TENNIS • RICKY’S PREVIEW & PICKS FOR THE 2017 U.S. OPEN, INCLUDING ISNER VS. CHUNG AND TSONGA VS. SHAPOVALOV

Written by: Staff on 29th August 2017

TENNIS • RICKY'S PREVIEW & PICKS FOR THE 2017 U.S. OPEN, INCLUDING ISNER VS. CHUNG AND TSONGA VS. SHAPOVALOV

epa06168882 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France hits a return to Marius Copil of Romania on the first day of the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 28 August 2017. The US Open runs through September 10. EPA-EFE/PETER FOLEY |

By Ricky Dimon

The U.S. Open second round begins on Wednesday, when John Isner, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Alexander Zverev are among those continuing their campaigns. Zverev has an intriguing contest on his hands against fellow up-and-comer Borna Coric, while Tsonga is facing another rising star in Denis Shapovalov.

Ricky previews some of the more intriguing matchups and makes his predictions.

Hyeon Chung vs. (10) John Isner: Their only previous meeting came last spring on the clay courts of Houston, where Isner got the job done 7-6(5), 6-4. Chung once again has the misfortune of facing the 6’10” American on United States soil. Isner has been up to his usual tricks again at his favorite time of every year, with titles in Newport and Atlanta to go along with a semifinal showing in Cincinnati. More of the same should continue with a favorable draw in New York. Isner in 3.

(8) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. (Q) Denis Shapovalov: Shapovalov’s rise–mainly due to a semifinal run in Montreal–came after the U.S. Open entry deadline and he didn’t get a wild card. No matter. The 18-year-old won three qualifying matches and maintained momentum by crushing Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Monday. Tsonga had no trouble taking care of Marius Copil, but that marked the Frenchman’s first victory since Wimbledon. A major edge in current form goes to Shapovalov, who is playing the best tennis of his young career. Shapovalov in 4.

Alexander Zverev of Germany hits a return to Darian King of Barbados on the first day of the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 28 August 2017. The US Open runs through September 10. EPA-EFE/PETER FOLEY

Borna Coric vs. (4) Alexander Zverev: This is a great matchup in that it pits two the game’s future stars against each other. But only one is a true star of the present. That, of course, is Zverev. The 20-year-old has won two Masters 1000 titles this season (Rome and Montreal), playing his way into a top-four seed at a slam. Zverev had some early-tournament jitters as one of the favorites for the first time in his career at a major when he beat Darian King on Monday night (Tuesday morning), but he should raise his level in match two. Zverev in 3.

Steve Johnson vs. Kyle Edmund: They just faced each other in Winston-Salem, where Edmund prevailed 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. But Johnson coasted 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 at the 2015 Australian Open, so the head-to-head series is all tied up. And Edmund’s Winston-Salem run ended with a dreadful 6-4, 6-2 loss to Damir Dzumhur. Johnson is among the sentimental favorites at this year’s U.S. Open, so the American crowd should see him through a tough one. Johnson in 5.

(16) Lucas Pouille vs. Jared Donaldson: Pouille has been losing left and right to Americans this year, and he has been losing to pretty much everyone of late. The Frenchman’s win over Ruben Bemelmans on Monday was his first since the opening round of Wimbledon, a stretch that saw him fall to Donaldson 7-6(5), 7-6(8) in Montreal. Donaldson, on the other hand, is playing far the best tennis of his young career. The 20-year-old American struggled physically at the end of his round-one win over Nikoloz Basilashvili, but he should prevail as long as he is 100 percent. Donaldson in 4.

(23) Mischa Zverev vs. Benoit Paire: Paire was almost as bad as his fellow Frenchman Pouille in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. That stretch included a woeful 6-2, 6-1 setback against Mitchell Krueger in Cincinnati. Paire managed to beat lucky loser Lukas Lacko on Monday, but he will need to do a lot more than just beat Lukas Lacko in order to restore some confidence. Although Zverev has cooled off since a hot start to the year, his serve-and-volley tactics will likely frustrate Paire to no end. Zverev in 4.