Before each day’s play at the U.S. Open, Steve Tignor will preview and predict three must-see matches.
Head to head: Halep leads 3-1
The signs point to a Halep win in this day-opening match on Ashe. She’s ranked No. 3; Safarova is No. 44. Halep has won their last three meetings. While Safarova has had a stop-and-start summer, Halep has won 14 of 15 matches since Wimbledon, and she was pretty much perfect in her first-round demolition of Kirsten Flipkens. Halep has definitely found a second home in the U.S. in the summer. But Safarova, like Halep, is a former Grand Slam finalist, and at 29 she has at least one more run back up the rankings in her. Could it start on Friday? Winner: Halep
Head to head: Ferrer leads 9-0
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking this match, between the 34-year-old Spaniard and the 29-year-old Italian, neither of whom are in the Top 10 or have any real hope of winning the tournament, might have been worth watching five or even 10 years ago, but not today. And I wouldn’t normally recommend this all-baseline-all-the-time affair, especially in a three-of-five-set setting. If history is a guide, it probably won’t be competitive: Ferrer leads their head-to-head 9-0. But two things could make it interesting: It should have an evening-match atmosphere on Court 17, and that atmosphere should include a raucous local Italian cheering section for Fognini. They got him through his last match, against Teymuraz Gabashvili, and maybe they can give him a lift against a much tougher opponent. Winner: Ferrer
Head to head: First meeting
These two have never played, and until very recently a match between them would not have been considered must-see tennis. Del Potro has been sidelined for the better part of two years, and Johnson only appeared on most people’s radar screens this summer, when he moved into the Top 25. But now the last match on Ashe is also the most anticipated of the day. Before the tournament, Johnson said he didn’t think U.S. fans would be happy if del Potro got a wild card, and then turned around and beat an American like himself. Well, the former champion got the wild card, and now he has a chance to beat Johnson. Even without that wrinkle, this one would have potential. Both guys are on something of a roll: Del Potro won silver in Rio, and Johnson came from two sets down to win in the first round on Tuesday. Winner: Del Potro