US Open 2019: 4 matches to look forward to over the weekend

The first weekend of any Major promises some of the most gruelling and exciting tennis action as fans flock in large numbers. Despite a lot of players not living up to the expectations, the US Open 2019 still has a lot of enthralling matches in store.

As the US Open is heading into its second week with a fair number of disappointments and some surprise entries in the last 16 of the men's singles draw, here is a list of some exciting matches to watch over the weekend.

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#1 Andrey Rublev vs Nick Kyrgios (Third Round)

Andrey Rublev

Andrey Rublev has always been this silent kid who scores above average grades at school and he did surprise the tennis fraternity when he defeated Roger Federer in the third round of Cincinnati Masters a week before the US Open. Since then, there has been a lot of talk about his performance at the US Open and he did exceed all the expectations and defeated players like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Gilles Simon to reach the third round. He is strong and has got all the text-book shots needed for a great player. Up next in the tournament for him is Nick Kyrgios.

It just might take millions of words to describe how Nick Kyrgios can be on both the extremes at the same time. One day, you see him smiling with kids and giving pictures to them, and the day after, he is making allegations against top players like Novak and Rafa. His behaviour with chair umpires in almost every tournament he plays is also not something he should be proud of. At the US Open, his words might just make him pay big as he is under scrutiny for suspension for allegedly claiming that the tennis body is corrupt.

These things aside, the two matches he played in this tournament against the American Steve Johnson and Hoang of France did give the impression that he is looking great on the court. But, one can never predict anything about Nick Kyrgios and his antics on the court.

This match-up between Rublev and Kyrgios is going to be a perfect set-up and will test Kyrgios's ability and his temperament as well.

Prediction: Andrey Rublev winning in four sets.

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#2 Gael Monfils vs Denis Shapovalov (Third Round)

Denis Shapovalov

The performance of Monfils this year hasn't been exceptional as he has been repeatedly pulling out of tournaments owing to injuries. So, there weren't any expectations from the Frenchman coming into this tournament and this seemed to have worked the trick for him as he has been looking at his usual best at the US Open this year. That said, he hasn't been pushed beyond the limits by either of the two opponents, Ramos-Vinolas and Marius Copil.

Denis Shapovalov, on the other hand, defeated his fellow countryman and friend, Felix Auger Aliassime in the first round and Laaksonen of Switzerland in the second round. He seems to have found his mojo back and has been looking confident on-court which is a positive thing for such an exceptional talent.

It is going to be an entertaining contest as both the players are known for their terrific shot-making.

Prediction: Gael Monfils winning in five sets.

#3 Roger Federer vs David Goffin (Fourth Round)

Roger Federer

Roger Federer finally won his match in straight sets against the Brit Daniel Evans in an hour and 20 minutes and it is the first time in the tournament he was dominant throughout the match. Dan Evans could probably do nothing as he had to play back-to-back matches and he was definitely exhausted. Roger thus cruised into the fourth round where he will play against David Goffin.

Coming to Goffin, he has already played against Federer once this year in the final of Halle Open and lost to him in straight sets. Despite the lopsided head-to-head record in favour of the Swiss, let us not forget the fact that the Belgian did defeat Federer in the semi-finals of the World Tour Finals in 2017 after losing the first set. Since then, it has been a bumpy ride for Goffin as he struggled with injuries before heading back to his normal game.

Prediction: Roger Federer winning in straight sets.

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#4 Novak Djokovic vs Stan Wawrinka (Fourth Round)

Stan Wawrinka (left) and Novak Djokovic

One of the most exciting contests this weekend has to be the fourth-round clash between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka. They have met 24 times with Novak leading their head-to-head record with 19 wins but it was Stan Wawrinka who defeated Djokovic in the finals of the French Open 2015 and the US Open 2016. He also defeated Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the 2014 Australian Open and Rafael Nadal in the final to claim his first ever Major title.

So, it's been three years since they last met and so much has changed for Wawrinka especially, as he had to recover from his injury, make a comeback and get back to his usual form. He did that and here he is, facing the best player in the world for a place in the quarter-finals. Wawrinka, at his best, can defeat Novak Djokovic and it is something that the Serb should be wary of going into the contest.

There are no signs of fatigue in Djokovic after his shoulder injury needed some treatment during his second round match against Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina. He defeated the American Denis Kudla in straight sets to cruise into the fourth round.

Both the players are looking good in this tournament and since it is the first time the two of them will be playing against each other after a gap of three years, it is tough for Djokovic to be on top of Wawrinka immediately and if the Swiss can capitalize on this aspect, Djokovic will be forced to play at his best level in every set.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic winning in five sets.

A special mention has to be given to the Round of 16 clash between Grigor Dimitrov and Alex de Minaur as the latter is looking in great touch after defeating Kei Nishikori in the third round. These are a few of the matches to sit back and enjoy over the weekend as the matches are sure to live up to the expectations of tennis fans across the globe.