First round
Djokovic over Carballes Baena in 3, Querrey over Londero in 4
Kudla over Tipsarevic in 5, Lajovic over Darcis in 3
Wawrinka over Sinner in 4, Hurkacz over Chardy in 3
Kecmanovic over Djere in 3, Lorenzi over Svajda in 3
Fognini over Opelka in 4, Koepfer over Munar in 4
Berdych over Brooksby in 4, Basilashvili over Fucsovics in 4
Fritz over Lopez in 3, Nishioka over Giron in 3
Kwon over Dellien in 3, Medvedev over Gunneswaran in 3
Federer over Nagal in 3, Benchetrit over Dzumhur in 5
Mannarino over Evans in 5, Pouille over Kohlschreiber in 3
Carreno Busta over Pella in 5, Vesely over Berankis in 3
Norrie over Barrere in 4, Goffin over Moutet in 3
Coric over Donskoy in 4, Dimitrov over Seppi in 4
Cuevas over Sock in 4, Jarry over Majchrzak in 4
Eubanks over Garin in 4, De Minaur over Herbert in 4
Klahn over Monteiro in 5, Nishikori over Trungelliti in 3
Tsitsipas over Rublev in 4, Simon over Fratangelo in 5
Mayer over Hoang in 4, Kyrgios over Johnson in 4
Gasquet over Berrettini in 4, Sousa over Thompson in 4
Popyrin over Delbonis in 3, Bautista Agut over Kukushkin in 3
Monfils over Ramos-Vinolas in 3, Humbert over Copil in 5
Cecchinato over Laaksonen in 3, Shapovalov over Auger-Aliassime in 4
Edmund over Andujar in 4, Sonego over Granollers in 4
Giraldo over Bublik in 4, Thiem over Fabbiano in 4
Albot over Zverev in 5, Tiafoe over Karlovic in 4
Bedene over Kovalik in 4, Paire over Schnur in 3
Schwartzman over Haase in 4, Gerasimov over Harris in 4
Tsonga over Sandgren in 4, Khachanov over Pospisil in 4
Isner over Garcia-Lopez in 4, Struff over Ruud in 3
Krajinovic over Stebe in 3, Klizan over Cilic in 5
Verdasco over Kamke in 3, Chung over Escobedo in 3
Ivashka over Kokkinakis in 3, Nadal over Millman in 3
Second round
Djokovic over Querrey in 3
Lajovic over Kudla in 5
Wawrinka over Hurkacz in 4
Kecmanovic over Lorenzi in 3
Fognini over Koepfer in 3
Basilashvili over Berdych in 4
Nishioka over Fritz in 5
Medvedev over Kwon in 3
Federer over Benchetrit in 3
Pouille over Mannarino in 4
Carreno Busta over Vesely in 4
Goffin over Norrie in 3
Dimitrov over Coric in 5
Jarry over Cuevas in 5
De Minaur over Eubanks in 3
Nishikori over Klahn in 3
Tsitsipas over Simon in 5
Kyrgios over Mayer in 3
Sousa over Gasquet in 5
Bautista Agut over Popyrin in 3
Monfils over Humbert in 3
Shapovalov over Cecchinato in 3
Sonego over Edmund in 5
Thiem over Giraldo in 3
Albot over Tiafoe in 4
Paire over Bedene in 4
Schwartzman Gerasimov in 3
Khachanov over Tsonga in 3
Struff over Isner in 4
Klizan over Krajinovic in 4
Chung over Verdasco in 4
Nadal over Ivashka in 3
Third round
Djokovic over Lajovic in 3
Wawrinka over Kecmanovic in 4
Basilashvili over Fognini in 5
Medvedev over Nishioka in 3
Federer over Pouille in 3
Goffin over Carreno Busta in 4
Dimitrov over Jarry in 4
De Minaur over Nishikori in 5
Kyrgios over Tsitsipas in 4
Bautista Agut over Sousa in 4
Monfils over Shapovalov in 4
Thiem over Sonego in 3
Paire over Albot in 4
Khachanov over Schwartzman in 5
Struff over Klizan in 4
Nadal over Chung in 3
Fourth round
Djokovic over Wawrinka in 4
Medvedev over Basilashvili in 4
Federer over Goffin in 4
De Minaur over Dimitrov in 5
Bautista Agut over Kyrgios in 5
Monfils over Thiem in 5
Khachanov over Paire in 3
Nadal over Struff in 3
Quarterfinals
Djokovic over Medvedev in 4
Federer over De Minaur in 4
Bautista Agut over Monfils in 4
Nadal over Khachanov in 4
Semifinals
Djokovic over Federer in 5
Nadal over Bautista Agut in 3
Final
Djokovic over Nadal in 4
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who ya got?
Albot over Tiafoe in 4
De Minaur over Nishikori in 5
De Minaur over Dimitrov in 5
Only 3 games look unlikely. The rest looks to be predicted from what i think. Well done.
Ricky what will happen if thiem pulls out…does Medvedev become no 4 or anything else ?
Nope, he would need to reach the semis to surpass thiem I think
he won’t. the potential withdrawal is Anderson.
Why Anderson?
I know Thiem won’t withdraw from a slam, he would rather lose in R1 than not to participate, unless he’s really sick.
Federer won’t make the SFs. Djokovic beating Wawrinka, Medvedev, Nishikori/PCB and Nadal within a week in NY is a very tall order. USO is probably his second worse GS after RG.
Who’s going to take Fed out then? I don’t care if the USO is played on Jones Beach, no one in Fed’s quarter can beat him.
Federer has the easiest draw of the lot. He’s 90% of making the semis.
Fedal FINAL at USO finally !!!
Jon Wertheim semis predictions are: Novak over Roger and Rafa over Kyrgios. Both pairings aren’t very likely IMO. But if they come to pass, I would also pick Rafa and Novak for the final. But then comes the real surprise: Wertheim picked Rafa over Novak! For a Rafafan this would of course be a dream scenario. But Jon Wertheim’s picks haven’t proven to be very reliable. He also picked Rafa over Roger at this year’s Wimby. As we know, it didn’t work out.
This is true, though: when Rafa was healthy and confident, he has always done well at the USO, which has become his best non-clay slam. And his USO final record against Novak is 2:1. On the other hand, he has lost his last two non-clay matches, (at Wimby and at the AO no less) against Novak. And on non-clay surfaces he hasn’t beaten Novak and Roger for a long time now, even if he performed brilliantly against all other players. But of course every series ends eventually. Maybe it will end this year.
Rafa hadn’t beaten them on non clay slams because he hardly met them, after 2014. He had not met Fed or Djoko at non clay slams in 2015 and 2016 as he’s doing poorly those two years, losing early in slams. It’s until AO2017 that he met Fed in the final, the first slam final after his two slumping years of 2015-2016.
The fact that he could reach the final in 2017 was something encouraging, and he almost got the better of Fed in that final. Rafa was unfortunate not to win that SF against Djoko at Wimbledon last year, when he had the chance in the third set TB to go two sets to one up.
It’s not like Rafa was hopeless against them those two times; in 2019 he was doing worse against them at those two slams but Rafa was just back from long injury break but still reached the AO final. He lost to Fed at Wimbledon because Fed was playing inspired tennis and grass was and still is Fed’s forte ( and Rafa of 2019 < Rafa of 2008 on grass) and Fed almost got the better of Djoko in the final!
While Djoko dominates at the AO, Rafa at the FO, and Fed at Wimbledon and was still able to win in 2012 and 2017, the USO to me is kind of a level playing field for all, non of them could dominate there since 2008, no one managed to defend the USO title in the last ten years. So, imo, it all depends on the form of the players, the draw and the playing conditions there.
Anything can happen this US Open, so many possibilities. probably the most interesting draw in a long while.
Theim could make it through to the semis if he beats Bautista_Agut and cause nightmares for Nadal. Theim is much improved in the hard stuff.
Federer could make it through to the final and beat Nadal in the final.
If Fed doesnt make it to the semis then Medevdev is a chance to make the final if he beats Djokovic and Goffin.
Djokovic has a very tricky draw, he could face Hurkacz, Medvedev, Federer and Nadal. That will not be easy to win all those matches.
My final 8 are:
Djokovic v Medvedev
Federer v Raonic
Bautista Agut v Theim
Khachanov v Nadal
My final 4 are:
Federer v Medvedev
Nadal v Theim
I foresee that Thiem will lose early, as he’s not in tip TOP conditions physically, and his game is very dependent on his physical well being.
I think both Goffin and Kei may give Fed plenty of problems if Fed plays like at Cincy; while Djoko will navigate his way through until he meets Medvedev and who knows what will happen when they meet.
As for Rafa, he has potentially Verdasco, Cilic/Isner, Khachanov, Tsitsipas/Agut/Monfils or Thiem in his path, doable if he’s fit and playing well.
I agree with you re: Thiem. I said below, that nothing Thiem has done recently suggests that he will do well.
Rafa’s draw is not a cake walk if it plays out as the draw suggests. But there’s no one in his potential path into the final whom he cannot beat if he’s healthy. Reaching the final at least looks doable.
I agree, that the draw is very intriguing and hard to predict. And unlike this year in Wimbledon Novak has a potentially very tricky draw.
While Roger’s draw looks doable for him, we don’t really know in what kind of physical and mental shape he is.
Jim Courier, I disagree with you re: Thiem. He has been great in IW, but nothing he did at Wimby or during the summer hardcourt swing suggests that he will do well at the USO or that he will be a major threat for Rafa. Sure, last year in the quarterfinal he took out everything of Rafa. But while at the time Rafa wasn’t physically at his best, he still managed to beat Thiem. If Rafa really meats Thiem in the quarterfinal, Rafa would be IMO the clear favorite.
As to Medvedev beating Novak: sure, he has proven that he can beat Novak in best-of-three matches. He has done it twice in a row now. But beating Novak in a best-of-five match is one of the hardest tasks. It would be a major step forward for Medvedev,and I’m not sure if he is ready, yet. Medvedev’s all-or-nothing tactics of serving the second serve just like a first serve won’t work over five sets.
I don’t know about Medvedev; he may be tired by now and may lose early. But, I do feel that he’s an ambitious guy, and has lots of self belief in his own game.
He said that for some players, they could be young and promising and achieving big things at a young age, but for him, he’s one who has to take time to work hard at his game before good results come his way.
I think after winning a Masters title with a big pay cheque, he’s now full of confidence, and would want to savour the best as in winning a slam. I feel he’ll do his best to go as far as possible at the USO. He’s a smart guy and knows how to change tactics within a match if things don’t work out for him.
I saw him getting angry with an umpire or someone when he was told to continue playing when it’s drizzying at one of the grass court event this year and he shouted to that person ‘are you going to pay me if I get injured? I think at this stage of his career, it’s not only about winning titles but also getting good prize money for making a good living. Winning big prize money matters a lot to him and incentive enough for him to do well at the slams imo.
If Djokovic had an easy draw before Medevdev I would probably agree with you but he most likely has to beat Hurkacz which wont be easy and then he has an even bigger test against Medvedev.
Theim made the USO quarter finals last year, lost to Nadal who went on to win the final. Theim then went on to win IW.
I think there’s some merit in my prediction.
All the best.
Furthermore, Theim had a massive RG and then went on a holiday mentally since. I dont think he was expecting much from wimbledon and he didnt do too badly in his first few matches on hardcourt. He’s a different ball game altogether over 5 sets aqnd im expecting a showing more in line with his RG performance at this USO. I think Bautista_Agut is not peaking right now, he might be a bit tired mentally after Wimbledon. I think he’ll come good at the Australian Open again.
It’s just a prediction, nothing is written in stone.
Thiem is physically not well, having a virus infection if I’m not wrong. He said he’ll take it one match at a time, that may be why he skipped Cincy. Also, his draw wasn’t easy either, having to navigate past Monfils or Agut or Tsitsipas before reaching the SF.
What kind of virus, I wonder. If it’s EBV, it’s depends on the person, but that virus can hang on a long time. Hope it’s not that.
Elizabeth, how did you get the idea that Thiem might be infected with EBV? Have there been rumors? Or are you just expressing your hope, that it is nothing of that proportion? He could just have a cold or a stomach virus.
EBV can be a total disaster for those who are infected, and many athletic careers have come to a screeching halt. Robin Søderling for example, well known for being one of so far only two players who managed to beat Rafa at the FO, never succeeded in restarting his active career. So, yes, let’s hope that Thiem has caught nothing like that. But I read something about an infect in an Austrian news outlet and it’s not a good sign if he doesn’t even do his scheduled practicing sessions. Thiem may not be in the best shape, and the USO can be gruelling.
I don’t have any inside information, Littlefoot!!
Just thinking out loud, speculating: Skipped Cincy, cancelling practice sessions at US Open, saying he’s not thinking about a deep run at US Open. I hope it’s not EBV. I just kept hearing “virus, virus” and wondered what kind of virus knocks a person out for a month? A regular virus would have run its course by now – he shouldn’t be cancelling practices. Thiem is a hard worker and seems to relish hard work
Lord no, I hope he doesn’t have EBV. But if he does, it doesn’t mean a career ending disaster – it depends on one’s immune system. Prognosis widely varies, depending on one’s immune system.
Hope he is back to his good health soon!
If Theim doesn’t make it through due to illness or withdrawal then Bautista Agut should make the semis.
Jim Courier, of course it’s just a prediction, and your’s is certainly a possibility. I wouldn’t claim that my hunches are more likely than yours. And as you said, too: this year’s USO are really hard to predict – which is nice IMO☺
Come on. Fedal final is getting closer. This is almost unavoidable.
Antijinx!
Eugene, how can a Fedal final be closer when the tournament hasn’t even started? It’s far from unavoidable, and both players have a long way to go.
And especially Fed has the biggest obstacle – the Djoker – sitting in his way into the final😉 Fed couldn’t put him away at Wimby although he was the better player for long stretches of the match. If Novak and Roger make it into the semis – why should Roger be more successful at the USO?
It’s not yet. Just wishful thinking 😉
Rafa was scheduled to practice with D.Thiem on Grandstand at noon on Saturday. Thiem is no longer on the schedule.
https://usopen.org/en_US/scores/schedule/practice/index.html
Hmm, that’s not good, Augusta. I’m suspicious about him. But as someone said above, it would be more likely that Dominic will play and not withdraw before at least giving it a try. But if he can’t even practice, his head can’t get off the pillow, he’s spiking a temperature, and admitting he’s not looking to go deep in the tournament, that’s troubling.
Loving that opening match up of Rublev-Tpas…and FedEX wins it all…again!!!!
Anderson out of US Open. Replaced by LL Lorenzi
picks updated with Anderson out
I didn’t have Anderson going very far anyway, think I had him losing in the 2nd round.
Federer must be disappointed after wasting last month perhaps his last chance to win a GS (not to mention the way it happened). I don’t think that he recovered mentally after several tough and unsuccessful months and he will need to reset during the off-season. I expect him to go out in the 4th round, but could be the QF or 3rd (did anyone expect Millman to beat him last year?).
So the chance for Fedal at this USO seems as slim as possible. But stranger things have happened, like their AO 2017 final. If Fed manages to live in the tournament and Djokovic crashes out, everything changes. Although I am sure that a healthy (and not too tired) Rafa would pulverize Roger in the final.
EBV is not that bad, very few people actually have long terms issues because of it. Sure, if you don’t rest you don’t heal so if Thiem plays it’s probably something manageable (and I doubt it’s even mono). Federer recovered quite nicely from that.
Makes sense given Fed has beaten Rafa the last 8 times they’ve played.
7 of their last 8.
Nadal would say that what happened the last 7 times he met Federer happened and this is USO. It makes no sense to look as far away as 2015. Federer’s streak started at AO 2017 where he was almost beaten twice before the final but the other guy got injured. Then he got an extra day of rest and Rafa ran out of gas in the 5th when being a break up (he had two draining matches before the final). Nadal was so shaken by that defeat that he lost the next two encounters as well without much resistance. Then Rafa was injured when they met later that year. No encounter in 2018 and this year they split victories (walkovers don’t count). This time around, Nadal has the better morale and most importantly the surface plays in his favor.
Anyway this discussion doesn’t make much sense as the “Fedal” most likely won’t happen this fortnight.
Means nothing if the condi
tions are against him
On another topic altogether,Kyrgios did have a point about the time warnings re Nadal.Doesnt excuse him.
I honestly can’t see him going far in a major at the moment,he’ll never keep his focus.
Raonic withdraws
picks edited following Raonic withdrawal
Raonic is still there vs Dimitrov R3. Take it you mean Dimitrov d. Jarry?
My full bracket is here if anyone is interested in taking a look:
https://www.tourneytopia.com/racquetbracketusopenatp/usopenatp/pool/entrypicks.aspx?entryid=780903
Notable aspects of my draw:
I have Medvedev beating Djokovic, Fed beating Medvedev, then beating Nadal in the final (if Djokovic beats Medvedev, I think Fed will lose in the semis). I’ve got Jarry making the fourth round and losing to Nishikori. I have Kyrgios losing to Bautista Agut fourth round, but he could either lose first round to Johnson or make a very deep run. I’ve got Khachanov losing to Nadal in the quarters, Thiem losing to Nadal in the semis. Also I have Opelka making the fourth round and Struff beating Isner and Cilic on his way to the fourth round. Currently 11-2 in first round match predictions so far today.
It’s always nice if you do your picks before the tournament starts. Even better if it’s before others give their picks and analysis. 😉
Parasite
Likewise 😉
and at least im honest, you guys are nothing short of deceitful which is no surprise.
Also, picks mean nothing. Show us your starting capital and running balance. That’s what I respect and get excited about. Doing picks without money on the line is a waste of valuable time.
Doing picks here won’t put McDonald’s on your table. You’ll be eating baked beans every day if your lucky.
One of our daily five
Wow! Amazing to see my countryman taking it to the maestro though Roger is well below par. But being on the verge of taking a set in his first ever gs match is truly surreal. Fully expect him to be broken back though
WTF!!! Sumit Nagal from india just took a set off the Federer. How!!! Is anyone watching?
I hope that none of you bet on Federer to go far here… Just as I’ve been saying, right on schedule, he is once again struggling immensely right off the bat. For various reasons, Arthur Ashe Stadium has become an absolute nightmare for Federer. It’s the slow court speed. The insane humidity inside the arena. It’s all since the installed the upper facade and roof. It’s turned Ashe into a massive sauna, with high-bouncing tar for a court. Years ago it wouldn’t have been an issue for him. In old tennis age, it simply brings the worst out of him. If he survives this match, against a QUALIFIER, I doubt he will make it past Pouille in the 3rd Round. It’s gotten so bad for him at the US Open, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last time he plays there.
I don’t think the court is that slow, I see the ball flying around pretty quickly. Fed is not playing well after Wimbledon, as I have suspected, the Wimbledon tournament and esp the final, had taken a toll on him, both physically and mentally, but esp physically imo. He’s misfiring so often both his FH and BH.
I agree that he won’t go far here, with Goffin, Kei and Djoko/Medvedev standing in his way. Both Goffin and Kei pushed him to play his best to beat them on grass this year, I think they may do the same on the USO HC.
How much are you putting on Pouille?
Does he think he is playing Nadal😳😳
Kevin it says it is twenty degree celsius in ny
It’s not the temperature- it’s the humidity. Temperature has nothing to do with it. It’s nearly 70% humidity in NYC right now, which means it’s even higher in that stadium. Trust me, I was there the last two years and will be there this weekend. I found it difficult to breathe in there just watching. Obviously plenty of players aren’t affected by it, but some are. I think Fed is also really suffering from that Wimbledon loss. He’s nervous, and high humidity does nothing to help that. He said himself last year that he felt like he couldn’t breathe. That’s just a part of it, though. I think he is struggling more from that Wimbledon loss than we want to think. I mean, how could you ever expect a guy in that position, at that age, with the chance to seal his legacy, who essentially just choked it away and has likely forever left his legacy in question, to possibly mentally recover from that? It’s not like he’s an up-and-comer who has his whole career to recover from it. That was going to be the massive period on the end of the sentence of his career… and he blew it. And I can’t fathom how he is even still trying. I, personally, can’t imagine going through that. Again, that was no ordinary big loss. That was a CAREER-ALTERING loss. Big difference.
Sorry, I meant legacy-altering, rather than career-altering.
Miami has one of the highest humidities and Roger seems to do well there. It could be the air circulation if he finds it difficult to breathe..
You’re wxactly right, vmk. Fed typically does fine in open-air humidity. That’s what I was trying to say when I called Ashe a “giant sauna”. There is no air circulation. So when the humidity is high, it becomes sweltering and difficult to breathe. The humidity tonight there is nothing compared to last year. I was at the Thiem-Nadal match, as well as at the day session that day, and it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It was just horrific, and I was sitting the whole time haha! I was definitely thinking to myself after about the 3rd set, “Whoever wins this match, they’re retiring in the next round.” And I was right. I actually felt sorry for them that they had to endure it.
Omg what a rally.. sumit is making a name for himself alright … win or lose…
Bit of a slow start for Rog there but he’s righted the ship in the 2nd set. He does not appear to be sweating. Just a very slow start, I think, against an in form (for him) new guy. His serve was way off in the first set, low % and lots of errors. He’s well on his way to serving up a bagel in the 2nd at 5-0. Doubt the first set loss means anything in the long term.
Sumit Nagal has been playing some excellent shots. Some serious winners in that game. How good must the top 10-20 be that they manage to keep their razor thin margins over the rest of the field consistently yoy. In case of the big 3 they manage to keep this edge for a decade now
The old TOP ten I must say, not the current young TOP ten who are yet to prove they can do so. The likes of Ferrer, Berdych, Murray, Delpo when he’s fit and later Stan, they’re the consistent old guards in addition to the big three.
The big three are consistently in the top ten for more than a decade, from 2007 ( from 2002 for Fed and from 2005 for Rafa; and Rafa hasn’t dropped out of TOP ten since). Djoko dropped out of TOP ten in one year – 2017 – and Fed in 2016, that’s about it.
There’s a big gap between the big three and the rest (their ranking points and positions tell us the big difference there). In the past there’s still a Murray then the rest of the field, now there’s no one there when Murray left.
For the rest of the field, their level may be very close, with one or two ranking points deciding the ranking positions. On their good day(s), the 100+ ranked players may cause big upsets, catching the TOP players on their off days, like Rafa (and even Fed) at Wimbledon… or Djoko at the AO.
Awesome to see Nagal playing the way he did albeit against a sub par roger. Hoping he can crack the top 100. That will super for indian tennis after somedev burman and yuki bhambri failed to live up to expectations
Haven’t seen Fed’s match and not sure how to interpret it. I hope the young Indian was playing well and Fed was just relaxed.
I am glad Medvedev has a few easy rounds. He deserves to have a smooth start after playing so much recently.
Maybe ‘Nagal’ was an intimidating name for Fed 😄.
Nagal was playing well (relative to my expectations), striking a solid forehand and moving well around the court. He needs to improve his serve to break into the top 50. Fed was playing quite badly in the first set, a lot of UE which changed after Set 1, so yeah wouldn’t read too much into it.
Thanks AVN
Petra kvitova doesn’t like humidity either…can’t see her going far
Gut feeling tells me Rafa takes this USO. Djo may not reach the final and Fed looks vulnerable too.
Rafa was tactically poor against Fed at Wimby and that was rare coz he is usually very clear headed coming into these big matches.
Let’s see how the draw evolves but Rafa winning is a good bet esp given the odds available.
Hi VR, me too is having that kind of feeling that Rafa is very likely to win here.
Both Fed and Djoko have each other to contend with plus a red hot Medvedev. Fed is making lots of errors, just like at Cincy and I’m not sure he could improve quickly as he moves through the early rounds. There’ s Goffin and then Nishikori who may take advantage if Fed keeps making those errors.
Djoko just played well enough to win his R1 but he has Stan and then Medvedev potentially his R4 and QF opponents, so not an easy path either.
Fed has to beat Rafa in SF to face Djoko in the final at Wimbledon; Djoko may have to beat Fed and then Rafa here if he wants to win the title.