US Open Predictions 2022: SportsTips’ Top Tennis Picks For Round 3

Well, well, well, the seeds on both sides of the draw continue to drop like flies, which means it’s wide open for any player to take advantage. It’s now time for Round 3, and we are so happy to see that Serena Williams continues her run, after beating the number two seed.

While on the men’s side of the draw, there were a number of surprising results, and it is good to see that there are still a number of Americans left in the draw. We are expecting to see more upsets in Round 3, but which players will be able to rise up to the occasion and move into the Round of 16? We are going to find out soon!

Enjoy our free tennis picks and predictions for each round at the US Open for the 2022 season.

Round 3 Tennis Picks at the US Open: Men’s Draw

Nick Kyrgios (23) vs J.J. Wolf

Australian firecracker Nick Kyrgios will likely have to put up with a slightly hostile crowd, as he goes up against local hope J.J. Wolf. The 23rd seed, and 2022 Wimbledon finalist has made it through the first two rounds fairly easily, as he has only dropped one set. The unseeded American shocked in the first round when he took out the 16th seed, Bautista Agut, in straight sets, and he won his Round 2 match in four sets.

Aleksandar Ricliev

Nick Kyrgios is coming to the US Open on quite a hot streak. Reaching the final in Wimbledon and winning the ATP Washington were quite the accomplishments. We all know Kyrgious is a passionate guy who gets angry at fans or umpires. His temper has thrown him out of rhythm on numerous occasions. Many people keep saying he needs to find a way to control his emotions to reach his full potential. I beg to differ. It is those emotions that make Kyrgios an impeccable tennis player. He thrives at being the underdog and being against everyone in the world. I think that motivates him.

Jeffrey John Wolf has had a great tournament so far. In the first round, he was a considerable underdog versus Bautista-Agut. He managed to put up an upset easily, without losing a single set. In the next round, he had an easier opponent in the Chilean Tabilo, which he handled in four sets. Does it have it in him to pull off another upset? I would say no. Can he take at least a set of Kyrgios? Absolutely. I predict this being a tight game, going over the bar of total games. 

Denis Kirilov

Nick Kyrgios could easily say this has already been the best year of his tennis career. The 27-year-old Australian reached his maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon after dominating the competition in the bottom half of the draw. He then went on to win the tournament in Washington in August and had to come up against two really decent hard court players in the face of Hubert Hurkacz and Taylor Fritz in order to be stopped in his North American journey. Kyrgios might still be the “bad boy” of the ATP, but he has surely shown a significant improvement in his game this year. 

On the other hand, Jeffrey John Wolf drastically entered the top 100 after some great performances in 2022. The 23-year-old American reached his peak form in Washington when he took down Denis Shapovalov and Holger Rune to get his first ATP quarterfinal appearance. He surprised the tennis world back in 2020 when he went on a 2-0 run at the US Open before going down to Daniil Medvedev in the third round. Wolf racks up numerous aces and winners in his matches as he relies much on his aggressive style of play. He cruised past Roberto Bautista-Agut in the opening match which gives me quite enough confidence to pick his spread against Kyrgios.  

Jack Hartman

What a year it’s been for Nick Kygrios. An Australian Open Doubles Champion, Wimbledon finalist and winner in Washington, the talented Aussie is starting to put it all together. There is of course still the drama that accompanies any Kygrios match, but the difference this year is that he seems to be able to put all of that behind him and concentrate on every point. There is no mistake in stating that Kygrios has a game worthy of the top ten and he can go really deep here. In his two victories so far he has just dropped one set and should have plenty left in the tank for this encounter against Jeffrey John Wolf. 

Jeffrey John Wolf has solidified his position inside the world’s top 100 and is enjoying a career best tournament. His wins over Roberto Bautista Agut and Alejandro Tabilo have been impressive, with the American just dropping one set along the way. The American’s game is based on his consistency and there has to be a fear that he won’t have the weapons to trouble Kygrios here. The two have never played against one another but as long as his mind is sound, Kygrios should have more than enough to advance to the last sixteen. 

Jenson Brooksby vs Carlos Alcaraz (3)

The young American, Jenson Brooksby, will face his toughest challenge yet when he encounters the third seed in Carlos Alcaraz. The American was well on his way to winning his first round match when his opponent retired, he then backed up that performance with a straight sets victory in the second round. It is pretty much the same story for Alcaraz, who had his first round opponent pull out mid way through the third set, and then he had a straight sets victory in Round 2.

Aleksandar Ricliev

Carlos Alcaraz is yet to lose a set in this tournament. However, that doesn’t show the complete picture of his performances. Alcaraz was pretty sloppy and wasteful of opportunities in the first round versus the Argentinian Sebastian Baez. To give credit to both players, they put on quite a show, and the match was pretty decent and fun to watch before Baez got injured in the third set and had to forfeit. In the second round versus another Argentinian, Federico Coria, Alcaraz showed the same weaknesses again. He struggled to win points on his serve, and allowed 13 break opportunities. He also had many unforced errors. He will have to improve his level to compete for the trophy. 

Jenson Brooksby quietly has been having a pretty impressive tournament. In the first round, he absolutely obliterated Lajovic by 6-2, 6-0, 3-0 before the Serbian decided to forfeit the match. He outlasted the gritty Croatian Borna Coric in three sets in the second round. Brooksby is playing the best tennis of his life and has lost only one game on his serve in this tournament, so I expect him to put up a heroic fight. I’ve got him covering the games spread.

Denis Kirilov

Jenson Brooksby is on his way to repeat his achievement from 2021 when he reached the fourth round of the US Open. However, he will first need to find a way to overcome one of the most versatile players in the ATP right now and 3rd-seeded, Carlos Alcaraz. So far, Brooksby dealt with Lajovic and Coric who won his first ATP 1000 right before the beginning of the Grand Slam. The 21-year-old American has played flawlessly and booked his upcoming battle with Alcaraz without losing a set. He relies much on his consistency throughout the rallies which led them to a World No. 33 in June. 

Carlos Alcaraz is undoubtedly the next big name in the ATP Tour as he has drawn comparisons between himself and the self-proclaimed top 3 including Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. To many experts, the young Spaniard is a fantastic mixture between these legends of the sport as he might one day replicate their achievements. His mentality and athleticism is what makes him stand out from the next generation players and this will certainly help him against the home-favorite on Friday. However, it seems that Brooksby has the needed qualities to take something from Alcaraz who tends to struggle to keep high consistency for a long time.   

Jack Hartman

Carlos Alcaraz moved into Round 3 of this year’s US Open following a relatively comfortable victory over Argentine Federico Coria. Alcaraz once again showed what a prestigious talent he is, wowing the Arthur Ashe crowd with some simply stunning tennis. It was at this tournament last year that Alcaraz announced himself on the world stage as he reached the quarterfinals. That performance is still the furthest he has ever got in a Grand Slam and he will be hopeful of advancing past that stage this year. 

Next up for the Spaniard is Jenson Brooksby. Brooksby’s run to this year’s third round marks his best ever result at a Grand Slam and he will head into the contest believing he can bring down Alcaraz. Brooksby has quickly become one of my favorite players to watch on Tour. A great mover, and as solid as they come, the American will make Alcaraz work for every point. Due to the fantastic shot making of both players, there is bound to be numerous points that will have the crowd on its feet. Just two years exist between the players and if both players continue on the trajectory they are currently on, we could see many more matches between the pair. For now, this will be the first contest between the two and I have to think that despite the stern test Brooksby will provide, Alcaraz should just have a little too much game for him to handle. 

Brandon Nakashima vs Jannik Sinner (11)

Unseeded American, Brandon Nakashima, will face off against the 11th seed, Jannik Sinner, for a spot in the Round of 16. The American is yet to drop a set at the US Open, and in the second round he defeated the 17th seed, Dimitrov. Sinner had an almighty battle in the first round, needing five sets to get the victory, but it was a lot easier for him in the second round, winning in straight sets.

Aleksandar Ricliev

Brandon Nakashima, surprisingly, has yet to lose a single set in this tournament. In the first round, he played against the Russian Pavel Kotov. It was a bad game for the neutral fans, with many unforced errors by both sides. Kotov had eight double serve faults and 51 unforced errors. Nakashima was a bit better with three double serve faults and 28 unforced errors, and his overall performance was far from perfect. Versus the Bulgarian Dimitrov in the second round, it was pretty much the same story. Dimitrov had five double serve faults and had 41 unforced errors. 

Jannik Sinner struggled in the first round of the tournament. The five set marathon versus Daniel Altmaier was full of ups and downs for both players. Sinner played three great sets, winning them by a slide: 6-2, 6-1,6-1, but he also played two terrible sets with lots of mistakes. In the tournament’s second round, he played against Eubanks, who pretty much lost the match by himself. Eubanks had a terrible day, with 51 unforced errors and 6 serve double faults. I am predicting this to be a slugfest. I see the match going to 5 sets.

Denis Kirilov

Brandon Nakashima has enjoyed a fantastic year so far. The 21-year-old American made it to the fourth round of Wimbledon before going down to eventual runner-up, Nick Kyrgios. Moreover, Nakashima showed his versatile game style against Grigor Dimitrov as he cruised past the Bulgarian in straight sets on Thursday. Brandon plays smart and waits for his moments during the rallies, while at the same time attempts to break the opponent with a variety of shots. 

Jannik Sinner has been considered one of the potential Grand Slam winners, but he has only reached three quarterfinals over the course of his career. The young Italian has a solid and balanced game style that replicates Roger Federer’s on-court presence in a certain way. Sinner will have to defend his points from the fourth round from last year when he was ousted by Alexander Zverev in straight sets. However, his struggles in the opening round against the hard-hitter Daniel Altmaier suggest that he might be in for big trouble against Nakashima. My pick will go in favor of the American as he has shown high consistency and great mentality during some of the most clutch moments in his match with Grigor Dimitrov. 

Jack Hartman

Brandon Nakashima is a name I think we’ll be hearing plenty about in the future and the young American has reached the third round of this year’s US Open for the very first time after beating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in Round 2. I predicted that Nakashima would win but didn’t think he would do it in the fashion that he did. Nakashima has a game that is perfectly suited to the hard courts and in his win over Dimitrov he showcased his superb ball striking skills as well as excellent movement. Currently ranked at 69 in the world, Nakashima’s run to the third round should see him move up fairly significantly.

Standing in the American’s way in reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time is the exceptionally talented Italian Jannik Sinner. Sinner is seeded 11th in the draw and is a real dark horse. The Italian often overpowers his way past his opponents and it will be fascinating to see how Nakashima handles the barrage that is about to head his way. Sinner showed no signs of weariness in his second round victory over Chris Eubanks after he was pushed to five sets by German Daniel Altmaier. Despite hard courts not being his preferred surface, Sinner has reached the final of the Miami Open and certainly won’t be wary of the surface. Both men are 21 years of age and look to have a huge future in the game. This could be a rivalry that spans the next decade, but in what will be their first ever professional match against one another, the smart money has to be on Sinner to progress. 

Round 3 Tennis Picks at the US Open: Women’s Draw

Ajla Tomljanović vs Serena Williams

The amazing dream run continues on for veteran Serena Williams, who will face Australian Ajla Tomljanović for a spot in the Round of 16. Tomljanović was certainly on the brink in her Round 2 match, but she managed to come back from a set down to take the win, she won her opening round match in straight sets. Williams certainly knows how to put on a show, and she beat the second seed, Kontaveit, in three sets to advance to Round 3.

Aleksandar Ricliev

I went with my brain instead of my heart in the last round, and I picked Serena Williams to lose to Kontaveit. Silly me. I am never doing that again. Serena Williams and the absolutely fantastic crowd have convinced me – I am picking her to win the tournament. A fairytale ending for the greatest tennis player of all time. It doesn’t really matter if you are a fan of tennis or not; this match will be an absolute pleasure to watch. You will never see this kind of atmosphere at a tennis match, ever. 

The Australian Alja Tomljanovic has had a decent year. Women tennis players are generally prone to ups and downs with their performances and results. Alja Tomljanovic is coming to the US Open with mixed performances at the Cincinnati WTA. The same form has followed her to this tournament as well. In the last round, she lost the first set 1-6. She went on to win 2-1. Serena is far from her best and isn’t even close to the player she used to be. However, in this environment, I believe you must be mentally tough to battle through the voices of thousands of fans, win and send her to retirement. Lapses in focus will cost you the match. I am picking Serena Williams to win this game.

Denis Kirilov

Serena Williams might have something else in stock before officially retiring from the world of tennis. The 23-time Grand Slam champion has missed out on breaking Margaret Court’s record as she is now more focused on enjoying her last hours and minutes on the courts in New York. Williams has always been driven by her emotions throughout her career which might have taken its toll at some points. However, despite her emotional breakdowns and numerous double faults, she tends to be ferocious from the baseline. Williams is certainly a one-of-a-kind player that will go down in the history books. 

Ajla Tomljanovic has finally peaked at a Grand Slam after having several unsuccessful attempts to reach the second week. The 29-year-old Australian reached the quarterfinal at Wimbledon in two consecutive years which booked her a spot among the top 50 WTA players. She usually plays well against top opponents, but pressure is something she has been struggling with. Tomljanovic had a fantastic North American spell in August which has surely boosted her confidence coming into the US Open. Hence, I think that she might have a decent start to the match and hopefully she can win the opening set on Friday. 

Jack Hartman

The potential of this being Serena Williams’ last ever tournament has captured the imagination of the entire world and there is a genuine belief that she could end up going all the way. Her three set win over Anette Kontaveit was impressive in so many ways. Her serve was booming, her groundstrokes ferocious and she is masterfully playing off the energy of the New York crowd. Make no mistake about it, the person to beat Serena Williams will not only need to beat her but also the crowd. That won’t be an easy feat at all!

Williams’ opponent will be the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic and she is a player of considerable experience. Tomljanovic carries herself around the court with great professionalism and this should be an environment that she absolutely relishes. Remarkably the two have never played before and everything should be set for a classic encounter. Tomljanovic has been in great form across the first two rounds beating the talented Karolina Muchova and Elena Rodina. If Serena is on song, she will win but this will be another match packed with nerves and drama.

Madison Keys (20) vs Coco Gauff (12)

Other than the Williams match, this has got to be the match that all Americans will be keeping their eye on, as Madison Keys and Coco Gauff do battle for a spot in the Round of 16. Keys won her opening round in straight sets, but she was pushed to the brink in the second round, needing a third set tiebreaker to advance. Gauff was pushed slightly in her second round match, but she is still yet to drop a set so far at the US Open.

Aleksandar Ricliev

Madison Keys comes into this tournament looking as sharp as ever and full of confidence. Playing on her favorite surface, she had an impressive showing at the Cincinnati ATP beating Putintseva, Ostapenko, Swiatek, and Rybakina all by 2-0. She put up quite a showing in the last round versus the Italian Giorgi as well. This match has the potential to be the best showdown of this round. I am sure the Serena Williams game will get more fans and coverage, but I think this pair will create an incredible tennis spectacle. I still remember the fireworks in the match Gauff and Keys played earlier in the year in Adelaide, Australia. This one should be even better.

Cori Gauff has been sliding easily through the tournament. In the first round, she won easily versus Jeanjean by 2-0. In the second round, as expected, she broke the Romanian Ruse’s resistance pretty quickly. I consider this to be her first real test of the tournament. In the last match between the two, Keys ended up victorious, so Gauff has something to prove. I expect a tremendously tight match, and I have Gauff winning 2-1. 

Denis Kirilov

There is one thing that Madison Keys and Coco Gauff have in common as they have both come really close to winning a Grand Slam, but they have eventually been denied that glory in the final. Keys is an ex-runner-up at the US Open as she seemed unbeatable back in 2017 before going down to Sloane Stephens. On the other hand, Gauff has finally unleashed her huge potential as she went on a 6-game winning streak without losing a set before slipping against Iga Swiatek in the deciding match at this year’s Roland Garros. 

Keys and Gauff share a similar playing style as both can be quite aggressive from the baseline relying much on their groundstrokes. On top of that, they have a decent first serve that can usually win them some easy points throughout the match. Gauff is yet to lose a set at the US Open, while Keys has already been one game away from elimination in her second round match against Camila Giorgi. I think that this three-setter might have squeezed something out of Keys as she will come up against a player who has spent less than three hours on the courts in New York so far. My pick goes in favor of Coco Gauff, as I expect to see her assert dominance from the beginning of the match.

Jack Hartman

This matchup between Madison Keys and Coco Gauff is arguably one of the best third round matches on either side of the draw. Madison Keys is a former finalist of this tournament and is right at home on the lightning fast hard courts. Keys headed to this year’s US Open in good form following a semifinal defeat in the Cincinnati Open. She hasn’t left that form behind and has only dropped one set en route to beating the pair of Dayana Yastremska and Camila Giorgi. 

Coco Gauff has all the potential to win this tournament and has started this year’s tournament with two successive straight set victories over Leolia Jeanjean and Elena Ruse. Gauff’s draw has opened up and she has a great chance of another deep major run following her run to this year’s French Open final. The two have only ever met once before and it was Keys who emerged victorious with a win in three sets. That win came on the hard courts in Adelaide and with conditions similar here, we can expect another close encounter. 

Iga Świątek (1) vs Lauren Davis

The world number one, Iga Świątek, will look to book her spot in the Round of 16 when she faces off against unseeded American, Lauren Davis. It’s been an easy ride so far for the world number one, and she has only dropped a total of eight games. It’s been a different story for the American, who has seen both matches go the distance, including a third set tiebreaker in Round 2.

Aleksandar Ricliev

The number one tennis player in the world, Iga Swiatek, has been looking scary in this tournament. In the first round, she took care of the Italian Jasmine Paolini in just over an hour. Swiatek only lost three games in the match and looked totally untouchable. She played against Sloane Stephens from the United States of America in the second round. The American put up a better fight than Paolini, but she was no match for Swiatek. An hour and 15 minutes were all it took for the sensational Swiatek to win the game 6-3, 6-2. Sure, everything can change instantly in tennis, but the Polish star looks unstoppable.  

In this round, she gets to face Lauren Davis. The American had an amazing comeback in the second round after losing the first set 0-6, to win the match 2-1 (6-4, 7-6). She has shown resilience, lots of fighting spirit, and fire, but she will need a miracle to come out as a winner in this match. I don’t think Davis, even on her best day, is a match for Swiatek. I predict Swiatek to win this match by a slide, covering the games handicap. 

Denis Kirilov

Iga Swiatek is certainly the top favorite to win the 2022 US Open. She has been the best player on the WTA Tour this season as her 37-game winning streak is a precise example of her dominance. Despite that amazing result, she only managed to grab one Grand Slam title in 2022 as she cruised past her opponents in Paris. Swiatek has completely smashed Sloane Stephens in what was promising to be an interesting Round of 64 matchup. She made sure that there would be no luck involved in deciding the winner and took matters in her hands from the very beginning. 

Lauren Davis has never reached the third round of the US Open before in her career as that’s exactly the furthest she has gone at a Grand Slam. At 28 years of age, she may be considered to be past her prime as she has been part of the WTA since 2011. Davis made her return into the top 100 after losing some of her form during the pandemic. She has a career-high World No. 26 from 2017, but she failed to keep her consistency throughout the upcoming seasons. Now, facing off one of the most complete WTA players, Davis would have to find a way to attack her weaknesses. But with the tournament slowly, but surely going into the second week, it seems there are none in her game and that’s why I will go with her spread against the experienced American. 

Jack Hartman

After a patchy second half of the season, things are starting to look up for number one seed Iga Swiatek who has breezed through her opening two rounds of this year’s US Open. The number one seed is looking to win her second major of the year after victory in Paris earlier in the season. Swiatek has enjoyed some great results on hard courts this season, winning in both Indian Wells and Miami, and she brought that good form into her Round 2 match where she swatted away former champion Sloane Stephens in two easy sets. If Swiatek plays her best, she will win this tournament.

Standing in Swiatek’s way in Round 3 is American Lauren Davis, who at 105 in the world has enjoyed a fantastic week so far. In Round 1 she was about to serve for the match before opponent Lucia Bronzetti withdrew from their contest. She then beat 28th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in three tight sets. Davis has formerly been as high as 27 in the world but has seen her form curtail significantly. Her run in this US Open has seen her match her best ever Grand Slam run, but her tournament will end here to Swiatek.

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.