Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios will continue their U.S. Open campaigns with spots in the fourth round at stake on Saturday. They are set for respective showdowns against Joao Sousa and Illya Marchenko.
Joao Sousa vs. (22) Grigor Dimitrov
Dimitrov and Sousa will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers (third at the ATP level) when they battle during third-round action at the U.S. Open on Saturday. Interestingly, they faced each other in round one of this tournament three years ago, when Sousa prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. That gave Portugal’s top player a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head series (a 2008 indoor Challenger result included) before Dimitrov got on the scoreboard with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory last fall in Kuala Lumpur.
The 24th-ranked Bulgarian slumped through the first half of the this season, but he heated up during the hard-court summer in time for 2016’s final Grand Slam with a quarterfinal performance in Toronto and a semifinal run in Cincinnati. The 22nd seed has continued his winning ways by taking out Inigo Cervantes in straight sets and Jeremy Chardy in five. Sousa is through to the last 32 of a major for the third time this year following defeats of Victor Estrella Burgos (6-0, 6-1, 6-1) and Feliciano Lopez (6-2, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5). Still, the world No. 36 is just 20-26 for his 2016 campaign. The third round of slams has proven to be Sousa’s Waterloo and an in-form Dimitrov will likely extend the trend.
Pick: Dimitrov in 4
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(14) Nick Kyrgios vs. Illya Marchenko
Oh, the benefits of being seeded at a Grand Slam. Last summer, an unseeded Kyrgios had to go up against Andy Murray in the very first round. Fast forward 12 months and the 21-year-old Australian has climbed to 16th in the world, good for the No. 14 seed in Flushing Meadows. With a favorable draw at his disposal, Kyrgios hammered Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 before taking care of Horacio Zeballos via an almost identical 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 scoreline. The recent Atlanta champion is a stellar 33-12 for the season, although that title is really his only notable result since a Madrid quarterfinal back in May.
For the first time in his career, Marchenko is finally making an appearance in the third round of a slam. The 28-year-old Ukrainian edged Ivan Dodig 7-5 in the fourth and then crushed Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday. Armed with a rare clean bill of health, Marchenko repaired his ranking earlier this season with consistent success on the Challenger circuit but had been 11-16 at the ATP level prior to this fortnight (including 0-9 in his last nine tour-level tournament matches). As the competition level ratchets up dramatically from what Dodig and Dzumhur brought to the table, Marchenko will likely see his run come to an end amidst an onslaught of Kyrgios serves.
Pick: Kyrgios in 3
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