The U.S. Open watched Milos Raonic and Garbine Muguruza exit the tournament on Wednesday. This doesn’t affect the other half of the draw which plays Thursday, but it does send the message that no one is safe and no one should take anything for granted. We had a more successful day with our tennis picks than those two as we went 3-0 with our selections. That included Marco Baghdatis, who beat Benoit Paire in four sets, Novak Djokovic, who won in a walkover over Jiri Vesely, and Rafael Nadal, who had no problems cruising past Andrea Seppi in straight sets.
Will the higher seeds be able to avoid upsets and move into the third round of the men’s draw?
Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Steve Johnson
The 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has made a winning return to the Big Apple since his soul-crushing defeat to Lleyton Hewitt in 2013. In an all-Argentine affair, Del Potro beat Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(3) in a noisy Louis Armstrong Stadium in the first round. Delpo has had to miss multiple U.S. Opens due to the injuries which have dogged him over the years. Now he’s back, and he’s trying to make a run after winning an Olympic silver medal in Rio.
In a draw made for great tennis theater, Del Potro plays Steve Johnson, who before the draws got revealed had famously said the decision to give del Potro a wildcard could leave a lot of American fans upset if he beats one of the top home players. Imagine the scenes if del Potro beats Johnson. The American overcame a two-sets-to-none deficit to beat Evgeny Donskoy 4-6, 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-3 and set up a blockbuster round of 64 encounter.
Against Johnson, Del Potro will look to continue the similar tactic of building the rally with his backhand slices and gun down the forehand at every presented opportunity. Johnson is ranked 119 spots higher than del Potro but he’ll have little or no chance if the towering Argentine starts serving bombs and drilling forehands. Del Potro is the better option for your tennis picks.
Prediction: Del Potro in four sets
David Ferrer vs. Fabio Fognini
The ultimate competitor David Ferrer is at the end of his career. He has suffered a drop in form and has been injury-stricken in 2016. This year has also seen the 2013 French Open finalist drop out of world’s top 10 for the first time in six years. The two-time semifinalist in New York was 6-5 up in the first set when Alexandr Dolgopolov was forced to retire with an injury.
Next up for Ferrer is Fabio Fognini, who for two years running has made miraculous comebacks at the U.S. Open from hopeless situations. Down in the dumps at 6-7(9), 3-6, he mounted a stunning fightback to beat Teymuraz Gabashvili 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-4 in the next three sets. Ferrer owns the head-to-head series 9-0, but the mercurial Italian has won 7 of his last 10 matches. Ferrer’s suspect form and Fognini’s unpredictability are what make this a spicy affair. Fognini is the in form player and his comeback victory in the first round will only bolster his confidence. Take him with your tennis picks.
Prediction: Fognini in four sets
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Jeremy Chardy
Dimitrov and Chardy have been pitted against each other on three occasions. Dimitrov leads the head-to-head 2-1 but they have engaged in some enthralling battles in the past. Chardy beat him handsomely in their first match at Roland Garros in 2011. In 2012, at the Australian Open, Dimitrov avenged his defeat in a close five-set duel. In Brisbane last year, Dimitrov came up victorious in a highly intense battle.
Dimitrov seemed lost in the first half of the season, but Dani Vallverdu’s presence as a coach has brought a calming quality to the Bulgarian’s game and better tactical approach. With a quarterfinal appearance in Toronto and then a semifinal showing in the Cincinnati Masters, Dimitrov has pulled his season back on track. The Bulgarian’s resurgence has left many pundits split on whether he’s going to revive his career. That might be too big an issue for one match, but Dimitrov is in a good place verus Chardy. He should win, so take him with your tennis picks.
Prediction: Dimitrov in four sets
