Day three arrives at the U.S. Open and that’s where we’ll move on with our tennis picks. Looking back to Tuesday’s action, we had a relatively productive day with our tennis picks. We went 2-1 on the day, but our lone loss was a withdrawal.
We took a shot with Borna Coric with the assumption that he’d take care of Feliciano Lopez. However, that never came to fruition. Coric was leading 4-3 in the first set before he was forced to retire. The good news is we cashed in with our other two picks on the day. We had Andy Murray to advance and he had no problems in doing so. Murray had a relatively easy opponent in Lukas Rosol, and he made it look that way. Murray won in straight sets as Rosol only won seven games in total. We also had Stan Wawrinka with our picks and while he was challenged a little bit more by Fernando Verdasco, he also won in straight sets. The first set went to a tiebreaker before Wawrinka won the final two 6-4, 6-4.
Let’s see what’s on tap as the tournament begins to take on new and added textures.
Novak Djokovic vs Jiri Vesely
Djokovic played his first match in over three weeks since his heart-rending loss to Juan Martin del Potro at the Olympics. Djokovic found himself away from the game due to his injured wrist, but it was his right elbow that bothered him the most in his first-round encounter with Jerzy Janowicz. Janowicz delighted the crowd with some mind-blowing forehands, solid backhands, and gorgeous droppers, but it all lasted one set. The super Serb stepped up and took control in the next two sets to wrap the match 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
Jiri Vesely sent shockwaves through the tennis world when he beat the Serb in Monte Carlo earlier this year. He became one of only four men to defeat Djokovic in a completed match this year. Can Vesely bring his A+ game and beat Djokovic again? No. Djokovic is not a hundred percent fit. Yes, best of five sets is Djokovic’s personal colony. Yes, Djokovic hasn’t looked more vulnerable. Yet, he is Novak Djokovic, the dominant World No.1. Expect him to win, so take him with your tennis picks.
Prediction: Djokovic in four sets
Marcos Baghdatis vs Benoit Paire
Get ready for this one. There is a five setter written all over it. Last year, in the first round, Benoit Paire surprised himself and tennis world by knocking Kei Nishikori out of the U.S. Open in five grueling sets. This year, again, he was involved in another five-set battle, as he overcame Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 2-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. Paire is a dismal 21-24 on the year and has hardly won any matches in the U.S. Open tune-ups.
Paire faces Baghdatis on Wednesday in what promises to be an enticing contest. Paire leads the head-to-head record 2-1. In complete contrast to Paire, the Cypriot sailed smoothly through his opening round, 6-4, 6-2, 1-1 courtesy a third set retirement from Facundo Bagnis. Paire is short on form and is coming off a taxing five setter. Expect Baghdatis to come good. He’s the better bet for your tennis picks.
Prediction: Baghdatis in four sets
Rafael Nadal vs Andreas Seppi
Nadal and Seppi squared off recently in Rio and the Spaniard took care of him in straight sets. The Italian has never felt comfortable as his lopsided head-to-head record suggests, 7-1 in favor of Nadal. Since Seppi’s only victory over Nadal in Rotterdam in 2008, he hasn’t taken a set off Nadal.
Nadal didn’t fare well in Cincinnati, bowing out to Borna Coric in straight sets. However, his singles and doubles commitments for his country at the Olympics, and tight ATP scheduling meant he hardly had any time to rest and it left him fatigued in Ohio. However, he began his U.S. Open campaign with a bang, dismissing Denis Istomin in three easy sets. For Seppi, his matchup with Nadal doesn’t bode well. His aspirations to go any further in the tournament are not in good shape. Take him with your tennis picks in this spot.
Prediction: Nadal in straight sets
