The 2023 US Open continues Round 1 play on Tuesday, with 32 men’s matches slated for play. The first few days of a Slam are action-packed from sunup to sundown, and Day 2 in Flushing Meadows is no different. We at LWOT have analyzed the matches and provided our thoughts on all 32 matches. We split the 32 matches between eight articles. Our other articles feature Cameron Norrie vs Alexander Shevchenko, Alexander Zverev vs Aleksandar Vukic, Andy Murray vs Corentin Moutet, Gael Monfils vs Taro Daniel, John Isner vs Facundo Diaz Acosta, Daniil Medvedev vs Attila Balazs, and Jannik Sinner vs Yannick Hanfmann. Predicting this set of matches are Damian Kust, Yesh Ginsburg, and Jordan Reynolds.
US Open Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Otto Virtanen
Damian:
Etcheverry isn’t great on hard, but he’s also not exactly Dellien or Cecchinato level. Virtanen was struggling for months before qualifying for this event, finally finding a few wins in a row. He should be a threat to the Argentinian on this surface and this match will be a nice litmus test of where he is at the moment.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 5
Yesh:
Etcheverry hasn’t lived up to his potential yet, but he’s a solid enough player. And with a very good draw here, he should advance past this round.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 3
Jordan:
This is Virtanen’s first ever Grand Slam appearance. French Open quarterfinalist Etcheverry should have a natural edge with his greater experience at this level. However, the Argentine is a strong clay court specialist, evidenced by losing both his matches in the run-up to the US Open. Virtanen can cause problems if he plays aggressively. I am backing the Etcheverry, but this may be closer than some think.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 5
Yibing Wu vs Dusan Lajovic
Damian:
Wu fainted in his last match and is suffering from some sort of a heart problem. It’s tough to say whether he’ll be okay here as he hasn’t competed in a while. If he’s healthy, this has to be perceived as a kind draw. Lajovic has a knack for upsets, but only rarely wins matches on hard courts.
Prediction: Wu in 5
Yesh:
Lajovic shows flashes of brilliance throughout the season, but nothing consistent. Meanwhile, Wu has floundered since his breakout early this year. Also, it’s not clear if he’ll be healthy enough for this.
Prediction: Lajovic in 3
Jordan:
There are some question marks surrounding both players here. Wu has not played since retiring at the Citi Open nearly a month ago. Lajovic retired in the round of 16 after upsetting Jannik Sinner in the previous round, and has also not featured since. Overall I am giving Wu a slight edge with the information available. Sinner was clearly jaded from his Toronto title run when he played Lajovic, and Wu’s playing style is a bad match for the Serbian.
Prediction: Wu in 4
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Diego Schwartzman vs Arthur Rinderknech
Damian:
Schwartzman looked pretty decent in the warm-ups and it seems like his game actually has more bite on hard than clay this year. Rinderknech seemed to be getting something going in the post-Wimbledon clay swing, but suffered a shock exit to Kumar at Winston-Salem last week. Really tough one to call.
Prediction: Rinderknech in 5
Yesh:
Schwartzman was a dark horse for the title a few years ago. Now he’s down and out, likely at the end of his career. This is not a good matchup for him on this court, either.
Prediction: Rinderknech in 4
Jordan:
The experienced Schwartzman barely made the main draw cut after what has been a rough year for the Argentine. He has lost 19 of 29 ATP matches this season. But Rinderknech is also performing worse than last year, losing 17 of 26 ATP Tour matches this season. I am narrowly backing Schwartzman. Rinderknech has particularly struggled on hard courts in 2023, and that could be the slight difference.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 5
Carlos Alcaraz vs Dominik Koepfer
Damian:
Koepfer has been so impressive in how quickly he returned to the top of the sport after his injuries, especially as not many actually expected him to do so. This is obviously a nightmare draw, but the German has a way of being tricky for his opposition. It’s just that in the best-of-five format, Alcaraz will have so much time to make adjustments.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Yesh:
Alcaraz has quickly jumped from potential elite to actual elite. He’s almost certainly going to lose the #1 ranking after this event, but he’s still a contender for the title. Don’t expect him to slip up here.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Jordan:
The talk in the media is already about another Alcaraz vs Djokovic final before play has even started in the US Open. The current #1 in the world has a difficult half of the draw to negotiate before that may become a reality. Koepfer has been performing well in recent weeks, including a semifinal run at the Los Cabos Open. The German should provide an adequate first round test, but without ever truly threatening a big upset.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran – USA TODAY Sports
