No. 13 Ben Shelton vs. Dominic Thiem
The Austrian Thiem won the US Open in 2020, edging Alexander Zverev in the final in a tiebreaker in the fifth set. That was dramatic. He also reached into the final at Roland Garros and the Australian Open over the years, but he could not win it. However, that was very good, as he had some amazing shots with a lot of variety. Unfortunately, Thiem suffered a wrist injury a few years ago, and then he could beat the top players again. Now, he will retire at the end of the year, but he will try to reach out and have a fine show. However, Shelton has had a good year, not all of the time, but the young man can look terrific. He can celebrate a lot, and he can nail it into the corners. The American wants to go into the second week, and the No. 13 will push himself hard. In the Ashe Stadium, in the first match on Monday, Shelton will take it in four, fun sets.
No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti vs. Reilly Opelka
The players never know when they will get hurt badly, but here and there, they might be gone for a long time due to an injury. Opelka was out for eight months last year, as he could not play, but last month, he returned, so now he has to be very careful. He is a huge hitter, but he is not that fast when he is running, so he has to try to attack it.
Maybe he can, but the Italian Musetti just won a bronze at the Olympics, so he must be totally exuberant. Plus, at Wimbledon, he reached into the semis, taking down Taylor Fritz before he lost against Novak Djokovic. Musetti is getting better all the time. Opelka will be excited about the match in New York, but Musetti will grind him down slowly, and he will win it in three long sets.
No. 9 Qinwen Zheng vs. Amanda Anisimova
The wonderful Zheng won the Olympics in Paris, and she is rising very fast. She can sprint with any direction, and she can also be very patient. Yes, she can get upset when her forehand drops down, but gradually, Zheng can re-adjust it.
When she is happy, the American Amanda Anisimova can shatter the ball. She is intense when feeling good, but when she cannot hit it in the right way, she can collapse. Fortunately, Anisimova made it into the final in Toronto, beating four very good players, so now, she is much more mature, on the court. This is a very tough one, as they can be very nervous, but this time, the Chinese Zheng will battle it in three sets and she will snag it in a crazy tiebreaker.
No. 21 Madison Keys vs. Katerina Siniakova
Keys got hurt recently, but somehow she decided to play in Flushing Meadows. Hopefully, when she is playing, she won’t twist her knee. She wants to go deep again, crushing the ball if she is healthy. She is a gigantic hitter, with her forehand and her backhand, but currently, she is a little bit slow, when she runs. However, she has gone deep at the Slams, so the second week will be right there if she can lock it in.
Siniakova is a great doubles player, and she has won nine titles in the Grand Slams. But in the singles, the Czech has yet to reach into the quarters in the majors, so from the backcourt, she is still looking to find the solution. Keys has made it into the final at the 2017 US Open, so then she is pretty confident. She will take in two sets.