Each day of the tournament, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches at Flushing Meadows.
Alexander Zverev [4] vs. Borna Coric
These two 20-year-olds, from Germany and Croatia, are at the heart of the ATP’s much-hoped-for NextGen movement. So far, the sixth-ranked Zverev has held up his end of the bargain better than the 61st-ranked Coric, who has been slowed by injuries. In 2017, Zverev has separated himself from the rest of the young-gun pack, and he showed his professionalism again in his first-round match, which he won at 2:00 A.M. Still, the more defensive-minded Coric won their only meeting, in a third-set tiebreaker two years ago in Cincinnati. Zverev is better than he was then.
Winner: Zverev
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [8] vs. Denis Shapovalov [Q]
Do opposites attract? On one side of the net here, we have a 32-year-old Frenchman ranked No. 12. On the other side, we have an 18-year-old Canadian ranked No. 69. They’ve never played, but at the moment they seem like they’re made for each other. Tsonga and Shapovalov are showmen in different ways, and despite the disparity in ranking and experience, their contrasting games and personalities should match up well. The right-handed Tsonga is a momentum player who needs time to get on a roll, but who can struggle in the clutch. The left-handed Shapovalov, so far in his young career, has thrived on adversity. Best of all, both are shotmakers.
Winner: Shapovalov
Sloane Stephens vs. Dominika Cibulkova [11]
“It’s time to talk about Sloane Stephens again,” I wrote a couple of weeks ago. It was a slightly unbelievable statement; Stephens had spent the first six months of the season sidelined after foot surgery, and it seemed likely that she would need the last six just to find her, well, feet again. But there she was in Toronto and Cincy, reaching the semis and toppling over big-name players like dominoes, one by one. Two weeks later, it’s still safe to talk about Sloane, who beat Roberta Vinci in the first round. In Cibulkova, she’ll face another player who had a disappointing start to the year, but who has begun to find her game of late. Stephens leads their head to head 2-1.
Winner: Cibulkova
