U.S. Open R4 previews and predictions: Murray vs. Dimitrov, Nishikori vs. Karlovic

Andy Murray’s bid for a second U.S. Open title will continue when he goes up against Grigor Dimitrov during fourth-round action on Monday. A spot in the quarterfinals is also on the line between Kei Nishikori and Ivo Karlovic.

(22) Grigor Dimitrov vs. (2) Andy Murray

Murray and Dimitrov will be squaring off for the 10th time in their careers when they battle during fourth-round action at the U.S. Open on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 6-3 in favor of Murray, who is 6-2 against Dimitrov on hard courts and has won three of their last four encounters. Dimitrov, however, took their most recent showdown 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-3 earlier this season at the Miami Masters. Since the Scot dominated their first three meetings in straight sets, only one of the last five tilts has yielded a straight-set result.

Dimitrov slumped for several months after upsetting Murray in Miami, but he is picking up the pace for a second-half surge. The 24th-ranked Bulgarian tuned up for the year’s final Grand Slam by reaching the Toronto quarterfinals before going all the way to the semis in Cincinnati. He now finds himself in the second week of a major for the first time since the 2015 Australian Open. As well as Dimitrov is playing, no one on the entire tour is as hot as Murray. The world No. 2 triumphed at Wimbledon two months ago, captured a second consecutive Olympic gold medal, and finished runner-up in Cincinnati. He has maintained his winning ways at Flushing Meadows with mostly routine victories over Lukas Rosol, Marcel Granollers, and Paolo Lorenzi. This will almost certainly be another entertaining battle between Murray and Dimitrov, but the favorite is simply winning matches left and right these days and will be too tough in the pressure-packed moments.

Pick: Murray in 4

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(6) Kei Nishikori vs. (21) Ivo Karlovic

At 37 years old, Karlovic is through to the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the first time in his career. But is anyone surprised? They shouldn’t be. Age is just a number for the 6’11” Croat, who is without question playing the best tennis of his life. His post-Wimbledon summer includes titles in Newport and Los Cabos, a runner-up performance in Washington, D.C., and a second-round upset of Marin Cilic in Cincinnati. Going full steam ahead in New York, Karlovic has advanced with wins over Yen-Hsun Lu, Donald Young, and Jared Donaldson.

Next up for the 21st seed is a fourth career encounter with Nishikori, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1. They have not faced each other since the 2014 Memphis final, won by Nishikori is two tight sets. Another Memphis title is part of the world No. 7’s awesome 49-14 for his 2016 campaign. Nishikori finished runner-up in Toronto and won the bronze medal at the Olympics earlier this summer, but that also means his body has taken a bit of a physical toll on the heels of a fourth-round retirement at Wimbledon. Moreover, he has advanced past the fourth round of the U.S. Open only once in eight appearances. Don’t be surprised if a red-hot Karlovic extends that trend with a dominant serving display.

Pick: Karlovic in 5

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