U.S. Open R4 previews and predictions: De Minaur vs. Thompson, Draper vs. Machac

The most up-for-grabs section of the U.S. Open draw will decide its quarterfinalists on Monday, when an all-Aussie showdown features Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson. Jack Draper and Tomas Machac are also in action.

(10) Alex de Minaur vs. Jordan Thompson

De Minaur and Thompson will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when the two Australians face each other in one of the biggest matches of their careers on Monday. A spot in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open is at stake. De Minaur leads the head-to-head series 4-1, including 3-0 on outdoor hard courts and 6-0 in total sets in those three matches. They last met in 2022, when the current world No. 10 cruised 6-2, 6-3 at the Miami Masters.

Enjoying by far the best season of his career, De Minaur is bidding for a third consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. The 25-year-old went into this tournament as a question mark because of a hip injury and he did not look 100 percent through two rounds, but he was back to being his normal self in a 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-0, 6-0 victory over Dan Evans on Saturday night. Thompson, on the other hand, has never made it to a major quarterfinal and this is just his second trip the round of 16 (previously advanced this far at the 2020 U.S. Open). The Atlanta runner-up has maintained his fine form with victories this fortnight over Constant Lestienne, Hubert Hurkacz, and Matteo Arnaldi. Unfortunately for Thompson, the counter-punching De Minaur matches up very well with the 30-year-old’s aggressive and occasional net-charging tactics. Now that the 10th seed seems healthy again, this should be mostly one-way traffic.

Pick: De Minaur in 4

[yop_poll id=”1501″]

(25) Jack Draper vs. Tomas Machac

Another surprising fourth-round affair pits Draper against Machac for the fourth time. Somewhat surprisingly, Machac has won all three of their previous encounters–two at the Challenger level and 7-6(6), 6-1 in the Geneva first round this spring on the way to his first and only ATP final appearance (lost to Casper Ruud).

This one promises to be high-quality encounter between two in-form players. Machac, a 23-year-old Czech, has earned 23 of his 39 main-tour match victories this season, including three in New York at the expense of Fabio Fognini, Sebastian Korda, and David Goffin. He has not dropped a set and has not even been pushed to a single tiebreaker. Draper, a champion in Stuttgart and quarterfinalist in Cincinnati, has advanced past Zhizhen Zhang, Facundo Diaz Acosta, and Botic van de Zandschulp. Not a single set in the first three rounds was more competitive than 6-4. In perhaps the biggest match of both guys’ careers, Draper’s ability to win free points on serve in the pressure moments may make the difference.

Pick: Draper in 5

[yop_poll id=”1500″]