The top half of the U.S. Open draw is absolutely loaded and it will take center stage again on Saturday, when third-round action resumes. Alexander Zverev is going up against Grigor Dimitrov and Jannik Sinner is facing Stan Wawrinka.
(12) Alexander Zverev vs. (19) Grigor Dimitrov
Zverev and Dimitrov will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they meet again in round three of the U.S. Open on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-1 in favor of Zverev, who has been absolutely dominant since losing their first-ever encounter nine years ago on the indoor hard courts of Basel. The German’s five-match winning streak includes a pair of beatdowns this season; 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 at Roland Garros and 6-2, 6-2 at the Cincinnati Masters.
Can Dimitrov finally turn the tide? On one hand, the Bulgarian needed more than four and half hours to get past Alex Molcan after saving three match points in the first round. On the other hand, he crushed Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 in the second round. Zverev, meanwhile, mostly cruised past Aleksandar Vukic and Daniel Altmaeir to continue his impressive comeback season. Dimitrov is a dangerous opponent, but it’s hard to see the veteran playing consistently enough over the course of a best-of-five match to finally end his losing streak against Zverev.
Pick: Zverev in 4
Stan Wawrinka vs. (6) Jannik Sinner
Sinner has not been on the tour for that long, but this will already be his sixth meeting with Wawrinka–and second at the U.S. Open. They faced each other during first-round action in 2019, when Wawrinka prevailed 6-3, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3. Sinner dropped their first two encounters (also in 2019 on the indoor hard courts of Antwerp), but the 22-year-old Italian has since taken a 3-2 lead in the head-to-head series with a four-set win last summer at Wimbledon and a pair of blowouts already in 2023 (6-1, 6-3 in Rotterdam and 6-1, 6-4 in Indian Wells).
Nonetheless, Wawrinka cannot be entirely discounted. The 38-year-old Swiss is still going strong at 49th in the rankings and he is a former U.S. Open champion (2016). So far this week he has knocked off Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets and Tomas Martin Etcheverry in four. A red-hot Sinner made mincemeat out of both Yannick Hanfmann and Lorenzo Sonego to earn his place in the last 32. This is may be a mouth-watering matchup on paper, but Wawrinka would do well simply to take just one set.
Pick: Sinner in 4
who ya got?
Poor Djere. He deserves a big win and to go deep into a major or two. He has more than enough ability.
Both matches should be fun to watch: Zv in 4; Sinner in 4.
Dimitrov could benefit from a bit of sports psychology. IMO, it’s the only thing holding him back.
You have to be able to bounce back from disappointment straight away.