Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will be in daytime action in New York for the first time this year, as he takes on British veteran Dan Evans in the third round. Daniil Medvedev will also take the court on Saturday against Sebastian Baez.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (26) Dan Evans
If there was any doubt that Carlos Alcaraz came into the U.S. Open well-positioned to defend his title from 2022, he dispelled that with an impressive display of shot-making against Lloyd Harris on Thursday night. Alcaraz, who is the co-favorite for the title with Novak Djokovic, already holds the Wimbledon title this year. He’ll be looking to add a third Grand Slam and second U.S. Open trophy to his case.
This is a tough matchup for Dan Evans. The world No. 28 has had mixed results this summer. He won the title at the 500 event in Washington D.C. but failed to win a single match in either Toronto or Cincinnati. If history is anything to go by, his prospects on Saturday are probably not favorable. The two men have met twice before and Alcaraz won both matches in emphatic fashion.
Given Alcaraz’s form and the fact that Evans doesn’t really have any weapons in his arsenal that can hurt the Spaniard, the underdog would have to rely on Alcaraz to have a horrible day on court to even get close to an upset.
Cheryl pick: Alcaraz in 3
Ricky pick: Alcaraz in 3
(3) Daniil Medvedev vs. Sebastian Baez
Daniil Medvedev is always just a little spicy when he plays in front of the New York crowd. The world No. 3 had another…interaction with the New York night fans in his second-round match against Christopher O’Connell. He was in a mood on Thursday and pushed the camera out of his space during a close up on a changeover. Then he asked a woman in the crowd, “Are you stupid, or what?” because she was moving around prior to the change of ends.
These sorts of incidents have never damaged Medvedev’s chances, and strangely they don’t seem to sour New Yorkers on the Russian. Expect him to have plenty of crowd support when he takes the court on Saturday night against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez.
This will be the first meeting between Medevdev and Baez. The world No. 32 comes into the U.S. Open on the heels of his second and third titles of the season (one and clay and also his first on a hard court in Winston-Salem). While he has plenty of confidence, the Argentine is still largely untested in New York. This is the first year he has made it past the first round.
Baez might keep up with Medvedev for a set, but this should be fairly routine for the world No. 3.
Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 3
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 3
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Jarry v de Minaur looks like a close match. Can de Minaur overcome Jarry’s height advantage and bigger serve.
Medvedev is very hard to beat once he gets into top gear on these courts.
Yep…agree. Carlos in 3; Med in 3.
Medvedev, Come on, you can do this in three sets! Baez is an energizer bunny with nothing to lose.