US Open Tennis 2021: TV Schedule, Picks for Wednesday Afternoon Draw

The first round of the 2021 U.S. Open is complete, but the action at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City is just heating up.

On Wednesday, the second round begins for the men's and women's singles, and there should be some intriguing matches taking place. The No. 1 seeds (Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty) are both off, but many of the other top-ranked players will be taking the courts.

There haven't been many surprises thus far, with most of the top players making progress. One of the few first-round upsets came when Maxime Cressy won a five-set match against No. 9-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta, who won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in July.

Perhaps there will be more surprises in store Wednesday, when U.S. Open play begins at noon ET. Second-round matches will air on ESPN from noon-6 p.m. ET, then on ESPN2 from 6-11 p.m. ET.

Here are predictions for some of the more notable matches on Wednesday's slate.

No. 3 Naomi Osaka vs. Olga Danilovic

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Naomi Osaka is always a strong player, but she's even tougher to beat on a hard court.

In the first round, the 23-year-old defeated Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-1, marking her 15th straight win at majors held on the surface (the Australian Open and U.S. Open).

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Osaka now has two such streaks (she won 17 straight matches at hard-court majors from 2018-19), making her only the fourth woman to have multiple runs like this, alongside Serena Williams, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. That's elite company for one of the best players in the world today.

On Wednesday, the Japanese star will look to extend her current streak to 16 when she plays her second-round match against Olga Danilovic. It will be the first time these two have played, as the 20-year-old Serb is making her U.S. Open debut and appearing in only her second Grand Slam event.

There will likely be times when Osaka will be challenged as she looks to win her second straight U.S. Open title (and third in four years), but this match won't be one of them. 

Danilovic is a talented young player, but she's no match for Osaka, who will cruise to another win and advance to the third round with ease.

Prediction: Osaka wins in straight sets

No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Adrian Mannarino

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

One of the highlights of the first round was Stefanos Tsitsipas' win over former U.S. Open champion Andy Murray. In a match that went a full five sets, the No. 3 seed pulled out a 2-6, 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win, albeit not without a bit of controversy.

After the match, the Scot complained about his opponent's medical timeout after the third set and his long trip to the locker room after the fourth, calling it "nonsense," per Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press.

But Tsitsipas is the one who advanced to the second round, after handing Murray his first opening-round loss at the U.S. Open in 15 appearances at the tournament.

The 23-year-old will face Adrian Mannarino in Wednesday's second-round action, and it may not be as competitive of a match as the one he played Monday. Although they have split their two previous meetings, both took place in 2019, the Greek player has greatly improved since then.

While Tsitsipas has never made it past the third round at the U.S. Open, he's poised to do so this year, especially after reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open (also on a hard court) in February. After his marathon win over Murray, expect the world No. 3 to roll through the next few rounds with ease.

Prediction: Tsitsipas wins in straight sets

No. 21 Coco Gauff vs. Sloane Stephens

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Two of the best women's players from the United States will be facing off for the first time on Wednesday.

Coco Gauff, who has already made it deeper than she did at last year's U.S. Open, will Sloane Stephens, whose sole Grand Slam title came at Flushing Meadows in 2017.

This has the potential to be one of Wednesday's more competitive matches. And while Stephens has never played the 17-year-old before, she knows the youngster will be a challenging opponent.

"I call her Cocofina, and I have known her since she was like eight, I want to say," Stephens said, per Greg Garber of the WTA Tour. "I've seen her game like, me, I feel so old because I have actually like grown up and seen her play and practice and stuff. I think the evolution of her game has been really awesome."

While Gauff is the seeded player in this matchup, Stephens has made it to at least the third round in six of her nine U.S. Open appearances.

And although she hasn't fared quite as well at major tournaments the past two years as she did in the few years prior, the 28-year-old's experience will make a difference in a tight match.

Prediction: Stephens wins in three sets