By Tony Fairbairn
- Ben Shelton [13] v Frances Tiafoe [20]
- Coco Gauff [3] v Elina Svitolina [27]
- Andrey Rublev [6] v Jiri Lehecka [32]
NEW YORK, USA – Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are ready to entertain the New York crowd once again as they face off in a US Open rematch with a spot in the second week on the line.
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Ben Shelton [13] v Frances Tiafoe [20] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Ben Shelton [13] v Frances Tiafoe [20] | H2H: Shelton leads 2-0 |
| US Open 2024 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $215,000 |
| Second on Arthur Ashe Stadium (18:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Ben Shelton is a man on a mission at this year’s US Open having recorded straight sets wins over Dominic Thiem and Roberto Bautista Agut. The confident American has improved his game over the last year since his run to the semi-finals 12 months ago and has been able to maintain a consistent amount of form. However, Shelton will know that there are still things he can improve as he will look to be in the latter stages of big tournaments more regularly. That could start with another deep run in New York as he hopes to avoid a big drop in the rankings.
In order to reach the second week Shelton will have to get past Frances Tiafoe for a second year in a row. Tiafoe is a former semi-finalist himself at the US Open and enters the last Grand Slam of the year with some form having reached his first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati. An explosive serve and an electric personality, Tiafoe is one of the most watchable players on the tour but has found it hard to find a consistent run of form this season. Now Tiafoe will aim to rise to the occasion and reach the last 16 at the US Open for the fifth consecutive year.
Shelton will continue to dominate on serve as he will use the forehand to force Tiafoe into wide positions on the court. Meanwhile Tiafoe will take the backhand early and use his explosive agility in order to turn the match around with counter-attacking play from the baseline. This should be an entertaining match with this contest having the potential to be one of the best matches of the tournament. Although Tiafoe’s form makes this match tighter than expected, Shelton will still enter this match as slight favourite.
Prediction: Shelton in five sets.
Coco Gauff [3] v Elina Svitolina [27] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Coco Gauff [3] v Elina Svitolina [27] | H2H: Tied at 1-1 |
| US Open 2024 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $215,000 |
| First on Arthur Ashe Stadium (17:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Defending champion Coco Gauff may have only dropped six games in her first two matches but the American remains unsatisfied with Gauff practicing straight after her second round match. The world number three will look to continue raising her standards as the matches get tougher with each round with this being her first Grand Slam title defence. However Gauff will be pleased internally that she has made light work of her tournament so far given her poor form heading into the US Open and now will look to reach the second week in New York.
The tough tests start early for Gauff as she plays former semi-finalist Elina Svitolina in the third round. The Ukrainian hasn’t been in her best form recently and that showed in her opening round match when she survived a massive scare against Argentinian Maria Carle. However Svitolina worked her way into form and only dropped two games against compatriot Anhelina Kalinina. Having elevated her game at Grand Slams previously when pressure hasn’t been on her shoulders, Svitolina knows that she can repeat the trick again and will only get more confident as the tournament goes on.
Gauff will look to get as many first serves in as possible as she uses the forehand to rush Svitolina’s game and take time away from the Ukrainian. Meanwhile Svitolina will aim to take the backhand early and will use variety to mix up the tempo of the rallies as she will need to be aggressive in this match. This will be a very stern test for the defending champion but one she should just about pass in what could be a very cagey affair.
Prediction: Gauff in three sets.
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Andrey Rublev [6] v Jiri Lehecka [32] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Andrey Rublev [6] v Jiri Lehecka [32] | H2H: Tied at 2-2 |
| US Open 2024 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $215,000 |
| Third on Grandstand (19:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Another Grand Slam and another scare survived by Andrey Rublev as the sixth seed just about came through against Arthur Rinderknech in five sets. It’s been a stressful season for Rublev where once again he has been criticised for his on-court attitude and behaviour as he has lacked control over his emotions. However there is no denying Rublev’s on-court talent as he looks to try and put his game together in order to achieve his Grand Slam breakthrough.
Another severe test awaits in the form of talented Czech Republican Jiri Lehecka. The 32nd seed survived a scare of his own in the last round as he came back from two sets down to defeat Mitchell Krueger in a four hour marathon. Lehecka was well on his way to a successful season having reached the quarter-finals in Madrid but injuries have been a massive obstacle this season as he has learned the harsh realities of competing on the tour on a weekly basis. Now Lehecka will look to finish his season strongly with a deep run at the US Open.
Rublev will aim to take away Lehecka’s options by producing brutal power on both forehand and backhand sides. Meanwhile Lehecka will aim to force Rublev off the court with his big serve as he aims to shorten the points at the net. This will be an entertaining match with neither player in top form with a more controlled approach from Lehecka expected to triumph here.
Prediction: Lehecka in five sets.
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