Stefanos Tsitsipas

Nicolas Mahut nicomahut • Instagram photos and videos

2020 @AustralianOpen Week 1 Men’s Preview, Predictions, Long Shot R1 Picks
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

It’s a new year with the same pressing question: Will a Young Gun will snatch a major from the Big Three? It’s never felt more in their grasp, and yet it still feels like Groundhog Day. Like floodgates after a massive storm, you know that when the day comes when a young’un lifts that fat hardware, it will become a regular occurrence.

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Who is going to be the first? Zverev’s January form lends pessimism to his campaign. Daniil Medvedev tops his quarter with Zverev as the challenger-in-waiting. This is a shame for the youth movement. Assuming Zverev can get to a quarterfinal with the Russian, the winner should be exhausted enough to lose to #1 seed Nadal in the semifinal, unless fatigue has set in with Nadal as well. Nadal’s path is predictably easy into the fourth round. After that, he could draw dangerously unpredictable Nick Kyrgios and with another win, Dominic Thiem. Should he be forced to run this gantlet, Nadal may survive Thiem, but he will be a wounded warrior going after the winner of Zverev and Medvedev.

A wild card in Zverev’s section is Andrey Rublev, who has already picked up two titles in 2020. He’ll do well to advance to a fourth round match against Sascha, but the fatigue should have set in by then, allowing Zverev to advance to a Medvedev quarterfinal.

R4: Nadal d. Kyrgios
R4: Thiem d. Duckworth
QF: Nadal vs. Thiem
QF: Medvedev d. Zverev

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Roger Federer never seems to have an easy draw, but he has to be pleased with this one. Young Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the fourth round would be his biggest test. On the other side of that quarter, I predict Berretini will be upset by Fabio Fognini, setting up a Federer-Fognini quarterfinal.

R4: Fognini d. Berretini
R4: Federer d. Shapovalov
QF: Federer vs. Fognini

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Djokokvic’s quarter is counter-weighted by young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas, but before that quarterfinal match occurs, I’m taking Dusan Lajovic to meet the Serb in the fourth round. Roberto Bautista Agut will likely stand in the way of Tsitsipas in the fourth round as well. This is another quarter that should be upset-free, with the exception of Lloyd Harris taking out #14 seed Diego Schwartzman in the first round.

R4: Djokovic d. Lajovic
R4: Tstsipas d. Bautista Agut
QF: Djokovic vs. Tstsipas

So this is the moment where Elliot Benchetrit asks the ballkid to peel his banana. I’m glad the umpire (John Blom) stepped in and told him off. pic.twitter.com/TK1GET68pG

— Alex Theodoridis (@AlexTheodorid1s) January 19, 2020

And finally, it’s time for our new segment called “Potentially Worthy Picks”. These are big upset bets with big paydays. Remember that this is for amusement purposes only, and if you place a real bet and it doesn’t win, please don’t flame me on twitter. It’s not like I called you a liar on national television.

Potentially Worthy First Round Upset Picks
Lloyd Harris (+300) d. Diego Schwartzman
Elliot Benchetrit (+200) d. Yuichi Sugita
Yasataka Uchiyama (+300) d. Mikael Ymer

Estoril Open Semifinals: Stefanos Tsitsipas and Pablo Cuevas book finals places
Manuel Traquete, Tennis Atlantic

Just like the quarterfinals, long, hard-fought battles with a lot of twists and turns were the dominant theme on semifinal Saturday. Eventually, both favorites advanced to contest tomorrow’s final but not without overcoming great adversity first.

In the first semifinal David Goffin vs Stefanos Tsitsipas, Goffin started up great, playing his best tennis of the year to win the first set 6-3 with two breaks. He was moving Tsitsipas around the court with ease and firing winners at will. The second set, however, saw the match take a very unexpected turn, not because Tsitsipas won but because 7 of the 10 games were breaks of serve, including 7 of the first 8, something incredibly atypical in an ATP match. At the end of the second, 56 points had been won by the server in the match and 56 by the returner as well. It was Tsitsipas who emerged victorious of this peculiar situation, with Goffin repeatedly missing forehands on important, a trend that continued in the third set, where Goffin look better and closer to victory for the most part but kept making terrible errors in the most important points while Tsitsipas hang tough and sneaked a decisive late break. Losing in this fashion won’t do any good to Goffin’s continually waning confidence but at least the level is still there. Tsitsipas on the other hand showed why he’s now a top 10 player, winning despite getting dominated for large portions of the match, and will play for his second title of the year tomorrow.

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The second semifinal was also a very tight and hard fought contest… at first at least. Alejandro Dadidovich Fokina won a very tight first set by coming through in the clutch but he got broken at 2-3 in the second set in what was the point of the tournament, featuring an impossible Pablo Cuevas no-look smash retrieval. In his frustration, Fokina sent the ball to the crowd, seemingly injured himself in the process and was never the same again. Cuevas would only lose 2 more games the entire match; Fokina won some good points, but looked to be struggling physically, cramping to the finish line. It was still a good week for him, coming all the way through qualifiers and showing he has what it takes to rise up the rankings quickly in the coming years.

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In the final, Tsitsipas is a clear favorite, being the far superior player overall. But these 250 clay tournaments are where Cuevas makes his living and he will definitely be a very tough nut to crack. Whoever wins will become a new champion in Estoril.

Estoril Open QF day: Stefanos Tsitsipas beats local hero, battles to the finish on center court
Manuel Traquete, Tennis Atlantic

Friday was a very long day at the Estoril Open, with every match being long and tightly contested until the end. The day began with fast rising Stefanos Tsitsipas taking on local hero João Domingues. While Tsitsipas winning came as a surprise to no one, the manner in which he did might have. Domingues put up an incredible fight and was unlikely not take at least a set. He was bold, aggressive and was hitting great shots. He broke early and has 30-0 when serving for the first set, but couldn’t close it. He had already been close to beating Kevin Anderson at this same venue 2 years ago, but just like then he couldn’t get the big win with his opponent’s superior experience and pedigree coming through in the end.

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Tsitsipas’s opponent will be David Goffin, who won a very long and tense match against Jaziri. He started strong and took an early break only to give it away and lose the first set 4-6; he was up a double break on two occasions in the second set, including at 5-2, but once again just couldn’t capitalize and only barely eeked out a tiebreak to then barely sweat in the deciding set. Goffin’s level was far from good and incredibly far from the one that took him as high as #7 in the world less than 2 years ago. Winning in this manner might be what he needs to start regaining his lost confidence. Beating Tsitsipas in the semifinal would of course go even further towards it, but it’s a difficult bet for anyone to made judging by their respective levels so far this year.

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The second semifinal will be played between the two night session winners: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Pablo Cuevas. Davidovich Fokina won a pulsating match against Gael Monfils, which had the crowd on their feet on many occasions such was the spectacle produced by Monfils’s athleticism and Dadivovich’s shotmaking talent. At several stages, Monfiils look like he had it, with Fokina looking tired and making a lot of double faults, but in the end the young Spaniard got his scalp with Monfils getting a somewhat disappointing result in his return to the ATP tour after being sidelined due to injuries for a few weeks ago. Monfils still leaves Estoril as a massive fan favorite, with the entire stadium pulling for him and collective disappointment when he was eliminated.

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Fokina’s semifinal opponent will be Pablo Cuevas, a veteran of the clay circuit who just keeps going on against all odds. Tiafoe may have made the final last year, but he looked totally out of his depth for the majority of this one, with the second set win really not accurately portraying just how (not) close the match was. Sets 1 and 3 were pretty straightforward with Tiafoe barely able to win points for long stretches. His effort was admirable but ultimately Cuevas is simply the better player in this sort of conditions.

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If the semifinals and finals bring half as excitement as the quarterfinals, the fans are in for a treat this weekend as these four players each try to capture their first ever Estoril title.

Busy Month on ATP Tour Sees Federer Claim Title #100, Monfils Return to Form
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

After Novak Djokovic claimed the Australian Open title, the ATP season roared into February with multiple 500 level events and a number of 250s on clay and hard courts across the globe. Here is your look at all the action for the month that was.

ATP Montpellier

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Veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won an all French final in this indoor 250 6-4 6-2 against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The veteran beat Gilles Simon, Jeremy Chardy and Radu Albot in consecutive matches to reach the final, overall he defeated four French players to win the tournament. PHH upset Denis Shapovalov and Tomas Berdych to reach the final.

ATP Sofia

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Bulgaria’s only ATP event was won by the in-form Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-3 against Marton Fucsovics. Fucsovics had a breakthrough after upsetting Andreas Sepi and getting a walkover against Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarters (then edging Matteo Berrettini in the semis). Medvedev got past Gael Monfils in the semis and prior to that he scored wins against Robin Haase and Martin Klizan in consecutive matches. Medvedev’s win helped him reach the top 15, he’s now 1-1 in ATP finals this year.

ATP Cordoba

On clay in Argentina home hero and wild card Juan Ignacio Londero won his first ever ATP title prevailing against Guido Pella 3-6 7-5 6-1 in a huge moment for him. Londero’s breakthrough pushed him to a new career high in the top 70 and he beat clay courters Nicolas Jarry and Federico Delbonis most notably to make the final. Pella had a good month edging Paolo Lorenzi, Diego Schwartzman, Albert Ramos, and Pablo Cuevas to reach the final in what was a tough path for a 250.

ATP New York

The first ATP 250 in the States this year saw Reilly Opelka lift his first title in three sets 6-1 6-7 7-6 against maiden finalist Brayden Schnur, a Canadian. Opelka also upset top American John Isner, while Schnur edged Sam Querrey in the semis. Opelka’s powerful serve was a difference maker and he should be a factor in Indian Wells and Miami coming up.

ATP Buenos Aires

The 250 on clay in Buenos Aires resulted in Marco Cecchinato’s third career ATP title 6-1 6-2 against home player Diego Schwartzman. Schwartzman upset Dominic Thiem and also beat Aljaz Bedene and Albert Ramos to reach the final. Cecchinato beat Christian Garin, Roberto Carballes Baena, and Guido Pella to reach the final, three accomplished clay courters. This was a great result for Cecchinato outside of Europe.

ATP Rotterdam

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Gael Monfils returned to form winning his 8th career title 6-3 1-6 6-2 against fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka. It was a thrilling moment played in good spirits and filled with joy for both players who have overcome injuries and adversity to return to the top of the game. Monfils 500 level title included wins against Daniil Medvedev, and David Goffin. Wawrinka upset Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov, and Kei Nishikori before falling short in the final. Both players would love to contend at the slam level again.

ATP Rio

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The Rio 500 on clay was the top event on the Golden Swing and Serbia’s Laslo Djere claimed his first title 6-3 7-5 against young gun Felix Auger-Aliassime. FAA played well but Djere was the player of the week, as he upset Dominic Thiem and also claimed wins against clay courters Casper Ruud and Aljaz Bedene to reach the final. FAA defeated Fabio Fognini, Christian Garin, Jaume Munar, and Pablo Cuevas to reach the final, showing his all court talent that is set to make him a top 20 player in the near future. Djere broke into the top 40 with the win, the tournament was filled with upsets.

ATP Marseille

Young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas found form and got past Mikhail Kukushkin 7-5 7-6 in the final after defeating David Goffin, and Sergiy Stakhovsky in the late rounds to reach the final. Kukushkin upset Denis Shapovalov and Andrey Rublev before getting a winnable semi against Ugo Humbert. This indoor hard court 250 saw some early round upsets but in the end the #1 seed Tsitsipas won his second career title.

ATP Delray Beach

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Radu Albot made history, winning his first career title and breaking into the top 60 with a 3-6 6-3 7-6 win against Dan Evans in a battle of journeymen in the Delray 250 hard court final. Evans edged John Isner in the semis and upset Frances Tiafoe in round 1 while Albot got past big servers Ivo Karlovic and Nick Kyrgios before nipping Americans Steve Johnson and McKenzie McDonald to reach the final.

ATP Dubai

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Roger Federer won his 100th career title at the Dubai 500 6-4 6-4 on hard courts against the in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas. Federer found form late in the tournament after dropping sets against Philipp Kohlschreiber and Fernando Verdasco in the first two matches. Marton Fucsovics and Borna Coric were his quarterfinal and semifinal opposition, while Tsitsipas had a relatively easy path until Gael Monfils was his semifinal opponent and he prevailed in that match in a third set tiebreak. The young Greek played well but Federer was just too good.

ATP Acapulco

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The Acapulco 500 was won by the struggling big server Nick Kyrgios 6-3 6-4, as he defeated Alexander Zverev in a battle of talented finalists. Kyrgios was focused on the week, edging John Isner in the semis, Rafael Nadal in the second round, and Stan Wawrinka in the quarters while Zverev had a smooth path that included Alex De Minaur in the quarters and Cam Norrie in the semis. Kyrgios has always had the talent to be an elite player, if he can keep this form he will contend in both upcoming Masters tournaments, but that can’t be predicted.

ATP Sao Paulo

Argentina’s Guido Pella won his first ATP title, winning the 250 on clay to close the Golden Swing 7-5 6-3 against Christian Garin. Pella edged Laslo Djere in the semis, while Garin upset Ruud. Pella didn’t have the toughest draw (Roberto Carballes Baena and Marco Trungelliti) but it was still a massive accomplishment to win his first title.

Aussies Millman, De Minaur and Thompson Still In The Running at ATP Sydney
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The Sydney 250 still has 3 of the 4 top seeds in the running as players seek points and form ahead of the Australian Open.

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Quarterfinals

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andreas Seppi

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The top seed Tsitsipas won his opening match against Guido Andreozzi and now faces a far tougher test against the veteran Seppi. Seppi has edged past Jeremy Chardy and Martin Klizan to reach this stage, and he’ll be highly motivated to play his best and try to win this tournament, given his AO expectations are far more muted. Tsitsipas is a rising star though and he’ll be tough to put away, I expect the favored Greek to reach the semis.

Diego Schwartzman vs Yoshihito Nishioka

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Schwartzman will be favored against Nishioka after an easy win in the last round. Nishioka qualified and has already won four matches including main draw wins against Ryan Harrison and Andrey Rublev. Both players are undersized ball strikers with punchy games. I’ll go for the upset here though, with Nishioka rising and redlining his game right now.

John Millman vs Gilles Simon

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Millman survived a stern test against Frances Tiafoe and then eased past Marton Fucsovics to reach this stage. The home favorite will be an underdog against Gilles Simon. Simon is 3-1 to start the season and should be in good shape to reach the semifinals in what will be a contest worth watching.

Alex De Minaur vs Jordan Thompson

Thompson has been in really good form since the end of last season, but De Minaur is the more talented Aussie and will be favored in this contest. ADM is 4-1 to start the season and has a real shot at lifting this title.

Semis
Tsitsipas d. Nishioka
De Minaur d. Simon

The top seed Tsitsipas is favored to lift this title, with De Minaur coming short for the second year in a row.

Final
Tsitsipas d. De Minaur

Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitsipas Among Winners At End of ATP Season
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks on European indoor hard courts as the ATP season winds down. Here is your look at recent results.

ATP Antwerp

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Kyle Edmund came back from a set down and needed two tiebreaks to defeat veteran Gael Monfils in the Antwerp 250 final. Edmund got a walkover against Ilya Ivashka in the quarters but needed straight set wins against Albert Ramos and Richard Gasquet to make the final. It’s Edmund’s first title of 2018.

Monfils, who has suffered through a poor season, defeated Ruben Bemelmans, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (in 3 sets), Vasek Pospisil, and Diego Schwartzman to reach the final.

Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin teamed up to defeat Demoliner/Gonzalez in the doubles final.

ATP Moscow

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Home hero Karen Khachanov won his second ATP title of the season, defeating Adrian Mannarino in a 6-2 6-2 drubbing. Lukas Rosol, Mirza Basic, and Daniil Medvedev also lost to Khachanov, with Medvedev dropping the semifinal match in three sets.

Mannarino blitzed past Evgeny Karlovisky, Marco Cecchinato, Egor Gerasimov, and Andreas Seppi to reach the final, continuing his credible run of results after hitting age 30.

Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram combined to win the doubles title defeating Mirnyi/Oswald.

ATP Stockholm

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Young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his rise on the ATP tour, defeating Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4, after previously scoring wins against John Millman, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Fabio Fognini. The win is the maiden ATP title for Tsitsipas.

Gulbis making the final is a blast from the past, now 30, he reached his first ATP final since 2014. He came through qualifying then defeated Mikael Ymer, Denis Shapovalov, Jack Sock, and John Isner showing he can still be a factor at the ATP level.

Brits Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara combined to win the doubles title defeating Koolhof/Daniell

ATP Basel

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7-6 6-4 was the scoreline as Roger Federer won ATP title #99, this one in his home country of Switzerland against Marius Copil after previously dropping sets against Filip Krajinovic and Gilles Simon. Federer was hot and cold this week as he also scored wins against J.L. Struff, and Daniil Medvedev. In the end though he once again lifted the trophy in Basel and now has a shot to take title 100 before the year’s end.

Copil reached his second career ATP final, as he’s had a breakthrough 2018. Copil qualified then defeated Ryan Harrison, Marin Cilic, Taylor Fritz, and Alexander Zverev to reach the final. The wins against Cilic and Zverev both of elite quality, as we should see Copil burst into the ATP top 50 next season.

Dominic Inglot and Franko Skugor defeated the Zverev brothers in the doubles final.

ATP Vienna

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Tour veteran Kevin Anderson won his second ATP title of 2018, defeating Kei Nishikori in straight sets after previously defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili, Borna Coric, and Fernando Verdasco to reach the final, Jurgen Melzer surrendered a walkover in round 2. Nishikori continued his solid season with wins against Frances Tiafoe, Karen Khachanov, Dominic Thiem, and Mikhail Kukushkin. The win against Thiem was a big one as Thiem was playing in his home tournament in Vienna.

Joe Salisbury and Ken Skupski defeated Mike Bryan and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the doubles final.

American Invasion Led by John Isner @IntrumSthlmOpen 2018

Posted by Admin on October 14, 2018

Posted in: ATP, Steen Kirby, Stockholm. Tagged: 2018 ATP Stockholm, 2018 ATP Stockholm Predictions, 2018 Stockholm Open, ATP Stockholm, ATP Stockholm Predictions, Denis Shapovalov, Fabio Fognini, John Isner, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Stockholm Open, Stockholm Open Predictions. Leave a comment

American Invasion Led by John Isner at ATP Stockholm 2018
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The third European indoor 250 tournament this week is in Stockholm where a host of Americans including John Isner and Jack Sock are set to feature.

Top Half:

Top seed John Isner will take on his countryman Bradley Klahn or Marius Copil in round 2, Isner will also be favored against Lucas Pouille in the quarterfinals. Pouille should defeat Tennys Sandgren and a qualifier to reach the quarters.

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I’ll back home hero Elias Ymer to make a run, Ymer opens with a struggling Max Marterer, and then he should be favored against the terribly out of sorts Jack Sock, who has had one of the worst ATP seasons ever. Denis Shapovalov should go on a tear, a qualifier, and Mikael Ymer/qualifier will be the first two opponents for Shapovalov, then Shapovalov will be favored against Ymer.

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Bottom Half:

Fabio Fognini is in good form, and presuming he’s fit he should ease past Taro Daniel/Lukas Lacko, and then Taylor Fritz in the quarters after Fritz defeats Hyeon Chung and countryman Denis Kudla or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

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Stefanos Tsitipas will be favored in a tough section, John Millman/Peter Gojowczyk are first up, Fernando Verdasco will be favored against Matt Ebden, with Alex De Minaur favored against Phillipp Kohlschreiber. I have Verdasco over ADM, then Tsitsipas over Verdasco.

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Predictions

Semis
Shapovalov d. Isner
Tsitsipas d. Fognini

The young guns Shapovalov and Tsitsipas are set to make the final this week with Canada’s young gun Shapovalov lifting the trophy at week’s end.

Final
Shapovalov d. Tsitsipas

Andy Murray Looks To Find Form at the 2018 Shenzhen Open ATP 250
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The ATP Asian swing features a 250 in Shenzhen, China on hard courts this week, the more notable of the two ATP events in China for the week. Here is your preview with predictions.

Top Half:

David Goffin will be hoping to continue his good form in round 2 against either Andy Murray or Zhizhen Zhang. Goffin should be favored against Murray, but I’ll back the upset, a focused Murray should rise up and knock off Goffin. I’ll also back Murray to get revenge on Fernando Verdasco after Verdasco beat him at the US Open. Verdasco’s both to the quarterfinals is Jason Jung, followed by Taro Daniel/Tatsuma Ito, he’ll be favored in both matches.

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St. Petersburg quarterfinalist Denis Shapovalov should ease past Ilya Ivashka and Yoshihito Nishioka or Denis Kudla in round 2 before running into Borna Coric in a tough quarterfinal match. Coric opens with Di Wu or Cam Norrie, I have him as the favorite to take this section over Shapovalov.

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Bottom Half:

Stefanos Tsitsipas was upset early in his last tournament but I don’t see Dusan Lajovic or Pierre-Hugues Herbert being able to repeat that feat in round 2. This is a weak section, with the winner of Andreas Seppi/Albert Ramos probably favored against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or VIktor Troicki. Tsitsipas over Seppi is my pick here.

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Damir Dzhumur should get past Jiri Vesely/Ramkumar Ramanathan before facing off with Alex De Minaur in the quarters. The young Aussie opens with Yuichi Sugita, Mackenzie McDonald or Lukas Lacko are set to follow. De Minaur will be the favorite against Dzhumur in the quarters and has a real shot at this title.

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Predictions

Semis
Coric d. Murray
De Minaur d. Tsitsipas

Final
Coric d. De Minaur

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Returns to the ATP Tour at ATP Metz 2018
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The ATP World Tour returns with a 250 in France on indoor hard courts. The tournament in Metz attracts many home stars and a host of other talents coming off the US Open and Davis Cup duty.

Top Half:

US Open semifinalist Kei Nishikori is the top seed and will be favored against Jo Wilfried-Tsonga or Peter Gojowczyk in his first match. Tsonga has been out almost the entire season with knee problems and Nishikori is in good form. Talented 20 year old Ugo Humbert is on the cusp of the top 100 and has a good shot at the quarterfinals given his current form. Humbert opens with a qualifier, Nikoloz Basilashvili or a qualifier will be next. Basilashvili’s experience makes him favored to reach the quarterfinals against Nishikori, but Humbert is a dark horse. Nishikori should win the section if fit.

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Home hero Lucas Pouille is in poor form, Jaume Munar is in the section as well and should be favored against a qualifier. Quentin Halys is in good form and I’ll back him to upset Benoit Paire in a battle of Frenchmen. Philipp Kohlschreiber should beat a struggling Mischa Zverev, with Kohlschreiber expected to beat Halys/Paire, and then Pouille in the quarters.

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Bottom Half:

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Stefanos Tsitsipas will be favored against Max Marterer or an out of form Ricardas Berankis first up. Radu Albot or Pierre-Hugues Herbert will face Adrian Mannarino or Marton Fucsovics first up. Mannarino should win his first two matches with Tsitsipas beating Mannarino in the quarters.

One of the tournament and fan favorites, Richard Gasquet, will be favored to win his section. Jurgen Zopp/qualifier stand in the way, with Jiri Vesely/Gilles Simon, and Filip Krajinovic/Corentin Moutet also in this section. I have Vesely beating a disappointing Simon, and Moutet upsetting Krajinovic on home court. Gasquet over Vesely should decide the section.

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Predictions

Semis
Nishikori d. Kohlschreiber
Gasquet d. Tsitsipas

Nishikori and Gasquet are on track to face off in the final, with Nishikori favored to lift the trophy after a strong US Open performance.

Final
Nishikori d. Gasquet

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer The US Open 2018 Favorites
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The final slam of the season is here as most players are healthy and ready to go one more time at the highest level of tennis. Here is your look at the men’s draw and the chances for each competitor in Flushing Meadows at the 2018 US Open.

Nadal’s Quarter

The defending and three time US Open champion Rafael Nadal will begin against his countryman David Ferrer, who is taking part in his final US Open. Ferrer has been in a slump at the end of his career, meaning Nadal will be a strong favorite. Nadal should also ease past Vasek Pospisil or Lukas Lacko with the talented Karen Khachanov awaiting round 3. Khachanov has an easy path of Albert Ramos, a retiring Gilles Muller/Lorenzo Sonego before the third round. Presuming he stays fit Nadal should reach week 2.

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The section below Rafa is relatively weak. Jack Sock is seeded but he’s been worse than challenger level players this year, I have Sock falling to Guido Andreozzi in round 1, Nikoloz Basilashvili should beat Aljaz Bedene and Andreozzi with Kyle Edmund getting past Paolo Lorenzi and Casper Ruud/Guido Pella to reach round 3. Edmund over Basilashvili is my pick for the section.

On hard courts Dominic Thiem could be vulnerable in round 2 against Steve Johnson. Thiem will be favored against Mirza Basic in round 1 but I have Johnson defeating Denis Istomin and then upsetting Thiem after reaching the Winston-Salem final. Roberto Bautista Agut should get past Jason Kubler and Mischa Zverev/Taylor Fritz before defeating Johnson in round 3.

Kevin Anderson plays well in slams and at the US Open, Anderson should get past a challenging early round path with Ryan Harrison and Andrey Rublev/Jeremy Chardy on deck, Denis Shapovalov takes on rising countryman Felix Auger Aliassime in round 1, the winner gets Sam Querrey/Andreas Seppi. I have Anderson over Shapovalov in round 3 after Anderson beats Rublev and Shapovalov defeats Querrey.

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Del Potro’s Quarter

Juan Martin Del Potro will begin against American Donald Young with Denis Kudla or Matteo Berrettini waiting on deck. The former US Open champion Del Potro should defeat Young and Kudla followed by Andy Murray, who continues to make strides towards recovery post hip surgery. Murray should have enough game to defeat James Duckworth and Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco, but Del Potro is the favorite to win the section.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking to have his breakout slam at the US Open, the young Greek opens against ageless veteran Tommy Robredo, followed by Winston-Salem champ Daniil Medvedev (or Evgeny Donskoy). Medvedev is tough but a fresher Tsitsipas should win and then defeat Borna Coric in round 3 to reach the second week (Coric should ease past Florian Mayer and Roberto Carballes Baena/Mitchell Krueger).

American #1 John Isner isn’t in great form but he should defeat Bradley Klahn, Nicolas Jarry/Peter Gojowczyk and Cam Norrie to reach the second week. Norrie has risen this year and will be the favorite against Jordan Thompson and Damir Dzumhur/Dusan Lajovic, I also wouldn’t put it past him to stun Isner.

Milos Raonic will start against Carlos Berlocq with Lloyd Harris/Gilles Simon waiting on deck. Raonic should get past Harris, who I have upsetting Simon based on great recent form. I’ll also back Stan Wawrinka to upset Grigor Dimitrov, then defeat Ugo Humbert or Collin Altamirano, two players in good form to reach the third round. Raonic over Wawrinka is my pick at that stage.

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Zverev’s Quarter

Alexander Zverev is playing well enough that he’s the 4th favorite for the US Open title. Zverev opens with Peter Polansky, who has made all 4 slam main draws this year as a lucky loser. He’ll be heavily favored to advance from a weak section that features Jiri Vesely/Corentin Moutet in round 2, an either Matthew Ebden or Yannick Hanfmann in round 3. Hanfmann faces a struggling Philipp Kohlschreiber, while Ebden takes on a struggling Filip Krajinovic.

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Kei Nishikori opens with Max Marterer, Facundo Bagnis/Gael Monfils will follow, with Diego Schwartzman likely in round 3. Schwartzman takes on Federico Delbonis with the winner of Jaume Munar/Guillermo Garcia-Lopez awaiting in round 2. I have Schwartzman over Munar and Nishikori over Monfils with Nishikori winning the section.

David Goffin will be favored to reach week 2 after a good run in Cincy. Goffin takes on Federico Gaio with Robin Haase/Mackenzie McDonald next. Haase has been in good form as well though and with Goffin being inconsistent this year I’ll back an upset with Haase into round 3 opposite J.L. Struff. Struff takes on Tim Smyczek with Marco Cecchinato/Julien Benneteau up in round 2. Haase is one of my dark horses for the tournament.

Frances Tiafoe has a real opportunity here with Adrian Mannarino up in round 1 and Taro Daniel/Alex De Minaur to follow. The young American can win those two matches before running into a tough contest against Marin Cilic. Cilic is heavily favored against Marius Copil and Stefano Travaglia/Hubert Hurkacz. I have Cilic winning the section.

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Federer’s Quarter

Roger Federer will begin against Yoshihito Nishioka, Federer should ease past Nishioka and Benoit Paire/Dennis Novak without dropping a set before facing a tougher test against Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios has been out of form and focus but he’ll still be favored against Radu Albot and Yuki Bhambri/Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Federer over Kyrgios is the safe pick.

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Hyeon Chung opens with Ricardas Berankis, he’ll be tested by Noah Rubin in round 2 presuming Rubin defeats Mikhail Kukushkin. I’ll back Rubin to upset a still shaky Chung before falling to Fabio Fognini in round 3. The in-form Fognini opens with Michael Mmoh, young gun Jenson Brooksby or John Millman will be up in round 2.

Pablo Carreno Busta opens with Malek Jaziri, he’ll be a heavy favorite in his first two matches against a struggling Jaziri and Joao Sousa/Marcel Granollers, Sousa is in terrible form. In round 3 I expect Lucas Pouille to be waiting, Pouille opens with Yannick Maden, then gets the winner of Marcos Baghdatis/Mikhail Youhzny. It’s Youzhny’s final US Open but he’s likely to go out round 1. Carreno Busta over Pouille is my pick for the section.

Novak Djokovic doesn’t have his own section but he’s the tournament favorite. The Serbian superstar and Cincy champion opens with Marton Fucsovics while Richard Gasquet should beat Yuichi Sugita and Laslo Djere/Leonardo Mayer to reach round 3. Djokovic has to beat Tennys Sandgren/Viktor Troicki to do the same. Gasquet is in poor form and should be wary of Mayer but either way Djokovic will advance into week 2.

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Predictions

Round of 16
Nadal d. Edmund
Anderson d. Bautista Agut
Del Potro d. Tsitsipas
Raonic d. Isner
Cilic d. Haase
Zverev d. Nishikori
Djokovic d. Carreno Busta
Federer d. Fognini

Upsets shouldn’t be too rampant in the round of 16, Del Potro and Raonic could get knocked off and Zverev isn’t always at his best in slams, but generally speaking things look straightforward, especially if Federer puts away Fognini.

Quarters
Nadal d. Anderson
Del Potro d. Raonic
Cilic d. Zverev
Djokovic d. Federer

I’ll back veterans Del Potro and Cilic to have good weeks with Djokovic the favorite against Federer and Nadal the favorite to reach the semis.

Semis
Nadal d. Del Potro
Djokovic d. Cilic

Djokovic should be the favorite this year while Nadal deserves credit as the winner last year. These are the top two in the game right now and Djokovic should win the final.

Final
Djokovic d. Nadal

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