.Third-round action at the USA Open begins along with a third-round showdown in between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe on Friday. Novak Djokovic and also Alexei Popyrin are likewise aiming for a place in the proverbial 2nd full week of the tournament.Here are my selections for two of Friday's greatest competitions.( 13) Ben Shelton vs. (twenty) Frances Tiafoe.
It's a rematch of the final summer season's USA Open quarterfinals, and also this moment Shelton is available in with some expectations. In reality, he is the beloved versus Tiafoe-- which had not been the instance in 2023. Shelton was the longshot in their previous USA Open tilt, but he won it in 4 sets and became a surprise semifinalist who delighted New york city crowds along with his thriving provide as well as big-stage personal appeal.
Each Shelton and also Tiafoe are playing well currently. The previous looked certain in his straight-set sway Roberto Bautista Agut on Wednesday. The 21-year-old created the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Professional earlier this month. Tiafoe created it all the way to the Cincy last prior to catching Jannik Sinner.
Shelton is actually a best 2-0 in the neck and neck series. Look for it to become 3-0 when this ends.
Decide on: Shelton in 4( 28) Alexei Popyrin vs. (2) Novak DjokovicDjokovic and also Popyrin are going to be contesting at a third learn 2024 when they meet again on Friday. They likewise went head-to-head at the Australian Open as well as Wimbledon, along with Djokovic getting the job done in 4 collections both times to take a total 3-0 lead in the H2H set. He likewise prevailed 6-4, 6-2 at the 2019 Tokyo event.
As those very competitive Grand Slam comes across with Djokovic suggest, Popyrin is actually participating in the very best ping pong of his profession this year-- as well as it is actually not even shut. He falls to 28th in the positions thanks in part to a Masters 1000 headline in Montreal and so far in NYC the Aussie has actually positively thrashed both Soonwoo Kwon and Pedro Martinez. However for Pop, Djoker has actually succeeded 18 embed in progression going back to the Olympics. The 24-time bang champ has certainly not given up a set to any person aside from Carlos Alcaraz since he shed one to none aside from Popyrin in the Wimbledon third round.
Select: Djokovic in 3Ricky provides to 10sballs. com and also maintains his personal tennis internet site, The Grandstand. You can easily observe him on Twitter at @Dimonator.