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PREVIEW: 2022 Men’s US Open – Selected second-round matches

Felix Auger-Aliassime faces Jack Draper and Pablo Carreno Busta takes on Alexander Bublik in the second round of the 2022 US Open. Damien Kayat previews.

Felix Auger-Aliassime faces Jack Draper and Pablo Carreno Busta takes on Alexander Bublik in the second round of the 2022 US Open. Damien Kayat previews.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

2022 ATP Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
US Open
Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected 2nd Round Matches- 31st August

Felix Auger-Aliassime (6) vs Jack Draper

22-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime had to negotiate a surprisingly tough opening encounter against Alexander Ritschard. It was a brutal battle that took more than three hours to complete. But the Canadian prevailed in the big moments, converting four of eight break points.

He served well and his forehand did the business when it counted. He improved to 37-20 in an erratic campaign. Still, he currently sits 6th in the Race to Turin standings and he has some real positive memories from New York.

He reached his maiden Grand Salm semi-final in last year’s US Open, showcasing his athleticism and power on these harder surfaces. One would have thought that the long-touted future World No.1 would kick on after winning his maiden title in Rotterdam earlier this year. But he just seems to falter in pivotal moments.

I think he drops too many sets in the early parts of Slams, expending too much energy on matches that should be routine for a player of his ability. And next up he faces a true test in the up-and-coming Brit Jack Draper.

20-year-old Jack Draper is enjoying a breakthrough season that sees him on the cusp of entering the world’s top 50. He won four Challenger events to start the year (all of them on hardcourts).

He then found his stride on the tour proper, reaching his maiden semi-final at Eastbourne before picking up some impressive scalps during the US Open Swing. He beat Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to his maiden Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Montreal.

He then beat former US Open champ Dominic Thiem during his quarterfinal run at the Winston-Salem Open. Draper looked imperious against the nuggety Ruusuvuori, hitting 20 winners and defending superbly. The lefty covers decent ground for a guy of his size (much like fellow Brit Andy Murray).

He is dangerous off both wings and has the ability to redirect shots with remarkable dexterity. He says that he is drawing inspiration from Emma Radacanu during his US Open main draw debut. Only time will tell if can replicate anything like that type of success this year.

 Verdict: Draper to win in five- This should prove to be a fascinating debut encounter in this rivalry.

There are quite a few similarities between Draper and Aliassime’s compatriot Denis Shapovalov. Aliassime has lost three of four hardcourt encounters against the big-serving Shapovalov.

This included a defeat during the 2019 US Open. I don’t want to make too many assumptions just because Draper is a big-serving lefty. But there was a composure in Draper’s opening victory against Ruusuvuori that impressed me.

I really think there is huge potential for an early upset here. Draper has beaten the likes of Tsitsipas and Sinner and this could be yet another huge scalp for him. But it’s certainly going to be tight.

Pablo Carreno Busta (12) vs Alexander Bublik

It has been quite the rollercoaster season for 31-year-old Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta. He stared the year well enough, leading his country to an ATP Cup final before a 4th round run at the Aussie Open. But since then, it has been a schizophrenic ride for the Spaniard. Luckily the highs have been pretty significant.

He lost to teenage wunderkind Carlos Alcaraz Garfia in the Barcelona final. But far more significantly, he just won the biggest title of his career with a Masters 1000 title in Montreal. I think he can be forgiven for going out early last week in Cincinnati.

The two-time US Open semi-finalist defended the baseline like a beast in Montreal and he is going to take some beating this year. He is coming off a fairly gruelling four-set opener against the injury-plagued Dominic Thiem. But Carreno Busta is a true ironman who will only grow as the tournament progresses.

Often compared to Nick Kyrgios for his casual indifference and propensity to hit underarm serves, Alexander Bublik is a really unpredictable entity in this year’s draw.

He has missed much of the US Open leadup while his wife was expecting their first child. The only match he played in recent weeks was a first-round defeat to Jenson Brooksby in Montreal. But the big-serving Kazakh is not to be underestimated. He has already reached two ATP finals this year. He won his maiden ATP final in Montpellier and quite recently lost in the Newport final.

He led the ATP Tour in aces in 2021 and these courts are obviously favourable to big bombers. Perhaps fatherhood will bring out a greater maturity and consistency in the oft-erratic Bublik. His sound straight-sets victory against Hugo Gaston was the perfect start to his US Open campaign.

Verdict: Carreno Busta to win in four- This rivalry makes for interesting reading. Carreno Busta leads the head-to-head 3-0.

But all three of those matches went to a decider. This included their round of 32 meeting in Monte-Carlo earlier this year, where Bublik was forced to withdraw in the final set.

This tells you the kind of battler that Bublik can be. I just don’t think Bublik’s power is a match for Carreno Busta’s sheer industry. Still, I think it’s likely that the mercurial Kazakh can serve his way to a set here.

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