US Open Tennis 2021: TV Schedule, Picks for Thursday Afternoon Draw
Novak Djokovic is one victory closer to a calendar Grand Slam, but he's going to have to keep winning against increasingly difficult competition if he's to complete that rare achievement.
On Thursday, the Serb will be back in action when second-round play continues at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. He'll be taking on unseeded Tallon Griekspoor as he continues his quest for a sweep of this year's four major tournaments.
Coverage of Thursday's action will air from noon-6 p.m. ET on ESPN and from 6-11 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Here are predictions for some of the more notable matches on Thursday afternoon's slate.
No. 1 Seeds Djokovic, Barty in Action
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Before Djokovic takes on Griekspoor, women's No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty will be in action against unseeded Clara Tauson. But neither of those matchups should be challenging for the top seeds.
Despite being a two-time Grand Slam champion, Barty has never made it past the fourth round at the U.S. Open.
The Australian started this year's tournament by defeating Vera Zvonareva in straight sets, and she's likely to also make quick work of Tauson. The two have never played before, but Barty seems to be on top of her game right now and will likely cruise through the first few rounds.
Djokovic and Griekspoor are also playing for the first time. However, if anybody is going to beat the Serb in this tournament, it's not likely to happen until the semifinals or final.
The 34-year-old should continue to roll, though, especially after he dropped a set in his first-round win over Holger Rune and will be looking for a more convincing victory.
Are Djokovic and Barty both going to make runs to U.S. Open titles? Maybe, maybe not. But they're both going to pick up easy wins in the second round.
Predictions: Djokovic, Barty both win
Maxime Cressy vs. Nikoloz Basilashvili
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Maxime Cressy had one of the more impressive victories of the first round, when he outlasted No. 9 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who had just won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 24-year-old upset the Spaniard with a 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) win, rallying back after it seemed like a certain loss at two sets down.
This is only Cressy's third appearance at a major tournament, and he lost in the second round in each of the previous two (the 2020 U.S. Open and this year's Australian Open). However, there's a chance that will change when he faces Nikoloz Basilashvili on Thursday.
The two men are both unseeded and have never gone head-to-head, but Cressy is again going to be the underdog in this match. Basilashvili, 29, has a lot more experience than his 25-year-old opponent at Grand Slam events, and he's made it as far as the fourth round at the U.S. Open before.
However, the Paris native's confidence has to be high after his incredible first-round win, and he's riding a huge wave of momentum. That's why Cressy will win another competitive match and keep his time at the U.S. Open going for one more round at least.
Prediction: Cressy wins in four sets
No. 6 Bianca Andreescu vs. Lauren Davis
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Bianca Andreescu has never lost a singles match at the U.S. Open. She won all seven of her matches in her debut at the tournament in 2019, didn't play at the event in 2020 and opened this year's event with a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 win over Viktorija Golubic.
While Andreescu has never made it past the second round in any of her other six appearances at Grand Slam events, she clearly has a feel for the hard courts in New York City. And the 21-year-old will look to keep it going when she faces unseeded Lauren Davis in the second round on Thursday.
The American, 27, hasn't been playing her best tennis of late, after losing three straight matches before winning in the first round of this tournament. And she's going to face a big challenge against the Canadian, who seems poised for another solid showing at this event.
After needing a third set in her opening match of the tournament, Andreescu should make lighter work of Davis, winning the first two sets handily to improve to 9-0 in her singles career at the U.S. Open.
Prediction: Andreescu wins in straight sets
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