- Cameron Norrie opens his US Open campaign against the three-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist Diego Schwartzman
- They’re tied at 1-1 in their head to heads, the Brit aims for his first top-20 win since 2018
- Kyle Edmund won his second ATP title in New York before the lockdown. He comes back to face Alexander Bublik under the bubble
NEW YORK, USA – Cameron Norrie will meet Diego Schwartzman bidding to avoid a second straight first-round exit at the US Open. Kyle Edmund will meet tricky Kazakh Alexander Bublik for the first time.
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Cameron Norrie, one of 15 left-handers in the main draw, will open his US Open campaign against the No.9 seed Diego Schwartzman. Kyle Edmund aims to avoid his third straight first-round exit at US Open. He opens his fifth consecutive campaign in New York facing the unpredictable Kazakh Alexander Bublik for the first time. Let’s have a look to those matches.
Cameron Norrie v Diego Schwartzman [9] | H2H tied at 1-1
Norrie sounds like the underdog. In three appearances at the US Open he has never moved past the second round and hasn’t defeated a top-20 opponent since 2018 Shenzhen when he upset Borna Coric in straight sets.
‘El Peque’ is a peculiar clay-courter who played in New York two of his three Grand Slam quarter-finals in three years. At 2017 US Open he defeated former champion Marin Cilic to become the shortest quarter-finalist in a major since fellow 5-foot-7 South American Yzaga there in 1994.
Schwartzman also reached the last eight at 2018 Roland Garros by rallying from two sets down against Kevin Anderson, and equaled the biggest win of his career by beating No. 6 Alexander Zverev to reach the same statge at 2019 US Open.
Unbeaten against lefty opponents in 2020, the gritty South American defeated the Johannesburg-born Brit in their previous meeting at 2018 Antwerp, before Norrie extracted his revenge at 2019 matches. Both matches were played on hard-courts.
The Brit will need the best from his crafty game. If he should fail in controlling the rallies with his lefty forehand, the match could turn into a battle, especially as Schwartzman moves better and returns more effectively than him.
Prediction: Schwartzman in four sets
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Kyle Edmund v Alexander Bublik | First Meeting
Coming off a third-round finish last year in his lone appearance so far, Bublik possesses all the tricks to disassemble the game of those players who extensively recur to decipherable patterns like the former top-20.
On the other side, Edmund can deliver massive groundstrokes to take time from his opponent, forcing him to react, to follow and not to lead. He will need a lot of patience, as Bublik is expected to display his array of potential hot-shots, tweeners and underhand serves.
The Liverpool fan, whose impatience has negatively affected his performances here and there, could benefit from the New York atmosphere. Before the hiatus, he doubled his ATP Tour trophy tally at this year’s New York Open dropping just one set in five matches at the ATP 250 event.
Playing in a bubble could give him a competitive advantage. Playing behind closed doors make players feel less pressured. On the other hand, the absence of fans can have an impact on his opponent, because showmen can offer subdued performances without a proper crowd on the stands.
Prediction: Edmund in four sets
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