U.S. Open R4 previews and predictions: Berrettini vs. Rublev, Monfils vs. Andujar

Only four players remain in the one wide-open section of the U.S. Open draw, where Matteo Berrettini, Andrey Rublev, Gael Monfils, and Pablo Andujar take the court on Monday. Rublev has already knocked out Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios.

Andrey Rublev vs. (24) Matteo Berrettini

Berrettini and Rublev will be facing each other for the third time in their careers when they battle for a surprising quarterfinal spot at the U.S. Open on Monday. These two big hitters have taken turns making a big impact on tour this summer, with Rublev most recently seizing the headlines. The 21-year-old Russian finished runner-up in Hamburg, upset Roger Federer en route to the Cincinnati quarterfinals, achieved the same result in Winston-Salem, and so far in New York has ousted Stefanos Tsitsipas, Gilles Simon (via second-set retirement), and Nick Kyrgios. Rublev is through to the U.S. Open quarters for the second time in his short but mostly sweet career.

The world No. 43 ran into Rafael Nadal the last time he reached the final eight, but this time around his rough draw through three rounds becomes a friendly one. Although Berrettini is no easy out, for the fourth round of a major Rublev could not ask for a better opportunity. The 25th-ranked Italian suffered an ankle injury after Wimbledon and played only one hard-court match prior to this event, losing to Juan Ignacio Londero in the Cincinnati opening round. That halted his momentum from a title in Stuttgart, a semifinal run in Halle, and a trip to the second week at the All-England Club. Suddenly, Berrettini is back on track thanks to victories over Richard Gasquet, Jordan Thompson, and Alexei Popyrin. Rublev’s sample size of recent hard-court success is much larger and he was the more impressive player throughout week one, so he should have an edge.

Pick: Rublev in 4

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(13) Gael Monfils vs. Pablo Andujar

Monfils has made the most of a favorable draw and it continues with Andujar, as a place in not only the quarterfinals but also the semis is there for the taking. The 13th-ranked Frenchman opened with straight-set beatdowns of Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Marius Copil before outlasting Denis Shapovalov in a 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 thriller on Saturday night. Monfils has been healthy just long enough this season to reach the quarterfinals in Indian Wells and the semifinals in Montreal (both ended in walkovers), and he appears to injury free once again.

Andujar has capitalized on an even friendlier draw to make a shocking fourth-round appearance. The world No. 70 had been a mere 10-12 at the ATP level in 2019 prior to this fortnight, with only two wins on hard courts. Nonetheless, Andujar has managed to defeat Kyle Edmund, Lorenzo Sonego, and Alexander Bublik at Flushing Meadows. A steep step up in competition will likely see the end of the 33-year-old Spaniard’s productive week.

Pick: Monfils in 4

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