Roger Federer will be back in U.S. Open action on Sunday afternoon, when he faces familiar foe David Goffin. That all-seeded matchup is joined on the fourth-round schedule by an all-unseeded battle between Alex de Minaur and Grigor Dimitrov.
(3) Roger Federer vs. (15) David Goffin
You never want to run into Federer in the early rounds of a Grand Slam because it probably means you are going home almost right away. At the same time, though, you usually have a better chance of an upset. By the time Federer sinks his teeth into a tournament, it is generally bad news for the opponent. That could be the case for Goffin on Sunday, as Federer seems to have gotten in gear just in time for the proverbial second week of the event. Following somewhat lackluster four-set defeats of Sumit Nagal and Damir Dzumhur, the 38-year-old Swiss picked up the pace to destroy Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and 20 minutes.
This head-to-head series stands at 8-1 in favor of Federer, whose only losses to Goffin has come in the semis of the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals. They have squared off only twice on outdoor courts, with the third-ranked Swiss having taken all four of those sets. Goffin punched his ticket to the last 16 in New York by beating Corentin Moutet, Gregoire Barrere, and Pablo Carreno Busta while surrendering just one set to Moutet. The Belgian reached the semifinals in Cincinnati earlier this month, so it is safe to say that he has recaptured his 2017 form. Still, Goffin his never exactly hurt Federer with offensive weapons and more one-way traffic should be expected on Sunday.
Pick: Federer in 3
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Grigor Dimitrov vs. Alex de Minaur
De Minaur and Dimitrov will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Sunday. A whole lot of speed and more than a few wild rallies are surely in store for this one, not unlike the case between de Minaur and Kei Nishikori during third-round action on Friday. The 20-year-old Australian got through that contest 6-2, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 after previously defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Christian Garin. De Minaur’s stellar hard-court summer is highlighted by his second career ATP title in Atlanta.
Dimitrov lost to world No. 405 Kevin King in straight sets in the Atlanta first round, which had to be considered the low point of his prolonged slump. The 78th-ranked Bulgarian also exited right away from Montreal and Cincinnati, but those were more encouraging setbacks–especially in Cincinnati–at the hands of Stan Wawrinka. Dimitrov has been much luckier with his draw and much better on the court at Flushing Meadows, where he has dismissed Andreas Seppi and lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak while also getting a walkover from Borna Coric. This should be a fun one, with a slight edge going to de Minaur based on his current form and confidence from so many recent wins.
Pick: de Minaur in 5
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Demon and Fed in 4
Fed in four and De Minaur in five
Fed 3-1
De Minaur 3-2
Starting Capital: $10,000
Current Balance: $13,300
Return: 30.3%
Federer 3-1
Dimitrov to win at least a set
$500 @ 4.66
Nadal 3-0
Medvedev to win
Dimitrov to win at least 1 set
$500 @ 2.90
GOAT in 3; Dtrov in 4.
Goffin is getting smoked.
Federer is playing so well..I think he will win uso .
I’m a fan of Goffin Tennis! But he never plays close his best tennis versus his idol, Fed, is a bad match-up for him, indeed. And Fed is free to fly like the wind. Fed will fly until he runs into sterner competition in the SF, that’s my bracket opinion. Of course by then if he wins, there is always a chance Fed wins the title. But I have him losing in the SF.
Losing to djoko ? Neither dimi or minaur or wawrinka will beat him
No Sanju, I don’t think Novak will make it that far – he shouldn’t, considering the kind of pain in his left shoulder he’s managing right now. He’s had this problem quite some time. He played Wimbledon with it! It’s crazy imo.
I could not pick Nole to win here. I have Rafa winning his 19th GS. But first I worry about his next opponent, as Rafa fans would remind me, right? Rafa v Cilic.
Vamos Rafa!
I’m too embarrassed to say who I have in the final with Rafa 😀 and it’s not Fed or Nole.
Medvedev or Wawrinka? If so, neither is out of the question
Medvedev? He’ll be out very soon the way he’s playing against Koepfer! Medvedev is not going to last long anyway, no matter how defiant he may be.
I said neither was out of the question. But I actually picked Koepfer to beat Medvedev, I’m aware he isn’t playing that well. He’s fatigued from all the tennis he’s played over the past month. Meanwhile Koepfer is a beast, love his energy this tournament.
First preview desperately needs an edit
Watched most of the match. Roger was amazing. The forehand was brutal and reminded me of his 2005-08 forehand days!
Roger will be very difficult to stop if he keeps going like this.
Was guessing that a match v Goffin would help Fed’s confidence. And next Fed gets Dimitrov! h2h 7-0. Maybe the suddenly resurgent Dimitrov make a change to that dusty old record ? Or not…
Roger could get dangerous. It’s possible.
Didn’t watch the match but thought Goffin should be playing well; or maybe he’s playing like the way he played against Djoko at Wimbledon? Maybe once he faces the big three, whatever good form he has will just disappear? The big three are good at dismantling his game maybe?
Yes. Lucky. For all the joy I get watching Goffin fly around a tennis court, he is not the same player vs a big three. It’s very disappointing. I’ve cheered for him to beat Nole…at times. David becomes completely defensive and allow himself to be pushed back and around. He’s played Fed 8 times and only got 1 win at the year end finals. Also a win vs Novak probably in 2017 and one win vs Rafa iirc
I’m surprised that Dimi finally played well to come this far in a slam. Nobody gives him any chances against De Minaur; Fed in the next match, if he (Fed) continues to play so well, will be the end of the road for Dimi I’m afraid. Still, a QF for Dimi is not bad considering his form lately.
This was Federer’s best match since Wimby, by far. I was concerned after the loss in Cinci followed by two so-so matches to start here, but his last two performances have been great and this one sensational. Goffin wasn’t his best of course but he wasn’t terrible, either. He’s been playing terrific tennis, just made the Cinci final, but got totally smoked.
If Fed can maintain this level, I’d say he’s the favorite to win the tournament at this point. But that’s still a pretty big “if” given his record in NY over the last decade.