Rafael Nadal will take on the 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic for a spot in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard, a fixture in the business end of this event, last won the title in New York in 2017. Alexander Zverev is also in action against Diego Schwartzman.
(2) Rafael Nadal vs. (22) Marin Cilic
The bottom half of the draw has a bit of the wild west about it, with seeds dropping early and often. Yet Nadal remains firmly in place, inching his way ever-closer to the final weekend of play. He has reached the quarterfinals or better at every major since he won the 2017 U.S. Open, and he’s reached at least the semis since he captured the 2018 French Open title.
Nadal has only played two matches this fortnight, thanks to a second-round walkover. He was ruthlessly efficient in his first round match against John Millman, but his first serve was a bit inconsistent against Hyeon Chung in the third round, though he won both in straight sets.
Cilic has had some patchy results this year. Coming into New York, he was 15-13 on the season with no titles to his name. His play seems to have improved in the first week at Flushing Meadows, with a fine win over American John Isner in the third round. Cilic notched a win over Nadal at the Australian Open in 2018, but the Spaniard was forced to retire at 0-2 in the fifth set with a right leg injury.
Nadal is the heavy favorite to advance to the quarterfinals, but if he has another low first serve percentage day, as he did against Chung, he’s going to make things difficult for himself.
Cheryl pick: Nadal in 3
Ricky pick: Nadal in 3
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(6) Alexander Zverev vs. (20) Diego Schwartzman
That Sascha Zverev is in the second week of the U.S. Open is already an accomplishment. The German has never been past the third round in New York. As usual, he hasn’t had an easy time of it in the early rounds. He had a couple of 5-set matches in the first two rounds and a highly competitive four-set match in the third round against Aljaz Bedene.
By contrast, Diego Schwartzman picked up three straightforward wins to earn his spot in the round of 16. The Argentine, who won the event in Los Cabos, has played better hard court-tennis than Zverev this summer. He and Zverev have met twice and split the wins, but Schwartzman’s win came all the way back in 2014, while Zverev’s came at the Paris Masters last year.
Despite the ranking difference, it would seem that Schwartzman will actually have a slight edge on Monday. Zverev has not been able to maintain his intensity in his first three matches. Both his serve and his focus seemed to drift in and out. Schwartzman, who is in good form right now, is going to be much more likely to be able to take advantage.
Cheryl pick: Schwartzman in 5
Ricky pick: Schwartzman in 4
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