US Open Tennis 2015: Predicting Final Results for Friday's Bracket
The opening week of the 2015 U.S. Open isn't quite in the books, but the tournament's top stars won't have to wait that long to face an uptick in competition.
That comes Friday, with a slew of difficult matchups. The dawn of the third round means the tourney's top seeds are facing fellow contenders with a number next to their names, indicating potential issues ahead for many of them.
Here's a glance into Friday's top matches, along with predictions for how they will unfold.
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Friday's Singles Predictions
| Third | No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 25 Andreas Seppi | Djokovic |
| Third | No. 8 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 32 Fabio Fognini | Nadal |
| Third | No. 9 Marin Cilic vs. Mikhail Kukushkin | Cilic |
| Third | No. 7 David Ferrer vs. No. 27 Jeremy Chardy | Ferrer |
| Third | No. 19 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky | Tsonga |
| Third | No. 10 Milos Raonic vs. No. 18 Feliciano Lopez | Lopez |
| Third | No. 26 Tommy Robredo vs. Benoit Paire | Robredo |
| Third | No. 14 David Goffin vs. No. 23 Roberto Bautista Agut | Bautista Agut |
| Third | No. 1 Serena Williams vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands | Williams |
| Third | No. 13 Ekaterina Makarova vs. No. 17 Elina Svitolina | Makarova |
| Third | No. 12 Belinda Bencic vs. No. 23 Venus Williams | Williams |
| Third | No. 25 Eugenie Bouchard vs. Dominika Cibulkova | Bouchard |
| Third | No. 15 Agnieszka Radwanska vs. No. 19 Madison Keys | Keys |
| Third | Madison Brengle vs. Anett Kontaveit | Brengle |
| Third | Mariana Duque-Marino vs. Roberta Vinci | Vinci |
| Third | Daria Kasatkina vs. Kristina Mladenovic | Mladenovic |
No. 1 Serena Williams vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands
There may not be a seed beside her opponent's name, but Serena Williams knows very well just how much of a test there is standing between her and the fourth round—with an all-American showdown against Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Friday.
For all that Williams knows about her counterpart in 10 years playing under the same nationality and in the same tournaments, there's a bit of unfamiliarity in this head to head. The two have only faced off twice in their careers and haven't played against each other in more than seven years (2008 Wimbledon).
That, just like the other, was a dominant straight-sets victory. Although she had a bit more trouble taking care of Round 2 opponent Kiki Bertens—7-6 (7-5), 6-3—her head is in the right place, as she shared her mentality on Twitter:
Mattek-Sands' ability is not in question—she's won two Grand Slam titles this year in doubles, even though she's never made it past the fourth round in singles of any Slam.
Her aggressive style of play is a big reason why, and Williams is expecting Mattek-Sands to keep her on her toes, per Jane McManus of espnW.com: "[Mattek-Sands is] a huge fighter. She has a great game, by the way. I know that will help me, that I have to start out strong if I want to stay in the tournament. If not, I can go on vacation."
Williams has started matches in lackluster fashion more times this year than one can count on two hands, but it rarely breeds defeat as she turns it around in a heartbeat. That sort of performance shouldn't be expected this time, as she's more comfortable with her opponent and knows what to expect.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion is an odds-on favorite, per Odds Shark, for this tournament for a reason. Mattek-Sands' style will procure a couple of breaks early on but only enough to wake Williams up.
Prediction: Williams wins, 6-4, 6-2
No. 8 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 32 Fabio Fognini
Sure, seeing the legendary Rafael Nadal with any seed outside of the top four beside his name is a jarring sight for any tennis aficionado—or even the casual fan. In reality, it's not so bad for the eighth-seeded Spaniard.
Of course, that could change if he drops the ball again in an immensely tricky third-round affair with Italian Fabio Fognini.
The 28-year-old has slipped to 32nd in the U.S. Open seedings thanks to a quiet 2015, but his ability is not in question. Fognini has been as high as 13th in the world rankings and took home the Australian Open doubles title earlier this year.
As for Nadal, he's still under the microscope after two hard-earned victories early in Flushing Meadows. The way he sees it, the glass should be more half-full, as SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria shared:
As if Nadal's recent form alone isn't enough to put him on serious upset alert, other factors set up magnificently for Fognini to feel like he has a great chance, if not a better chance than the Spaniard, to advance forward. His swift movement paired with strong counter-hitting is a style that frustrates Nadal when he's not at his best—showcased by Fognini winning two of their three head-to-head affairs in 2015.
With that said, it sounds like Nadal's mind is in the right place. There aren't many excuses physically, either, as the Spaniard should know just what to expect after some familiarity this year with Fognini and ample time to get stronger.
His legend may be set in stone, but Nadal is on the brink of slipping completely from the game's elite. That will spur him to a convincing victory Friday night.
Prediction: Nadal wins, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
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