Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on the young Swiss Dominic Stricker as the Greek looks to make inroads at his least successful slam. Casper Ruud, the 2022 runner-up, will also be in second-round action on Wednesday in New York.
(7) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (Q) Dominic Stricker
Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas has been surprisingly unsuccessful at the U.S. Open. His best result is the third round (2020, 2021). Last year, he crashed out in the first round to world No. 94 Daniel Elahi Galan. And perhaps even more shocking than the loss was the manner in which it occurred. Tsitsipas lost the first two sets love and 1. He was far better in his first round match this year, however. He dispatched Milos Raonic in straight sets to earn his second round spot.
Young Swiss up-and-coming player Dominic Stricker earned his spot in the main draw through qualies. He has had unexpected success qualifying for Slams this year. He qualified for the French Open, Wimbledon and now the U.S. Open. Strangely, Stricker’s first round U.S. Open opponent is the same as his first round Wimbledon opponent – Alexei Popyrin. The pair of wins over Popyrin represent 2 of his 3 tour-level victories this year.
Stricker and Tsitsipas have actually played before. They met on the grass courts of Stuttgart last year – Tsitsipas won that one in straight sets. Wednesday’s match should have a similar outcome. Despite his struggles in New York, it’s hard to imagine Stricker adding a fourth match win for the season over a player of Tsitsipas’s caliber.
Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 4
Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 4
(5) Casper Ruud vs. Zhizhen Zhang
Casper Ruud is defending finalist points at the U.S. Open from his run in 2022. But the Norwegian simply did not have the kind of hardcourt preparation that is ideal for Slam success. He played 3 matches between Toronto and Cincinnati and has 1 match win to show for his efforts. The best of 5 format fits Ruud’s game better, but he’s still at risk of an early round upset.
China’s Zhizhen Zhang is dangerous second round opponent. The Chinese man played a barn burner of a match in the first round against American J.J. Wolf. He spent 4.5 hours on court for the 5-set victory to earn his spot in the second round.
Ruud and Zhang played already in 2023, though it was at Ruud’s best tournament, the French Open. Zhang managed to take a set, but he went down in 4. And while Ruud is having a bad summer, he has proven that he brings his game in New York. The Norwegian should be pull this one out.
Cheryl pick: Ruud in 4
Ricky pick: Ruud in 5
The post U.S. Open R2 previews and predictions: Tsitsipas vs. Stricker, Ruud vs. Zhang appeared first on The Grandstand.