10SBALLS SHARES RICKY’S PICKS FOR DAY 3 AT THE U.S. OPEN TENNIS, INCLUDING RAFA RAFAEL NADAL VS. ANDREAS SEPPI AND BENOIT PAIRE VS. MARCOS BAGHDATIS

Written by: Staff on 30th August 2016

10SBALLS SHARES RICKY'S PICKS FOR DAY 3 AT THE U.S. OPEN TENNIS, INCLUDING RAFA RAFAEL NADAL VS. ANDREAS SEPPI AND BENOIT PAIRE VS. MARCOS BAGHDATIS

epa05514511 Rafael Nadal of Spain sweats as he plays Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan during their match on the first day of the US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 29 August 2016. The US Open runs through September 11. EPA/PETER FOLEY |

By Ricky Dimon

Second-round action at the U.S. Open will begin on Wednesday, with Rafael Nadal among those back in action. Andreas Seppi, whom Nadal just crushed at the Rio Olympics, will be on the other side of the net. Benoit Paire is going up against Marcos Baghdatis and John Isner will hope for a more routine second-round match when he faces Steve Darcis.

Ricky previews and makes his predictions for three of the most intriguing Wednesday matchups:

(4) Rafael Nadal vs. Andreas Seppi

Nadal and Seppi will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers and for the second time this summer when they meet again on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at 7-1 in favor of Nadal, who most recently disposed of Seppi 6-3, 6-3 at the Olympics. That result was nothing out of the ordinary for the world No. 5, who has won 10 consecutive sets at Seppi’s expense–eight of them no more competitive than 6-3. Nadal’s 10-set streak started after the Italian scored his lone victory via a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision eight years ago in Rotterdam.

The Spaniard parlayed his recent win over Seppi into a fourth-place showing at the Olympics, where he also won the doubles gold medal with Marc Lopez. Nadal was clearly too fatigued to do anything in Cincinnati, but he got back in business by thrashing Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Monday in New York City. That looks like bad news for Seppi, who advanced with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Stephane Robert. The Italian has dipped to No. 87 in the world and he will continue to be saddled with a losing record in 2016 (currently 18-19) if he falls to Nadal.

Pick: Nadal in 3

(32) Benoit Paire vs. Marcos Baghdatis

Nothing screams five-setter quite like Paire playing an early-round match at the U.S. Open. The Frenchman contested the sixth first-round match of his career at this event on Monday and it resulted in his fifth five-setter, as he survived a cramping Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 2-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. The only occasion on which Paire did not go to a fifth set in the opening round was in 2012, but he promptly went the distance with Philipp Kohlschreiber (lost 6-7(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(4)) two days after defeating Grigor Dimitrov in four. The defeat of Lajovic was much needed for the world No. 34, who is just 21-24 on the season and had been 1-4 in his last five matches prior to this fortnight.

Up next for Paire on Wednesday in what should be an entertaining affair with Baghdatis. The head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of Paire, who got the job done at the 2013 French Open and two years later in Tokyo following a three-set win for Baghdatis on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam in 2013. Baghdatis booked his spot in this contest by getting a third-set retirement from Facundo Bagnis, although the Cypriot was well on his way to victory leading 6-4, 6-2, 1-1. He is 21-17 for the season and has reached at least the third round in three of his last four tournaments. The trend should continue for Baghdatis against an opponent who is short on confidence and coming off a tough five-set battle.

Pick: Baghdatis in 5

Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus hits a return to Facundo Bagnis of Argentina during their match on the first day of the US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 29 August 2016. The US Open runs through September 11. EPA/JUSTIN LANE

(20) John Isner vs. (Q) Steve Darcis

Final sets–and especially deciding final-set tiebreakers–have been Isner’s Achilles’ heel in 2016, but might things finally turn around for him in New York? The disturbing trend of brutal losses ended, at least temporarily, for the American during first-round action on Monday. Isner trailed by two sets to love and by 5-3 in the fifth before surging back to beat 18-year-old countryman Frances Tiafoe 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(3) in three hours and 27 minutes. The 20th seed had previously been 0-6 in final-set tiebreakers this season, and that does not even include a Wimbledon setback against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (19-17 in the fifth) and a trio of double-tiebreaker losses (against Steve Johnson in Washington, D.C., Nick Kyrgios in Atlanta, and Milos Raonic in Cincinnati).

When Isner has gotten through five-setters in the past, they have still proven to be his undoing later in slam events due to having expended his energy. The good news in this case, however, is that the world No. 21 did not struggle physically against Tiafoe and–perhaps just as importantly–Darcis is coming off a five-setter of his own, also from two sets down. Darcis, who has never played Isner, needed four hours and 11 minutes to overcome Jordan Thompson 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-5. For the world No. 106, it marked just his second ATP-level win of the entire season.

Pick: Isner in 3

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

John Isner of the US reacts as he plays Frances Tiafoe of the US during their match on the first day of the US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 29 August 2016. The US Open runs through September 11. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

Topics: 10sballs.com, Andreas Seppi, Atp World Tour, Benoit Paire, Flushing Meadows, John Isner, Marcos Baghdatis, Rafa Nadal, Ricky Dimon, Sports, Steve Darcis, Tennis News, US Open