Cincinnati champion Daniil Medvedev will attempt to recover from second-round cramping in his last of 32 encounter with Feliciano Lopez on Friday. Stan Wawrinka will also be in third-round action against Italian veteran Paolo Lorenzi.
(5) Daniil Medvedev vs. Feliciano Lopez
Under most circumstances, this would be an easy call for a win. The Russian has been the in-form hard-court player of the summer. He made the final in Washington, D.C, the final in Montreal, and then he went on to take the title in Cincinnati. The problem is that he played an awful lot of tennis along the way–and his body seems to be rebelling a bit. The No. 5 seed just barely managed to take out Hugo Dellien of Bolivia due to vicious cramping in the third and fourth sets.
It doesn’t help Medvedev’s cause that he has to play a second day in a row, either, as a result of rain suspending play on all outside courts on Wednesday. Unless Medvedev makes a miraculous recovery in a day, Lopez is going to have a great chance to nab the upset. The Spanish is also playing two days in a row, and he also played four sets in his second-round match against Yoshihito Nishioka. But since he could still move at the end of his match, he’ll have the edge against Medvedev.
Cheryl pick: Lopez in 4
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 3
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(23) Stan Wawrinka vs. Paolo Lorenzi
Like most of the top half, Wawrinka and Lorenzi take the court for the second straight day. Wawrinka has had some issues with his form coming into this event, but he had a solid if expected win over Jeremy Chardy in his second-round match. And he faces world No. 135 Lorenzi for a spot in the US Open round of 16, a favorable draw to be sure.
Lorenzi came up through qualifying in New York. The effort paid off, as the draw gods smiled kindly on him by pitting him against world No. 1415 Zachary Svajda in the first round. Lorenzi then upset Miomir Kecmanovic in five tough sets on Thursday to earn his third-round berth. His good fortune seems destined to stop on Friday, however. Wawrinka is a three-time Grand Slam winner who knows how to win at big events.
Wawrinka should come through this one fairly comfortably.
Cheryl pick: Wawrinka in 3
Ricky pick: Wawrinka in 3
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