RICKY’S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR DAY 5 AT THE 2017 U.S. OPEN TENNIS • INCLUDING ISNER VS. ZVEREV AND EDMUND VS. DENIS SHAPOVALOV

Written by: Staff on 31st August 2017

RICKY'S PREVIEW AND PICKS FOR DAY 5 AT THE 2017 U.S. OPEN TENNIS • INCLUDING ISNER VS. ZVEREV AND EDMUND VS. DENIS SHAPOVALOV

epa06173020 Denis Shapovalov of Canada hits a return to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 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/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

By Ricky Dimon

The U.S. Open third round will get underway on Friday, when players in the wide-open bottom half of the draw will try to capitalize on massive opportunities. John Isner and Marin Cilic are on a collision course for the semifinals, but they may have respective tough ones on their hands against Mischa Zverev and Diego Schwartzman. Denis Shapovalov and Kyle Edmund are also seeking a berth in the fourth round.

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

(23) Mischa Zverev vs. (10) John Isner: Isner has been a disaster against the Zverev brothers late. He is 0-2 in his last two matches versus Mischa and 0-3 lifetime versus Alexander. But the overall head-to-head series between the two veterans stands at an even 2-2. Isner got the job done in 2009 (straight sets in Bangkok) and 2016 (straight sets at the Paris Masters) before Zverev survived final sets earlier this season at the Australian Open–6-7(4), 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-6(4), 9-7–and in Geneva–6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3.

Now, however, Isner has home-court advantage during his favorite time of every season and he is up to his usual summer tricks (Atlanta title, Cincinnati semifinal, two routine wins so fae this week). Whereas the 6’10” American has cruised, Zverev needed five to beat both Thai-Son Kwaitkowski and Benoit Paire. Moreover, the conditions at this year’s U.S. Open are flat-out perfect for Isner. Isner in 3.

(Q) Denis Shapovalov vs. Kyle Edmund: Like Isner vs. Zverev, this one is getting Arthur Ashe treatment. Most of it has to do with how many top players in the world are missing or already out of this event, but it can also be chalked up to Shapovalov’s recent rise to fame (and not just because he blasted a ball into a chair umpire’s eye). Playing the best tennis of his young life, the 18-year-old reached the Montreal semis, qualified for the U.S. Open, and has dominated Daniil Medvedev and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the main draw.

This marks the third career meeting between these two up-and-coming stars. It was none other than Edmund who got the default in Davis Cup when Shapovalov drilled Arnaud Gabas with a ball, but the 22-year-old Brit lost to Shapovalov a few months later at Queen’s Club. The rubber match should be a good one, because Edmund is also balling these days. So far in New York he has disposed of Robin Haase and Steve Johnson in straight sets. Expect high quality, with a slight edge going to an extremely confident Shapovalov. Pick: Shapovalov in 5.

(28) Kevin Anderson vs. Borna Coric: Coric upset No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 7-6(4) on Wednesday. Now he has an equally difficult task of following up that feat only two days later, and he will have to do so against an extremely tough opponent who already leads their head-to-head series 2-0. Anderson prevailed 6-2, 7-6(1) two years ago in Winston-Salem and 6-3, 6-2 shortly thereafter indoors in Basel.

Anderson is 25-15 in 2017 with a recent runner-up finish in Washington, D.C. Coric is an even 19-19 this season, but he advanced to the Winston-Salem semis and has obviously maintained–if not improved upon–that form. Another fun one can be expected between Anderson and Coric, but the South African has more experience and may handle the occasion in superior fashion. Anderson in 4.

(29) Diego Schwartzman vs. (5) Marin Cilic: With No. 2 seed Andy Murray having pulled out and the younger Zverev brother now out, Cilic is the highest-ranked player in the bottom half–with Isner second. The 6’6” Croat winner had not played since Wimbledon due to an adductor issue, but he appears to be 100 percent following routine defeats of Tennys Sandgren and Florian Mayer.

Up next for Cilic on Friday is a second career meeting with Schwartzman, who lost their only previous encounter 6-1, 7-6(7) on clay in the Istanbul semis this spring. The 5’7” Argentine is playing the best tennis of his life at the moment, with 26 of his 57 career ATP-level match victories in 2017 and three quarterfinal performances in a row (Bastad, Hamburg, and–much more impressively–Montreal). Sound the upset alert. Size doesn’t matter. Schwartzman in 5.