U.S. Open R2 previews and predictions: Fritz vs. Simon, Zverev vs. Nakashima

American Taylor Fritz will take on the French veteran Gilles Simon for a spot in the U.S. Open third round. Also in Wednesday action are Alexander Zverev and Brandon Nakashima.

(19) Taylor Fritz vs. Gilles Simon

American Taylor Fritz is a whisper from his career high ranking of No. 24 in the world, which he achieved in March of this year on the strength of a run to the finals in Acapulco. He didn’t fare particularly well at the Cincinnati Masters last week, where he lost in the second round to Aljaz Bedene.

Fritz’s second-round opponent is the French veteran Gilles Simon. The Frenchman is ranked No. 52 in the world. He limped through the first few months of 2020. Until Marseille, where he made the semis, Simon won two matches in five tournaments played.

Simon took a beating in qualies last week at the Cincinnati Masters at the hands of world No. 225 Sebastian Korda. He pocketed a first round win this week over world Mohamed Safwat, but Fritz is a different caliber player.

The two men met once before back in 2016. Simon snagged the win, although that was when Fritz was still a teenager and probably doesn’t offer much in the way of prediction.

Cheryl pick: Fritz in 3

Ricky pick: Simon in 5

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(5) Alexander Zverev vs. Brandon Nakashima

In an individual sport like tennis, inconsistent results are somewhat expected. An off day because of illness or injury could mean an early exit from a tournament, even for players in the top 10. But there are few players ranked as high as Zverev is–No. 7 in the world–that are as wildly inconsistent as he is.

For his efforts in 2020, Zverev has three consecutive losses at the ATP Cup, a semifinal showing at the Australian Open, and exactly one match win in his other two tournaments (including an ouster at the hands of Andy Murray in the second round last week).

Brandon Nakashima is trying to make a mark in the tennis world. He had a good run to semifinals of the Indian Wells Challenger but was dispatched in the first round of qualies in Cincinnati last week by Marton Fucsovics. He did well to get past Paolo Lorenzi in the first round earlier this week, but Zverev is a mighty obstacle for a player ranked 223rd in the world.

Cheryl pick: Zverev in 3

Ricky pick: Zverev in 4

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