U.S. Open R1 previews and predictions: Lehecka vs. Karatsev, Davidovich Fokina vs. Giron

Jiri Lehecka will be making a quick turnaround following his exploits in Winston-Salem when he faces Aslan Karatsev in round one of the U.S. Open. Monday’s schedule also includes Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Marcos Giron.

Aslan Karatsev vs. Jiri Lehecka

Lehecka and Karatsev will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round one of the U.S. Open on Monday. Having finished runner-up in Winston-Salem this past week, Lehecka will have only one full day of rest in between matches. On the bright side for the 29th-ranked Czech, he got a semifinal walkover from Sebastian Korda and his loss to Sebastian Baez in the final was a straight-setter. As such, Lehecka should have enough left in the tank to maintain his fine form.

The story is a much different one for Karatsev, who has a losing record on the ATP Tour this season (13-14) and is struggling down at 77th in the rankings. He has played six consecutive tournaments without advancing past the second round and his hard-court record this summer stands at 1-2. Lehecka has been awesome at Grand Slams in 2023 (Australian Open quarterfinals, Wimbledon fourth round) and he will likely get off to a routine start in New York.

Pick: Lehecka in 4

Marcos Giron vs. (21) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

This showdown between Davidovich Fokina and Giron should be one of the more entertaining first-round matchups between two baseliners who are both in stellar form this year. Davidovich Fokina is up to a career-high ranking of 21st in the world and his hard-court summer already includes a semifinal run at the Toronto Masters. Giron advanced to round three in Toronto, giving the 62nd-ranked American an impressive 18 match victories on the main tour in 2023.

Their only previous encounter came last spring on the red clay of Monte-Carlo, where Davidovich Fokina prevailed 7-5, 6-3. It will probably be more competitive this time around, as Giron has home-court advantage in the United States and will have a better chance on hard courts. Still, it’s the Spaniard’s match to lose; he is playing great tennis at the moment and has a much more extensive history of success at Grand Slams.

Pick: Davidovich Fokina in 5