had enough. I spoke about what Rafa said in his presser. His words. I spoke about what I thought about Rafa having struggles in the USO.
Honestly, I don’t need to be the target of anyone, I did not deserve it in the past from you and I don’t deserve it now. Ink is rudeness when I read it. You obviously have an issue with me and therefore I am done with trying to talk to you.
I have priorities in my life, like my health. Oh and by the ways my commend was directed at Sanju.
Being a target of yours is not why I come here.
There us no reason for the attitude. I am fed up with it! I am entitled to have my opinion. If you don’t agree, then fine. But stop with the gratuitous attacks becayse I do not intend to put up with it.
Nastiness is not a response to anyone. You have done it before and I have had enough. I spoke about what Rafa said in his presser. His words. I spoke about what I thought about Rafa having struggles in the USO.
Honestly, I don’t need to be the target of anyone, I did not deserve it in the past from you and I don’t deserve it now.is rudeness when I read it. You obviously have an issue with me and therefore I am done with trying to talk to you.
I have priorities in my life, like my health. Oh and by the ways my commend was directed at Sanju.
Being a target of yours is not why I come here.
Sorry for the double post. I just thought it important to respond to being personally and gratuitously attacks on this site. There was absolutely NO attempt to be authoritarian in any way. I reread my post and think this latest attack is just someone looking for something that is not there.
Rafa’s loss is difficult enough. Having to read this self-serving drivel is absurd. It’s hard enough to get on the site only to read attacks on myself for no reason. This is just shameful behavior. Take the hostility somewhere else.
Nny n Amy.. just cool it please.. I read both your posts and I found nothing offensive in either . if anyone wrote that to me ,I would not mind even one bit ..just relax..I thought you both got along fine ..let’s instead channeling positive feelings both for ourselves and towards Rafa…
Sanju,
Thank you so much! I appreciate you stepping in. This is a difficult time for Rafa and for us. But I was really taken aback by that post from amy. I certainly did not mean to be authoritarian. That’s why I took the time to reread my post. I still do not get it. But I found it unnecessary.
I listen to Rafa’s pressers to try and get information from him. He is so forthright and honest. But I could see it in his eyes. It’s painful for him
I hate seeing him go through this.
Again, thank you for stepping in. This should be about Rafa and just being grateful for what he has accomplished. But I do have to say that it has been hard to watch him lose our at Wimbledon, where I really did think he was going to win it and now this. A difficult ending to a year that started out so great.
For my part, I am going to take your advice. It’s not good for one’s health to get into these kind of spats. I am still trying to deal with this loss. I hope Rafa can take are of himself and await the birth of his son.
You have helped me a great deal. 😍
Well, I am very sad about Rafa’s poor play during this USO. But, try not to hate on Tiafoe!
The only upside here is if Tiafoe, Khachanov (!) or godhelpus Kyrgios end up winning this thing Rafa will become #1 again. I don’t know for how long. I doubt he’ll play again until Laver Cup or if he’ll play the WTF this year, what with the baby coming. If Ruud or Sinner win (my personal preference) one of them will be #1. I think.
Disappointing when your favourite player loses (one reason I dont have one)
I think I said at the start that we could be having a new champion and looks like I was right . Might even be Ole Nick. Great to see. I dont give a jot about the GOAT race.
And yeah Sinner would be my preference to win.
Kyrgios is his own worst enemy. He said in the pre-match “I’ll live and die by the sword”. His problem is he struggles to stay positive for extended periods which you absolutely need to win majors. You have to have such a consistent mindset.
and Khachanov is in great form. When he’s in this kind of form, even the top players have to be on guard.
I just hope that if not Rafa for number one, at least the new number one would be the one holding this USO trophy, if not it may be embarrassing for the men’s tour (seeing the WTA tour was dissed for having a slam-less world number one in the past).
As for Rafa, it’s not meant to be for him to win this USO. I knew Tiafoe was playing very well before coming to this USO, and knew that he’s one road block for Rafa; I was hoping for Schwartzman to beat Tiafoe but too bad for Rafa. Anyway the way Rafa was serving and returning, if not Tiafoe, it may be Rublev or Sinner or Alcaraz who could beat him; all of them are tough opponents for Rafa in his current state.
Rudd is playing very well (I’m surprised he beats Berrettini here), but I’m not sure he’s able to win the trophy here.
NNY, rude? No not at all. All I was suggesting is that Rafa would not want to mention any injury issues bcoz he would be criticized for it! Unless it’s obvious he would be willing to discuss it but if it’s something that he’s been struggling with all along and had not mentioned then he would never then raise it. Rafa”s abdominal injury has not completely healed. For me, it was obvious that something was hampering Rafa”s game! I was there! He can say whatever he wants, that’s a fact!! He couldn’t serve, he couldn’t return, he wasn’t even chasing down playable balls!! Rafa was a hot mess!!! Thank God at least he lost to Tiafoe who I happen to like very much!!
Right now Watching Nick and Karen and I can’t tell who is going to win. Nick has a calf injury I think but took some meds so is playing better. Karen’s serves r out of this world!! These guys who r left in the draw r playing some good tennis and honestly it is nice to c. I am looking forward to the next set of quarterfinals tomorrow. I ended up with a ticket for Carlos” match, was hoping to watch Tiafoe but he”s been relegated to the day session, sigh!! That I find surprising considering he’s an American. Anyway, looking forward to some great tennis for the remainder of the tourney!!
As for Rafa!! Two GSs in one year is a fantastic result!! He’s worse enemy is his body and age but he has the most GSs in history on the mens side so really and truly Rafa cant be bent out of shape for this USO loss. He knows that he was not fit! He can look forward to defending his AO title next year so he needs all the rest he can get considering how much bad luck he’s had at this tourney!!! I’m thinking some kind of silver lining here folks 😀! Vamos!!!