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
[polldaddy poll=10397784]
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
[polldaddy poll=10397783]
Leave a Reply