US Open Day 2 Men's Singles Round One : 5 matches to watch out for

Djokovic won his first round match in straight sets demolishing his opponent 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. Nadal on the other hand dropped a set in the first match and Kei Nishikori lost in a five set thriller on day 1. Most of the top-seeded men had it easy, with Djokovic and Tsonga brushing past their opponents in straight sets. On the other hand, Nadal and Ferrer had to battle it out to prevail over their opponents in four setters. Nadal looked fluid in his stroke-making after his injury-stricken year and looked to cruise through it easily but let up in the third set which he lost 4-6. Kei Nishikori of Japan lost to Benoit Paire of France in a thrilling five setter which was the only major upset on Day One.Here’s a look at the fixtures for Day 2 in the Men’s Singles:

#5 Richard Gasquet (12) vs Thanasi Kokkinakis

Gasquet will face Aussie Kokkinakis

Richard Gasquet, this year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist who lost to Novak Djokovic will face Thanasi Kokkinakis of the Nick Kyrgios comment fame. Gasquet has had a great year winning four out of his last six matches. Kokkinakis, 19 has also won the same amount of matches out of his last six with one of his losses coming to Richard Gasquet in the Cincinnati Open Rd of 32. This was the only meeting between the two with the Frenchman prevailing 7-6, 62.

Gasquet is one of the most underrated players in Tennis and is time he stepped up to the plate to play his best tennis and clinch a Grand Slam for himself.

ATP Rankings:

Richard Gasquet: 12 (2240 points)

Thanasi Kokkinakis: 71 (709 points)

Prediction: Richard Gasquet to win the match in straight sets.

#4 Thomas Berdych (6) vs Bjorn Frantangelo

Berdych will play USA’s Frantagelo

Thomas Berdych the Czech will play 22-year-old Bjorn Frantagelo of USA. Berdych has lost three out of his last five matches, losing his last match to Alexandr Dolgopolov in the quarterfinals in the Cincinnati Masters.

Bjorn has also lost three out of his last five matches. This will be the first time the two will face off and Berdych will be hoping he can easily beat the 22 year old Challenger from the US. Berdych has 10 career titles but is yet to win one this year.

ATP Rankings:

Thomas Berdych: 6 (5230 points)

Bjorn Frantagelo: 113 (491 points)

Prediction: Thomas Berdych should not have much of a problem in beating his young opponent in straight sets.

#3 Stan Wawrinka (5) vs Alberto Ramos Vinolas

Wawrinka takes on Alberto Ramos Vinolas

The French Open champion who lost in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon will face Alberto Ramos Vinolas of Spain. Wawrinka will try to clinch is second Grand Slam which has evaded him for so long. Wawrinka has lost 3 out of his last five singles matches with his most recent loss being to Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the Cincinnati Open. Whereas on the other hand Ramos has won 3 out of his last five matches.

The two have faced off four times and Wawrinka has won it every time. Three on Clay and one on Hard court. From the head to head we can see that Wawrinka should be easily able to win the tie without much problem unless Ramos can surprise him and beat him in what would be the upset of the first round.

ATP Rankings:

Stan Wawrinka: 5 (5710 points)

Alberto Ramos Vinolas: 58 (836 points)

Prediction: Stan Wawrinka to easily clinch the tie in straight sets or might drop a set if Ramos plays well.

#2 Andy Murray (3) vs Nick Kyrgios

Andy Murray will face the Aussie brat Nick Kyrgios

Andy Murray has had an amazing 2015 with a 56-9 record. He lost to Roger Federer in the semis of the Wimbledon when the Swiss master was at his best. After that he went on to win the Rogers Cup in Canada beating Novak Djokovic to the title. Murray will look to start his campaign on a high note against Nick Kyrgios. Nick will play his first match after coughing up a $25,000 fine for his uncultured comments against Stan Wawrinka during their Rogers Cup match.

Nick will have to keep his mouth shut and let his hands do the talking if he wants to have a chance to win the match against Murray, which seems highly unlikely. The two have faced each other thrice with Murray winning all three fixtures, with the last being at the Roland Garros, where Murray beat Kyrgios in straight sets.

ATP Rankings:

Andy Murray: 3 (8840 points)

Nick Kyrgios: 37 (1120 points)

Prediction: Andy Murray will win the match but if Nick brings out his A game it might just go into a 4 setter if not a 5.

#1 Roger Federer (2) vs Leonardo Mayer

Federer will take on Leonardo Mayer against whom he has won before

Roger Federer the greatest tennis player of all time with the most number of Grand Slams will face Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in the first round of the US Open. Federer who hasn’t won a title since 2013 will look to get a good start in a bid to capture another Grand Slam. He lost to Novak Djkovic in the finals of the Wimbledon and will look to come back stronger after winning the Cincinnati Open last week.

Mayer who is ranked 34 in the world will be facing Federer for the second time. The two met at the Shanghai Masters in 2014 when, Federer won the fixture 7-5, 3-6, 7-6. A player of Federer’s class should be easily able to beat Mayer in the first round without any pressure.

ATP Rankings:

Roger Federer: 2 (9065 points)

Leonardo Mayer: 34 (1140 points)

Prediction: Roger Federer to win in straight sets over his 34 ranked opponent.