Western & Southern Open finalist Milos Raonic faces Leonardo Mayer in the first round of the US Open, while serve and volleyball Feliciano Lopez clash with compatriot Roberto Carballes Baena. Andrew Watson and Steen Kirby offer their predictions.
Leonardo Mayer against Milos Raonic
Andrew: If the great Canadian was concerned that he didn’t have a long break between Saturday’s final and the first round, he probably couldn’t have wished for a better draw. Mayer has only won one main tour game in a year. Raonic should aim to brush up on this in the series and recover some energy for the tougher tests later in the tournament. Raonic in 3
Steen: Raonic performed well this severely shortened season, while Mayer was struggling hard before the forced COVID-19 break. Exhaustion would be the only reason Raonic would lose this match, and as he will get a lot of cheap and quick points with his serve, he should be good at finishing fast. Raonic in 3
Feliciano Lopez vs Roberto Carballes Baena
Andrew: The Spanish veteran should feel at home on the fast surface here. It proved that he was still enjoying the game in his run to the Ultimate Tennis Showdown and he scored some good wins there. His left-handed serve will still cause a lot of trouble for Carballes Baena. It is fair to say that the young Spaniard will not appreciate the hard court so much. He was very impressive against his opponents on clay during a home series but did not perform well on hard during the tour. Lopez’s serve should lead him to a good win here. Lopez in 4
Steen: Even at his advanced age, Lopez remains capable of credible ATP caliber tennis, RCB is not a tough player and should fight on these faster courts that favor Lopez. Lopez in 4
Mackenzie McDonald vs. Casper Ruud
Andrew: This could be a piecemeal match. McDonald has never won a US Open main draw game while Ruud has not won a hard court game in 2020. Ruud is seeded 30 here, but he built that ranking around excellent performances on the clay court. McDonald was busy during half-time but usually played with a poor opponent. The safest prediction here might be a long game, but the lead goes to Ruud. He has the greatest skill and his well-rounded play should help him pass this test. Ruud in 5
Steen: Despite being far inferior, McDonald’s at home and Ruud is starting to carve a niche on the ATP Tour as a tennis court, which won’t help him here. This is a tough match to predict given how little tour-level tennis we’ve seen this year, but McDonald’s has played a lot of exhibition matches and should be fit and shooting here. McDonald’s in 4
Alex De Minaur against Andrej Martin
Andrew: The Aussie came out in the first round of the Cincinnati event against an inspired Jan-Lennard Struff. De Minaur may have learned there that a more aggressive game plan may be needed to achieve success in this place. The Slovak is often a dangerous float, but he has struggled a lot recently and is just holding on to his top 100 ranking. De Minaur should see this as a way to get used to the conditions and a solid win would set him up well for the tournament. De Minaur in 3
Steen: I expect De Minaur to be comfortable here. Martin is not on the same level as a player and ADM should be a threat in later rounds. De Minaur in 3
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