Well, well, well, wasn’t the rain absolutely pouring down for the first night of the round two matches? We hope everyone in the area managed to stay safe and as dry as possible. The crazy weather meant that some of the last matches of the day had to be rescheduled and moved onto a different court. But the good news is that the weather was fine for the rest of the second round matches.
Also in more good news, there are still a few Americans left in both the men’s and women’s side of the draw, although our favorite, Coco Gauff, did go down in the second round. But we can’t be too upset about that as she fell to fellow American Sloane Stephens, who is simply on fire at the moment.
What will the next round at the US Open bring? Only time will tell! Enjoy our free tennis picks and predictions for each round of the 2021 US Open tournament.
Round 3 Tennis Picks For The US Open: Men’s
Pablo Andújar vs Daniil Medvedev (2)
Pablo Andújar will face a tough opponent in the third round of the US Open, in the second seed, Daniil Medvedev. Andújar came from two sets down to win his first round match in five sets. His second round match went much more smoothly for Andújar, and he won in straight sets. Medvedev has had an easy run through to the third round, he is yet to drop a set in his first two rounds.
Andújar has been inconsistent to say the least in 2021, with his win-loss ratio at 9-13 so far. But he has had a couple of wins this year against some big names, including none other that Federer and Thiem. Andújar will come into this match as the underdog and will need to look at different ways to break the rhythm of Medvedev, which is no easy task. The pair have never played each other, so their head-to-head currently sits at 0-0.
I’m picking Daniil Medvedev to win the @USOpen 2021! pic.twitter.com/E0XWdOPgy0
— David Claassen (@Claassenman) September 1, 2021
Medvedev has got to be in the form of his life coming into this Grand Slam, and he has a real shot of winning the whole thing. He won in Toronto and made the semi finals in Cincinnati. Medvedev’s style of play suits the hard courts at the US Open very well, and it can be seen in his first two matches, where he won in straight sets.
It is going to be a difficult task for Andújar to upset Medvedev. Medvedev’s serve game has been on point, blasting 23 aces so far and his movement along with his defensive skills will see his win this match. As long as Medvedev can keep his concentration, he should win this match in straight sets.
Tennis Pick: Set Betting – Daniil Medvedev 3-0 (-470)
Andrey Rublev (5) vs Frances Tiafoe
Andrey Rublev will take on the home favorite in Frances Tiafoe, in what is set to be a juicy third round clash. Rublev has had a fairly comfortable ride into the third round, and he is one of the favorites to win the tournament, especially considering the likes of Federer and Nadal are not playing. He has only dropped one set so far, which was a tie break, in the second round. Tiafoe has also only dropped one set so far, which was in the first round, to fellow American, Eubanks.
The Russian did struggle to find form straight after the grass court season, but he seems to be peaking at just the right time, after getting his groove back in Cincinnati, where he made the final. Rublev is a two time quarter finalist here at the US Open, but will be looking to go a couple of steps further to claim a Grand Slam. The pair have never played each other before, and therefore the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Tiafoe hasn’t really made an impact so far this season, but if he can make the fourth round at his home Slam, he will certainly give the fans something to cheer about. He has a strong forehand that he will have to use to his advantage and make sure he doesn’t spray too many unforced errors. Tiafoe is known for leaking errors, especially when under pressure, but if he can keep it together, he has got to be in with a shot!
Both players have a similar style of play, so he player who can keep their errors in check has the best opportunity to take out this match. Tiafoe has the speed to get any ball back over the net, but Rublev has the firepower. Rublev also has the ability to not let the previous point impact him, and he can reset very quickly. This one has to go to Rublev for the win.
Tennis Pick: Match Winner – Andrey Rublev (-330)
Novak Djokovic (1) vs Kei Nishikori
Novak Djokovic continues his quest to hold the record outright for the most Grand Slam wins in history, but he will have to overcome Japanese player Kei Nishikori if he wants a spot in the fourth round. After shocking a lot of people and dropping a set in the first round, Djokovic was back to his clinical self when he won his second round match in straight sets. Nishikori has spent a lot of time on the court so far at the US Open, winning his first round match in four sets, and going the distance in his second round clash.
Djokovic has lost just five games so far this season and will come into the game as the overwhelming favorite, which isn’t surprising considering he is also the favorite to take out the entire tournament. So far this tournament, Djokovic has only been on the court for 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is less time then Nishikori. Also when looking at his record on hard courts this season, he has won 16 and lost two. The pair have played each other 19 times in their careers so far, and Djokovic comfortably leads that tally, 17-2, with their head-to-head record on hard courts also in the Serb’s favor, 6-1.
Kei Nishikori. Fifth set triumph. ✅
3 hours & 57 minutes later.
Never in doubt 😅 #USOpen pic.twitter.com/2hq84MtFC6
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 3, 2021
Nishikori’s win-loss record for this season so far sits at 25-15. The pair last met at the Tokyo Olympics where Nishikori was completely overpowered, losing to Djokovic 6-2, 6-0. He has a fairly decent record this season on hard courts, at 14-7 and has spent 2 hours and 41 minutes on the court so far at the US Open. Nishikori, who has been ranked as high as fourth in the world, is still yet to win a Grand Slam.
Nishikori hasn’t beaten Djokovic since 2014, at the US Open, when Nishikori was seeded 10th, and we think this is really going to be a tough ask for the Japanese player. Djokovic will look to dictate the points, and rarely does he have a lapse in concentration, it will be difficult for Nishikori to even get a shoe in for this match. Back Djokovic to get the job done in straight sets.
Tennis Pick: Set Betting – Novak Djokovic 3-0 (-280)
Round 3 Tennis Picks For The US Open: Women’s
Leylah Annie Fernandez vs Naomi Osaka (3)
Leylah Annie Fernandez, the 18 year old Canadian, will face off against Naomi Osaka, in what is set to be one of the biggest matches of her career so far. The young Canadian has performed very well so far at the US Open, and she is yet to drop a set. Osaka is also yet to drop a set, in fact, she didn’t play in the second round as her opponent withdraw beforehand.
This is just Fernandez’s second appearance in the US Open as she looks to make it into the next round. The 2021 season has been somewhat of a breakthrough for the Canadian, she won her first WTA singles title in March and it is the first time she has even made it into the main draw at all four Slams in a calendar year. Due to the lack of experience from Fernandez, it should not come as a surprise that she has never played Osaka before, and their head-to-head currently sits at 0-0.
If you are looking for the freshest player on the women’s side of the draw, it has got to be Osaka. She has only played 17 games in total, after her opponent withdraw before their second round clash. The defending champion is looking red hot, even though we haven’t actually seen her play on at Flushing Meadows for that long!
As we have said before, we think that Osaka is the favorite to win the tournament, and it is important she puts on a clinical performance against Fernandez in the third round. Osaka’s style of play will be too strong for the Canadian, who will certainly be feeling a lot of nerves. We think Osaka can get the job done in straight sets.
Tennis Pick: Set Betting – Naomi Osaka 2-0 (-210)
Danielle Collins (26) vs Aryna Sabalenka (2)
One of the many American’s left in the draw at the US Open, Danielle Collins will take on the number two seed in Aryna Sabalenka in the third round. Collins has breezed through her opening two rounds, winning both in straight sets, and never giving up more than four games to her opponent the set. Sabalenka on the other hand, had a tricky first round where she lost the second set, but didn’t let that worry her, as she came back and won the third set 6-0. In her second round clash, she won in straight sets to book herself a spot in the third round.
There is a good sprinkling of Americans left in the women’s draw and Collins is the second top seed left, after Pegula, who is seeded 23rd. The world number 29 has been performing very well as of late, winning events in Palermo (on clay) as well as in San Jose (on hardcourt). The American is in such good form, we could even potentially see an upset on the cards.
Aryna Sabalenka is into Round 3 of the #USOpen for the first time since 2018.
The No. 2 seed defeats Tamara Zidansek, 6-3, 6-1. pic.twitter.com/rBNo9kl7tS
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2021
So far this season Sabalenka has won a few titles and even made it to a Grand Slam semi final, but she is still on the hunt for her first Grand Slam title. Even though she was off to a shaky start in the first round, she showed her ability to fight and proved why she is ranked so highly. The pair have played twice before, with Sabalenka leading the tally 2-0. Last time out, the pair played at Wuhan a few years ago, and Sabalenka was extremely clinical, winning 6-1, 6-0.
Collins will be looking to right the wrongs of their previous encounter, and she is certainly in the form to get the job done. A win will be on the cards for Collins especially if Sabalenka makes too many unforced errors, which can on occasion creep into her game. Collins is a powerful striker of the ball and can produce a high number of winners. We think this one will be close, take the overs!
Tennis Pick: Total Sets – Over 2.5 (+124)
Ashleigh Barty (1) vs Shelby Rogers
The world number one will continue her quest for her first US Open title when she takes on home favorite in Shelby Rogers. The Australian is showing everyone why she is ranked number one in the world as she has breezed through her first two rounds in straight sets. Rogers has also cruised through to the third round without even dropping a set.
Barty has been playing extremely well as of late, and is looking to add to her collection of Grand Slam titles. At the moment she is still the +340 favorite to take out the US Open, followed closely by Osaka, at +380. She had a difficult run at the Tokyo Olympics, going down in the first round, but that was after a mammoth effort was put in to win a Wimbledon.
Rogers is also performing well and she will come into this match as the underdog, but will certainly have all the crowd on her side. She has comfortable dispatched her first two opponents but enters a who other league when going up against the world number one. The pair have actually played five times before, with Barty winning all five of those encounters. Three of Barty’s wins have come on the hard court, and her most recent win was this year, where the Australian won 6-2, 6-1.
We obviously want to see as many Americans make it through to the fourth round as possible, but this is going to be a tricky task for Rogers to complete. Barty is at the top of her game at the moment and there is a reason she is number one in the world. We think Barty will win in straight sets.
Tennis Pick: Set Betting – Ashliegh Barty 2-0 (-280)
If you are interested in more news for the US Open then make sure you visit our tennis hub page, we’ve got all the details you need!
*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
