Predicted Winners in BOLD

Grigor Dimitrov VS (2) Stan Wawrinka – Grigor appears to be playing much better than some of his earlier 2016 form.  Still, I think Stan wins the battle of one-handed backhands by serving bigger than Grigor and pushing him backward during rallies.

Borna Coric VS (3) Rafael Nadal – Coric won a gut-check match last evening after losing a break lead in the 3rd set.  I am tempted to pick him here, but I think mental fatigue is a factor given how tough that match was for Coric.

(1) Andy Murray VS Kevin Anderson – Andy would like to earn some measure of revenge for last year’s US Open loss to Anderson.

(7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga VS Steve Johnson – I like this match-up for Johnson in the sense of keeping things close, and I hate this match-up for Johnson in terms of winning 2 sets.

(4) Milos Raonic VS (Q) Yuichi Sugita – The big Canadian should serve his way to the quarterfinal round.

(6) Tomas Berdych VS (12) Marin Cilic – The Battle of Goran 2016? I think Cilic will be extra motivated to win this match given that Berdych is now working with Ivanisevic.  I also think that Marin moves more fluidly than Berdych and that could make the difference.

Bernard Tomic VS (5) Kei Nishikori – I will stick with my prediction from yesterday. Tomic certainly could win, but I never know what to expect from Tomic.