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The second round of the US Open began on Day 3 of the competition and goes on till the end of Day 4. Most of the top seeds from the singles and doubles competitions won their respective matches and are still alive and kicking in their race to win the last Grand Slam of the year, although the exit of Bryan brothers was the biggest casaulty of a pulsating day of play.
Djokovic and Nadal expectedly registered victories over their opponents, and the two are headed for a potentially tantalising clash against each other once they navigate the next round. Defending champion Marin Cilic disposed off his opponent Evgeny Donskoy in straight sets to continue his surge towards a second US Open, while Serena Williams’s quest for her fourth consecutive US Open and a rare calendar slam goes on after her victory over Kiki Bertens.
The Indian contingent of Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes (with their respective partners) played well yesterday to gain victories in their respective doubles matches, with the former and Florin Mergea beating an unseeded American pair and the latter beating Claire Liu and Taylor Harry Fritz with his team-mate Martina Hingis in a mixed doubles match.
Here are the matches from Round 2 of the US Open as it resumes on Day 4:
Stan Wawrinka (5) vs Hyeon Chung
World number 5 Stan Wawrinka will take on Hyeon Chung in the second round of the US Open. The Swiss won his first match in straight sets albeit with a little difficulty, beating Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-5 6-4 7-6(6). 19-year-old South Korean Chung, on the other hand, dispatched James Duckworth 6-3 6-1 6-2 in the first round.
The two players have never faced each other in a competitive tennis match before on any surface, so the match-up will be a very intriguing one to watch.
Prediction: Wawrinka to win this if he does not underestimate his 69-ranked opposition.
Ivo Karlovic vs Jiri Vesely
Ivo Karlovic will face each Jiri Vesely in the next round of the competition after the two comfortably won their opening round matches. The Serbian beat Paolo Lorenzi 6-4 6-4 6-4 while the world number 48 Jiri Vesely knocked out Federico Delbonis 6-3 7-5 7-5.
Both of the previous head to heads between the two players have come on clay court surfaces. Karlovic was the victor in the first match that took place in Dusseldorf in 2014, but the Czech came back to grab a win in the quarters of the Bucharest 2015 tournament.
Prediction: Ivo Karlovic to win this one, but probably not in straight sets.
Tomas Berdych vs Jurgen Mulzer
Czech Tomas Berdych eased to a 6-3 6-2 6-4 win over Bjorn Fratangelo in Round 1 and set up a tie with Jurgen Mulzer, who is ranked outside the top 100. Melzer also managed a straight-sets victory in his first match of the US Open when he beat Denis Kudla 6-3 7-5 6-1.
The World Number 6 has won four out of the six competitive fixtures he has played with Melzer since 2005 and all of these have come on hardcourt surfaces. The most recent win came about in the second round of the 2015 Australian Open, where he beat the Austrian 7-6(0) 6-2 6-2.
Prediction: Berdych’s 4-2 record over Melzer on hardcourts gives him the advantage for this one and he should win without dropping a set.
Andy Murray (3) vs Adrian Mannarino
Andy Murray will be looking to add to his 2012 US Open win as he continues his tournament in the second round clash against Mannarino, who is ranked 35th in the world. The World number 3 began his tournament with a 7-6(6) 6-4 6-1 win over Konstantin Kravchuk while his French opponent beat controversial Aussie Nick Kyrgios 7-5 6-3 4-6 6-1.
The hard court of the 2015 Indian Wells Masters was the venue of the only clash between the two players, which was won by Andy in straight sets 6-3 6-3.
Prediction: The Scot to continue his winning ways with a straight-sets win.
Simona Halep (2) vs Kateryna Bondarenko
Simona Halep made it to the second round of the US Open after her opponent retired hurt in the first round. Her next opponent is Ukranian Kateryna Bondarenko, who brushed past Yulia Putintseva 6-0 6-3.
The Romanian World Number 2 and the 104th ranked Bondarenko have never faced each other in any competitive tennis match, making this one to really look forward to.
Prediction: Simona Halep to beat Kateryna in straight sets.
Caroline Wozniacki (5) vs Petra Cetkovska
World number 5 Caroline Wozniacki made a strong start to her US Open campaign when she thrashed Jamie Loeb 6-2 6-0. The win set herself up for a second round encounter with Petra Cetkovska, who took three sets to get past Christina McHale.
The two women have met each other on three different occasions, with the Wozniacki winning both hardcourt matches and Petra beating the Danish in the 2013 Wimbledon.
Prediction: Wozniacki to move on to the next round with a routine win.
Victoria Azarenka vs Yanina Wickmayer
Belarussian tennis star Victoria Azarenka got off to a good start at the Flushing Meadows with a 6-1 6-2 win over Lucie Hradecka. Her opposition is the 92nd ranked Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, who qualified for the second round after beating Francesca Schiavone 6-3 6-1.
The head-head record between Azarenka and Wickmayer involves only one fixture, which took place in the hardcourts of Doha in 2012. The World Number 20 came out top in the match, dropping just four games to complete the win in two sets.
Prediction: Azarenka to beat Wickmayer in straight sets.
Leander Paes/Fernando Verdasco vs F Mayer/F Moser
The experienced duo of 42-year-old Indian Leander Paes and 31-year-old Spaniard Fernando Verdasco will be gearing up to take on German pair of Florian Mayer and Frank Moser in the first round of the US Open. Paes has already won his mixed doubles match with partner Martina Hingis, so he will be expecting to keep up the good form with another win today.
Prediction: Leander Paes and Verdasco should go through to the second round.
