First-round action at the U.S. Open gets underway on Sunday, when Jiri Lehecka and Pablo Carreno Busta take the court. The winner of Jaime Faria vs. Jenson Brooksby would be on a collision course with Carlos Alcaraz for round two.
(18) Jiri Lehecka vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Lehecka and Carreno Busta will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the third time this season when they meet again in round one of the U.S. Open on Sunday. This is not their first rodeo to begin a Grand Slam, either. They faced each other right away at Roland Garros three months ago, when Carreno Busta rolled to a 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-3 upset. Lehecka won their previous meeting 7-6(6), 6-4 on the hard courts of Dubai.
It’s safe to say that these two players have gone in different directions since the French Open. Lehecka reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and the fourth round in Montreal. Carreno Busta is 4-6 in his last 10 matches and retired from his opening match in Winston-Salem this past week due to a back injury. With the 35-year-old Spaniard a question mark physically and having to face Lehecka on a hard court like he did back in February, this should go the Czech’s way.
Pick: Lehecka in 4
Jaime Faria vs. Jenson Brooksby
Whoever wins this match will go up against Carlos Alcaraz in round two — if Alcaraz begins his comeback with a victory over Roman Safiullin on Monday. This also marks the third encounter between Faria and Brooksby after they just faced each other in Cincinnati, where Faria rolled 6-3, 6-2. Brooksby had previously prevailed in four sets at the 2025 French Open — also in the first round.
Is there any reason to think that the outcome will be different from what transpired in Cincinnati? Probably not. Conditions in New York are similar, plus it’s not like Brooksby is a considerably better Grand Slam performer than Faria. After all, the 23-year-old advanced to the Roland Garros third round as a qualifier (lost to Frances Tiafoe in five sets) and to the Wimbledon second round as qualifier. Faria went through qualifying again in Cincinnati and upset Montreal champion Ben Shelton en route to the last 16. Brooksby is not playing poorly, but the 25-year-old American doesn’t have the same mojo as his opponent right now.
Pick: Faria in 4
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