US Open Tennis 2015: Predictions, Live Stream for Saturday Night's Bracket
Friday night's prime-time slate at the U.S. Open was a sobering reminder that anything can happen as Rafael Nadal was upset by Fabio Fognini, but the top players in action Saturday night will look to avoid a similar fate.
No. 3 Andy Murray will have a tough test on his hands against 30th-seeded Thomaz Bellucci after being pushed to five sets by Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the second round. Also, American Shelby Rogers will look to pull off a major upset against No. 2 Simona Halep in the women's draw at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
With the first week of the 2015 U.S. Open in New York City nearing its conclusion, here is a look at every evening match on tap Saturday, as well as predictions for how the featured contests will play out.
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Saturday Night Schedule
| Men's Third Round | 5:30 p.m. | (15) Kevin Anderson | (20) Dominic Thiem | Anderson | ESPN2 | ESPN3 |
| Men's Third Round | 5:30 p.m. | (5) Stan Wawrinka | Ruben Bemelmans | Wawrinka | ESPN2 | ESPN3 |
| Women's Third Round | 6 p.m. | Barbora Strycova | (24) Sabine Lisicki | Lisicki | ESPN2 | ESPN3 |
| Women's Third Round | 7 p.m. | Shelby Rogers | (2) Simona Halep | Halep | ESPN2 | ESPN3 |
| Men's Third Round | 9 p.m. | (30) Thomaz Bellucci | (3) Andy Murray | Murray | ESPN2 | ESPN3 |
Predicting Prime-Time Matches
Shelby Rogers vs. (2) Simona Halep
The bottom half of the women's draw is totally wide open opposite Serena Williams, although second-seeded Halep may be the favorite. She will face a big test Saturday night, however, in the form of Rogers.
Halep is a big favorite as a former Grand Slam finalist, while the 22-year-old Rogers has never advanced past the third round at a major tournament. She is also ranked No. 118 in the world, which means a win over her Romanian opponent would be one of the biggest shocks thus far at the 2015 U.S. Open.
One thing that Rogers has working in her favor is the fact that the New York crowd promises to be firmly behind her. The South Carolina native has already felt the love from the Queens faithful through the first two rounds of the tournament:
Unlike Halep, Rogers isn't used to playing in extremely high-pressure matches on the big stage. Per James Beck of the Post and Courier, though, she is really looking forward to the opportunity to play in such a high-profile setting.
"It's exciting...the chance of a lifetime," Rogers said. "I've never played in Arthur Ashe Stadium. This is the biggest tennis stadium of all. I'll just enjoy the experience. ... It's been an incredible couple of weeks for me."
Her run at the U.S. Open can be made even more incredible with a win over Halep, but she has her work cut out for her in that regard. Halep has won 11 career WTA titles to Rogers' zero, and she is playing some spectacular tennis with wins over the likes of Andrea Petkovic, Jelena Jankovic and Sara Errani in her past 10 outings.
Rogers is used to playing against lower levels of competition, so Saturday's contest promises to be an eye-opening experience for her.
Halep and Rogers have never faced each other, which could give the underdog an advantage in terms of surprising the favorite. That coupled with a red-hot crowd behind her will help Rogers have some success early, but Halep's talent will ultimately win out in a straight-sets triumph.
(30) Thomaz Bellucci vs. (3) Andy Murray
Most expected Murray to cruise into the U.S. Open semifinals at the very least, but the talented Scot will need to come through with a fantastic effort in order to get past Bellucci in Saturday's third-round clash.
Murray was very nearly ousted by Mannarino in the second round, and although he managed to survive that challenge, one can only assume he is worse for wear ahead of the third round, especially since Bellucci has the advantage having played in two straight-set victories.
The 28-year-old Murray won the 2012 U.S. Open, and he has advanced to at least the semis in New York on three occasions. That experience gives him an edge, as does his dominance over lefties aside from Nadal.
Murray has little trouble with southpaws, according to Leigh Walsh of ATPWorldTour.com, although Bellucci proved to be an exception to that rule a few years ago:
The Brazilian is 1-0 against Murray, although his win came on a clay court, which is by far the Brit's worst surface.
With that in mind, Bellucci's previous success over Murray may not hold much weight. That is compounded by the fact that the 27-year-old underdog has struggled against top players over the course of his career, per Craig O'Shannessy of the New York Times:
While Bellucci hasn't quite figured out how to beat top-10 players on a consistent basis, Murray is quite wary of him and what he brings to the table, according to BBC's Piers Newbery.
"He's got a good serve and plays predominantly from the back of the court, but he's an aggressive player," said Murray. "He likes to try and dictate the points from the back. He's had some good results this year and won two matches here very comfortably."
Murray has a penchant for making things more difficult for himself than he has to against inferior opponents, and it isn't outside the realm of possibility that it could happen against Bellucci as well.
Fatigue could play a factor for Murray, especially against someone who moves as effectively as Bellucci. When push comes to shove, though, Murray will find a way to pull the match out in four sets and remain on a collision course with Roger Federer in the semifinals.
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