US Open Tennis Schedule 2013: Day 5 Matchups, Predictions and Analysis

No. 4 seed Sara Errani was the biggest casualty on Thursday at the 2013 U.S. Open, getting upset by fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta in straight sets.

For the most part, however, the top seeds got the job done. Serena Williams rolled over Galina Voskoboeva, and top seeds Rafael Nadal, Victoria Azarenka, Roger Federer, David Ferrer, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber took care of business at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

What can we look forward to on Day 5 of the 2013 U.S. Open? 

Read on.

Note: For a complete look at the bracket draws from the 2013 U.S. Open, click here. For the schedule of play for Day 5, click here. All links courtesy USOpen.org. 

2013 U.S. Open Information

Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

When (Day 5): Friday, Aug. 30, starting at 11 a.m. ET

Watch: ESPN2 and Tennis Channel

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

Day 5 TV Schedule

Time (ET)	Program	TV
6 a.m.-10:30 a.m.	Breakfast at the U.S. Open	Tennis Channel
10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.	Live at the U.S. Open	Tennis Channel
11 a.m. - 7 p.m.	Men's Second Round/Women's Third Round	Tennis Channel
1 p.m. - 7 p.m.	Men's Second Round/Women's Third Round	ESPN2
7 p.m. - 11 p.m.	Primetime at the U.S. Open: Men's Second Round/Women's Third Round	ESPN2
11 p.m. - 6 a.m.	U.S. Open Tonight	Tennis Channel

USOpen.org

Notable Day 5 Matchups

Men's Singles

• Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Benjamin Becker
  
• Lleyton Hewitt vs. Juan Martin del Potro (6)
• Denis Kudla vs. Tomas Berdych (5)
• Andy Murray (3) vs. Leonardo Mayer
• Tommy Haas (12) vs. Yen-Hsun Lu

Women's Singles

• Laura Robson (30) vs. Li Na (5)
• Serena Williams (1) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova
• Jamie Hampton (23) vs. Sloane Stephens (15)
  
• Agnieszka Radwanska (3) vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (32)
• Ekaterina Makarova (24) vs. Sabine Lisicki (16)

*For complete schedule, visit USOpen.org.  

Predictions for Friday's Top Matches

Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Benjamin Becker

Benjamin Becker has only faced Novak Djokovic once in his career, at the 2008 Australian Open, and he lost in straight sets.

I don't see this match turning out any differently.

Becker, the No. 87 player on the men's circuit, is 6-15 this year. Djokovic, the No. 1 player in the world, is 44-8 with three singles titles.

While Djokovic has experienced his fair share of struggles recently—losing to John Isner at the Western & Southern Open—he's still worlds ahead of Becker, despite being six years younger. 

Don't expect any miracles in this match. Djokovic should handily defeat the 32-year-old German.

Prediction: Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 6-1

Serena Williams (1) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova

There is only one player I believe can defeat Serena Williams at the U.S. Open this year, and her name is Victoria Azarenka. Everybody else is a mere pawn compared to the 16-time Grand Slam singles champion.

No disrespect to Yaroslava Shvedova, but the 25-year-old simply isn't in Williams' league. She's 10-10 this year and is 0-2 lifetime against the 31-year-old star. She's also never advanced past the third round of the U.S. Open.

Williams came into the 2013 U.S. Open 60-4 with eight singles titles this year. She's the reigning U.S. Open champion and she won the French Open this year. A "slow start" for her is winning a set 6-3. There aren't enough superlatives to hurl her way.

Prediction: Williams 6-3, 6-3

Andy Murray (3) vs. Leonardo Mayer

Leonardo Mayer is 0-1 lifetime against Andy Murray, losing in three sets in Valencia in 2009.

He also came into the 2013 U.S. Open with an 11-15 record. 

Check please.

Murray is playing fabulous tennis right now, deconstructing Michael Llodra in the first round. He came into the U.S. Open with a 37-17 record and four singles titles this year. That included a victory at Wimbledon.

Not only do I expect Murray to roll through Mayer, I wouldn't be surprised if he captured his second consecutive U.S. Open trophy this year. He's playing at a very high level, and his mental game has turned a corner since winning the U.S. Open last year.

Prediction: Murray 6-3, 6-2, 6-2