It will be a rematch of a fourth-rounder from last year’s U.S. Open when Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin Del Potro meet again on Monday. A quarterfinal spot will also be at stake when David Goffin goes up against Andrey Rublev.
(24) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. (6) Dominic Thiem
Thiem and Del Potro will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they battle for a place in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open on Monday. Only their first meeting was played to completion, when Del Potro got the job done 7-6(5), 6-3 at the 2016 clay-court event in Madrid. They also faced each other on the same day in the same round of this same event last summer, but that showdown could not live up to the hype because Thiem retired with a knee injury while trailing 6-3, 3-2.
Thus these two have a chance to make up for what the fans missed last year, and there is every reason to think that they will do just that. Thiem is at least somewhat more rested in 2017, having cut back on his schedule to a marginal extent. The eighth-ranked Austrian has still played enough–and won enough–to register at No. 4 in the race to the World Tour Finals. He booked his spot in the last 16 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center by beating Alex De Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and Adrian Mannarino, surrendering just one set to Fritz in the process. Del Potro has not dropped a set in victories over Henri Laaksonen, Adrian Menendez-Maceiras, and Roberto Bautista Agut. The 28th-ranked Argentine has been unable to get any real momentum behind him at any point this year, but he turned in arguably the best performance of his 2017 campaign when he destroyed a previously red-hot Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday afternoon. The question now is if Del Potro has the consistency with which to produce a similar display on Monday, and he will need to do so against a confident opponent who will camp out way behind the baseline and get many of Del Potro’s huge forehands back in play. In a best-of-five situation, Thiem may be able to wear down the big man.
Pick: Thiem in 5
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(9) David Goffin vs. Andrey Rublev
Rublev has been a master at making the most of opportunities this summer. In mid-July, the 19-year-old Russian lost in qualifying but got a lucky-loser spot in the main draw and ended up going all the way to his first career ATP title. He enjoyed more successful qualifying efforts at the French Open (before losing to Diego Schwartzman 9-7 in the fifth set) and Wimbledon (advanced to the second round and then lost to Albert Ramos-Vinolas in five) and played his way into direct entry for the U.S. Open. Rublev is in the midst of a breakout Grand Slam right now thanks to victories over Aljaz Bedene, Grigor Dimitrov, and Damir Dzumhur.
Up next for the world No. 53 on Monday is a first-ever meeting with Goffin. The 14th-ranked Belgian was on pace for a berth in the World Tour Finals until an ankle injury forced him to retire from a third-round match at Roland Garros and then kept him out of the grass-court swing. Goffin has not been the same since, but he is finally getting back on track in New York. The ninth seed is making a week-two appearance at the U.S. Open for the first time in his career following defeats of Julien Benneteau, Guido Pella (in five sets), and Gael Monfils (via second-set retirement). Goffin has both the experience and the smarts with which to end Rublev’s run. He will be able to put the youngster in the backhand corner as Rublev looks to pound his preferred forehand, thus opening the forehand court for Goffin to execute his favorite shot: the down-the-line backhand.
Pick: Goffin in 4
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