RICKY’S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR DAY 4 AT THE U.S. OPEN, INCLUDING NADAL VS. DANIEL AND FEDERER VS. YOUZHNY

Written by: Staff on 30th August 2017

RICKY'S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR DAY 4 AT THE U.S. OPEN, INCLUDING NADAL VS. DANIEL AND FEDERER VS. YOUZHNY

epa06172422 Vaclav Safranek of the Czech Republic (R) serves to Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria on the third day of the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 30 August 2017. The US Open runs through September 10. EPA-EFE/RAY STUBBLEBINE |

By Ricky Dimon

The U.S. Open second round will wrap up on Thursday, when both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal continue their campaigns. Federer is facing fellow veteran Mikhail Youzhny, while Nadal will see Taro Daniel on the other side of the net. Dominic Thiem, Taylor Fritz, Tomas Berdych, and Grigor Dimitrov are also on the schedule.

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

(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Taro Daniel: Nadal for the most part cruised past Dusan Lajovic in his opener on Tuesday. Daniel not only didn’t cruise, but also didn’t get to play on Tuesday. That means the world No. 121 from Japan has no days off following a five-setter against Tommy Paul. This should be beatdown city. Nadal in 3.

Mikhail Youzhny vs. (2) Roger Federer: This is one of the most lopsided matchups on the ATP Tour. Federer is sweeping the head-to-head series 16-0 and is 37-4 in total sets against Youzhny, including 12-1 at majors. Although Federer is 36 years old, he is showing no signs of slowing down (aside from a minor back issue). Youzhny, 35, is almost as old. And he most definitely is slowing down. It will be a battle between Nadal and Federer to see who can lose fewer games in round two. Federer in 3.

Taylor Fritz vs. (6) Dominic Thiem: This is a marquee matchup that will get a lot of press coverage. The question is: does Fritz warrant it? Granted, he has a good excuse for being exactly 100 spots behind Thiem in the rankings (No. 108 to No. 8). He is 19 years old, whereas Thiem is 23. Fritz joked in his Wednesday interview that he is glad he does not have to face Thiem on clay. Unfortunately for the American, these courts are playing like clay. Thiem in 3.

Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. (15) Tomas Berdych: Dolgopolov may be a bit distracted. The Ukrainian went through a fiery press conference on Wednesday that focused on accusations of possible match-fixing last week in Winston-Salem. There were no fixes in round one. Dolgopolov did well to battle past Winston-Salem semifinalist Jan-Lennard Struff in five sets. Berdych, meanwhile, finished off Ryan Harrison in straights. Berdych in 3.

Andrey Rublev vs. (7) Grigor Dimitrov: This could be a situation similar to that of Thiem vs. Rublev. It’s a matchup with two on-the-rise players, but also two who are at very different points in there careers. Dimitrov has already been around for what seems like forever, while Rublev is really just starting out on tour. The Russian’s talent is undeniable, but he is not ready for the big stage against the reigning Cincinnati champion. Dimitrov in 3.

Get your popcorn ready, as well, for Gael Monfils vs. Donald Young. That will be an incredibly fun one. Monfils is the favorite, but as a fellow Atlanta resident like Young, it’s tough for me to pick against him. I plead the fifth!