The third round will commence on Friday, when seeded players begin to clash in the draw.
And it will be a busier day than usual, with four singles matches carried over from last night due to rain. Thankfully the forecast for Friday calls for sunny skies above Flushing Meadows. With a dozen seeds already eliminated in both the men’s and women’s draws, will the upsets continue today?
Denis Shapovalov (12) vs. Taylor Fritz (19)
This is a battle between the Canadian No.1 and the American No.2, both of whom are on the rise. The 21-year-old Shapovalov is 2-0 against the 22-year-old Fritz. Both matches were contested on hard courts, and both were tight. Shapovalov is the more proven commodity, as Fritz is vying to reach the fourth round of a Major for the first time. His climb up the rankings has been more gradual, but Taylor reached a career-high of No.24 earlier this season after making the final in Acapulco. Shapovalov’s fire power is more explosive when it’s on, yet more of a detriment when it’s off. But the Canadian is the better mover, and he utilizes his lefty-ness extremely well. After a lengthy encounter, I expect Shapovalov to reach the round of 16 in New York for the second time.
Petra Kvitova (6) vs. Jessica Pegula
Historically, this has not been Kvitova’s strongest Major. However, that has changed a bit in recent years, having advanced to the second week three times. Her 26-year-old American opponent is much less well-known, but is playing with a lot of confidence. Pegula won an American hard court title last year in Washington, reached the final earlier this year in Auckland, and was a quarterfinalist here just last week. Jessica has already survived two three-setters this week, one decided in a final set breaker. She told usopen.org that she credits her recent good form on her improved fitness, as well as the time she spent playing World Team Tennis earlier this summer. While Pegula is a dogged fighter and will not be easy out, Kvitova should be favored. Petra is yet to drop a set this week, and the two-time Wimbledon champion can dictate play better than the American.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (4) vs. Borna Coric (27)
This could be a fun one if Coric is near his best. After nearly reaching the top 10 two years ago, Borna had a rough 2019. He battled a back issue throughout the summer, and went just 6-2 at the Majors with no tour titles. Coric then started 2020 winning just one of this first five matches. In June, he tested positive for COVID-19, which certainly impacted his training. Despite that, Borna persevered to a five-set win on Wednesday over Juan Ignacio Londero. Needless to say, he won’t feel fully fresh today. Meanwhile after winning last year’s ATP Finals, Tsitsipas has continued to play good hard court tennis this season. He was the champion in Marseille, the runner-up in Dubai, and a semifinalist last week on these same grounds. There is nothing in Coric’s counterpunching game that should threaten a confident Tsitsipas. And even though he’s the younger of the two, Stefanos’ experience advantage on stages like this is a crucial advantage.
David Goffin (7) vs. Filip Krajinovic (26)
Goffin is the higher seed, but he may not be the favorite here. Krajinovic leads their head-to-head 2-1, with Goffin’s only win coming on clay. Now coached by Janko Tipsarevic, the 28-year-old Serbian is one of the hottest players on tour. He reached the semifinals of both Montpellier and Rotterdam in February, and dominated Dominic Thiem on his way to the quarterfinals last week. 2020 has been a modest season at best for Goffin, with an 11-6 record. Both of these men enjoy playing on a fast hard court, which is what they’ll have today out on Court 11. The outer courts are reportedly playing considerably faster than the roofed stadiums. We’ve seen several extended four-to-five hour epics in recent days, and this has the makings of another. Filip’s biggest stumbling block beyond his difficult opponent might be knowing he’s never advanced farther than this round at a Major. But that may just change today.
Jennifer Brady (28) vs. Caroline Garcia
Garcia showed her best form in a long time on Wednesday, in eliminating top-seeded Karolina Pliskova. Caroline struck almost twice as many winners as errors, and broke Pliskova’s serve three times in two sets. But Jen Brady has been one of the WTA’s best performers since the tour restart last month, as she lifted the champion’s trophy in Lexington. Brady has breezed through the draw thus far, with her big serve and forehand. And she possesses experience at this stage of a Major, having twice advanced to the round of 16 at Slams. They’ve played six times, and split those meetings, though Brady is 3-1 on hard courts. It would only be natural for Garcia to have a letdown after her first big win in quite some time. I like the American’s chances to prevail on home soil.
Other Notable Matches on Day 5:
The undefeated Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff (28). These two just played last week, with Djokovic easily prevailing 6-3, 6-1.
Two-time Major champion Naomi Osaka (3) vs. Marta Kostyuk, an 18-year-old Ukranian who ousted Anastasija Sevastova in the last round.
Three-time Major champion Angelique Kerber (17) vs. Ann Li, a 20-year-old American who upset Alison Riske on Wednesday by a score of 6-0, 6-3.
Sascha Zverev (5) vs. Adrian Mannarino (32). Zverev is 2-0 against the tricky French veteran, having never dropped a set.
US Open 2020 schedule – Friday’s Order of Play (Selected main and all UK time.)
ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM
From 5pm
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
N. Osaka (JPN) [4] v M. Kostyuk (UKR)
From 6:30pm
MEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
D. Shapovalov (CAN) [12] v T. Fritz (USA) [19]
From midnight
MEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
N. Djokovic (SRB) [1] v J. Struff (GER) [28]
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
J. Pegula (USA) v P. Kvitova (CZE) [6]
LOUIS ARMSTRONG STADIUM
From 4pm
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
V. Gracheva (RUS) v P. Martic (CRO) [8]
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
A. Kerber (GER) [17] v A. Li (USA)
MEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
A. Mannarino (FRA) [32] v A. Zverev (GER) [5]
MEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
S. Tsitsipas (GRE) [4] v B. Coric (CRO) [27]
From midnight
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
S. Rogers (USA) v M. Brengle (USA)
COURT 17
From 4pm
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
A. Sasnovich (BLR) v Y. Putintseva (KAZ) [23]
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
C. Garcia (FRA) v J. Brady (USA) [28]
MEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
P. Carreno Busta (ESP) [20] v R. Berankis (LTU)
COURT 5
From 4pm
MEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
C. Norrie (GBR) v A. Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
From 5:30pm
MEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 2
C. Moutet (FRA) v D. Evans (GBR) [23]
Suspended yesterday – current: 4-6 | 6-3 | 6-5
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
M. Linette (POL) [24] v A. Kontaveit (EST) [14]
WOMEN’S DOUBLES – ROUND 2
N. Melichar (USA)/Y. Xu (CHN) [3] v C. Gauff (USA)/C. McNally (USA)
COURT 11
From 4pm
MEN’S DOUBLES – ROUND 2
C. Harrison (USA)/R. Harrison (USA) v R. Ram (USA)/J. Salisbury (GBR) [3]
MEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
F. Krajinovic (SRB) [26] v D. Goffin (BEL) [7]
MEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 3
J. Thompson (AUS) v M. Kukushkin (KAZ)
COURT 7
From 4pm
WOMEN’S DOUBLES – ROUND 2
A. Friedsam (GER)/K. Siniakova (CZE) [8] v A. Blinkova (RUS)/V. Kudermetova (RUS)
From 5pm
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 2
C. McNally (USA) v E. Alexandrova (RUS) [21]
Suspended yesterday – current: 4-6 | 6-3
MEN’S DOUBLES – ROUND 2
M. Daniell (NZL)/P. Oswald (AUT) v C. Eubanks (USA)/M. McDonald (USA)
MEN’S DOUBLES – ROUND 2
J. Peers (AUS)/M. Venus (NZL) v S. Gille (BEL)/J. Vliegen (BEL)
COURT 8
From 5pm
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 2
S. Vickery (USA) v I. Swiatek (POL)
Suspended yesterday – current: 7-6(5)
COURT 12
From 4pm
WOMEN’S DOUBLES – ROUND 2
L. Hradecka (CZE)/A. Klepac (SLO) v A. Muhammad (USA)/T. Townsend (USA)
MEN’S DOUBLES – ROUND 2
W. Koolhof (NED)/N. Mektic (CRO) [8] v S. Bolelli (ITA)/M. Gonzalez (ARG)
From 7pm
WOMEN’S DOUBLES – ROUND 2
V. Azarenka (BLR)/S. Kenin (USA) [7] v L. Siegemund (GER)/V. Zvonareva (RUS)
COURT 14
From 5pm
WOMEN’S SINGLES – ROUND 2
E. Mertens (BEL) [16] v S. Sorribes Tormo (ESP)
Suspended yesterday – current: 6-3 | 1-0
