U.S. Open R4 previews and predictions: Medvedev vs. Evans, Alcaraz vs. Gojowyczk

Daniil Medvedev has become an overwhelming favorite in the bottom half of the U.S. Open draw and he will try to keep his title bid going at the expense of Dan Evans on Sunday. A much more surprising fourth-round matchup pits Carlos Alcaraz against Peter Gojowyczk.

(24) Dan Evans vs. (2) Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev and Evans will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon. With Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev exiting New York prematurely, Mevedev has become an even bigger favorite in the bottom half of the bracket than he was when the tournament began. The second seed is playing like it, too, with straight-set blowouts of Richard Gasquet, Dominik Koepfer, and Pablo Andujar. Medvedev is now 11-1 in his last 12 matches, a stretch that includes the Toronto title.

Evans took a much different route to the fourth round. The 27th-ranked Brit needed four sets to beat Thiago Monteiro and Marcos Giron before coming back from two sets down for a 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(1) victory over Alexei Popyrin on Friday. This has come pretty much out of nowhere for Evans, who had been 1-5 in his last six matches dating back to Wimbledon before arriving at Flushing Meadows. Sunday is surely where it will come to an end, as the 27-year-old doesn’t have the offensive firepower with which to hit through Medvedev.

Pick: Medvedev in 3 losing 11-14 games

(Q) Peter Gojowyczk vs. Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz produced by far the biggest moment of his career on Friday, upsetting Tsitsipas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5) amidst a raucous atmosphere in Arthur Ashe Stadium. It’s never easy to bounce right back from such an amazing and draining performance, but Alcaraz just doesn’t seem like a normal 18-year-old–and he may not know any better to be nervous. Plus, if he can pass a test against Tsitsipas in Arthur Ashe he can definitely handle a match against Gojowyczk in the Grandstand.

It’s not like Gojowyczk is going to fresh mentally or physically, either. The 141st-ranked German has already played six matches in New York (three to qualify for the main draw) and has played 14 total sets through three rounds. There is quite simply a massive gap in natural talent in this matchup, and it’s a huge opportunity that Alcaraz almost certainly won’t let go to waste.

Pick: Alcaraz in 3