RICKY DIMON’S PICKS AT THE 2015 U.S. OPEN TENNIS, INCLUDING RAFAEL NADAL VS. FABIO FOGNINI AND TOMMY ROBREDO VS. BENOIT PAIRE

Written by: Staff on 3rd September 2015

RICKY DIMON'S PICKS AT THE 2015 U.S. OPEN TENNIS, INCLUDING RAFAEL NADAL VS. FABIO FOGNINI AND TOMMY ROBREDO VS. BENOIT PAIRE

epa04907080 Fabio Fognini of Italy hits a return to Steve Johnson of the US during their match on the first day of the 2015 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 31 August 2015. The US Open runs through 13 September, which is a return to a 14-day schedule. EPA/JASON SZENES |

Ricky’s Day 5 picks at the U.S. Open, including Nadal vs. Fognini and Robredo vs. Paire

By Ricky Dimon

The first day of third-round action at the U.S. Open will be highlighted by a night-session showdown featuring Rafael Nadal and Fabio Fognini. But there is plenty else on a jam-packed schedule, including Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer, and an intriguing matchup between Tommy Robredo and Benoit Paire.

Previews and picks for some of Friday’s schedule:

(32) Fabio Fognini vs. (8) Rafael Nadal

Nadal leads the head-to-head series 5-2 but trails it 2-1 in 2015. Fognini got him on the clay courts of Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona before Nadal exacted a measure of revenge in the Hamburg final via a 7-5, 7-5 decision. Coming into the U.S. Open, Fognini had not won a single hard-court match this entire season. But perhaps more motivated at a Grand Slam, Fognini did not have too much trouble with either Steve Johnson or Pablo Cuevas–both very capable opponents. Nadal has been solid but unspectacular while getting past Borna Coric and Diego Schwartzman. These guys will take turns battling bouts of inconsistency, but–as always–Fognini’s lows will be much lower than those of Nadal. Nadal in 4.

Benoit Paire vs. (26) Tommy Robredo

After squaring off only once prior to this season, Robredo and Paire cannot avoid each other. This will be their third meeting since Wimbledon. Paire won twice in the span of four days, beating the Spaniard in the Bastad final before winning a three-setter in Hamburg–also on clay. Although the slow stuff should favor Robredo, so too should the U.S. Open hard courts. The 33-year-old has pretty much made a living off second weeks of Grand Slams and he is one win away from an insane 10th trip to the last 16 in New York. Paire looks like a new player following his upset of Kei Nishikori, but getting the best of Robredo at this particular event may be too much to ask. Robredo in 5.

(27) Jeremy Chardy vs. (7) David Ferrer

Also familiar foes, Ferrer and Chardy have collided eight times already. Ferrer is dominating the head-to-head series 7-1, but they have met only three times on hard courts and two of the three went to final sets. For perhaps the first time ever, Chardy heads into the encounter as something other than a heavy underdog. He’s not the favorite, but his chances are certainly better than usual. Whereas Ferrer missed almost all of this summer with an elbow injury, the Frenchman made a run to the Montreal semifinals. Although Ferrer has impressed by getting back in gear with two wins this week, I picked Chardy at the start of the tournament and he has not given me a reason to change. Chardy in 5.

(10) Milos Raonic vs. (18) Feliciano Lopez

This is another matchup to which we extremely accustomed. Five of their six previous meetings have come in the last three years, including two already this season. Raonic won in five at the Australian Open before Lopez took advantage of a struggling Canadian in Cincinnati. The same vulnerable Raonic appears to be on display in New York. He has not been 100 percent since a foot injury sidelined him from the French Open and he persevered through a back problem on Wednesday against Fernando Verdasco. Lopez did not play great against Mardy Fish, but he is a decent 3-3 lifetime against Raonic and all of those have come with Raonic in strong form. Lopez in 4.

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (25) Andreas Seppi

Seppi hopes that nobody beats him 11 times in a row as he takes the court against Djokovic during third-round action at the U.S. Open on Friday. Actually, it is already too late for that for the veteran Italian. Roger Federer got the best of Seppi on 10 consecutive occasions before the underdog pulled off an upset at this year’s Australian Open. Seppi also hopes the 11th time is the charm against Djokovic, who is dominating the head-to-head series 10-0. Chances are it won’t be! Djokovic in 3.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return to Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria during their match on the third day of the 2015 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 02 September 2015. The US Open runs through 13 September, which is a return to a 14-day schedule. EPA/JUSTIN LANE

(23) Roberto Bautista Agut vs. (14) David Goffin

A 25-match winning streak last summer propelled Goffin up the rankings and he is now a staple of the top 20. The 14th-seeded Belgian improved to 30-19 this season over early-round U.S. Open wins over Simone Bolelli (three sets) and Ricardas Berankis (five). Whereas Goffin is on the rise, Bautista Agut has been taking a step back throughout 2015. The 23rd-ranked Spaniard, who peaked at No. 14 last season, has lost 22 matches in 2015 compared to a modest 28 wins. This will be a baseline battle of pure ball-striking, but current form gives Goffin the edge in just about every department. Goffin in 4.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: 10sballs.com, 2015 US Open, Atp World Tour, Benoit Paire, Fabio Fognini, Rafa Nadal, Ricky Dimon, Sports, Tennis News, Tommy Robredo, US Open tennis

Follow 10SBALLS.COM on:

Facebook:

Twitter:

10sBalls_com says:

September 3, 2015 at 8:54 pm

@Dimonator’s PICKS AT THE 2015 @usopen #TENNIS, INCLUDING @RafaelNadal VS. @fabiofogna AND @TRobredo VS. @benoitpaire http://t.co/BKG2TepIZE