Damien Kayat previews Stan Wawrinka vs Yoshihito Nishioka and Andy Murray vs Corentin Moutet in selected 1st round matches of the US Open Men’s Championships on the 29t of August 2023.
2023 ATP Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
US Open Men’s Championships
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, New York, USA (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected First-Round Matches – 29th August
Stan Wawrinka 48/100 | Yoshihito Nishioka 16/10
This could be a real grind. 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka is 38 years of age now but he is still churning out results. He reached his first quarterfinal of the year in Rotterdam and repeated the dose in Marseille.
He showed some class with a round of 16 run at Indian Wells and he recently disposed of Frances Tiafoe in Cincinnati. But how is his body going to hold up to the rigours of this very arduous Slam? By contrast, Nishioka enters this match in dismal form, winning just one of his last seven matches.
But he is a true hardcourt specialist who can grind out surprise results. This is reflected in his Grand Slam performances this season. He reached the 4th round of a Slam for the first time at the Aussie Open. He followed that with yet another 4th round run at the French Open. He is pugnacious player who isn’t going to overwhelm anyone with power.
But Wawrinka has struggled to generate pace when players have denied it to him (look at his loss to Purcell in Cincinnati). Wawrinka won their only previous meeting in 2017 but I think this could be quite a close one.
Verdict: Nishioka to win in five at 7/1
Andy Murray 1/4 | Corentin Moutet 28/10
Three-time Major champion Andy Murray will be making his first appearance since an abdominal strain saw him withdraw from Toronto. The surly Scot has hustled this year and played some of his best tennis at the Slams.
He beat Kokkinakis and Berrettini in stirring five-setters en route to the 3rd round of the Aussie Open. He then blew a gilt-edged opportunity to eliminate Tsitsipas in London. Current World No.71 Corentin Moutet is in poor form and represents a pretty handy draw for the Scot.
Murray generally plays well against lefties and Moutet has struggled with form and injuries this season. But the enigmatic Frenchman loves playing spoiler and he actually registered his best Grand Slam finish at this event last year (he beat Stan Wawrinka en route to a round of 16 finish).
He is a hothead who was actually expelled from the Federation of French Tennis last year for repeated disciplinary breaches. It’s little wonder that he enjoys it in this rowdy atmosphere. I think he could nick a set off an undercooked Murray in the early stages but I still see the Scot progressing.
Verdict: Murray to win in four at 5/2
