The 2024 US Open continues as Jannik Sinner faces Alex Michelson while David Goffin goes up against Adrian Mannarino in the second round. Damien Kayapt previews.
2024 ATP Tour
US Open
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre
Selected 2nd Round Matches
29 August 2024
Jannik Sinner 1/14 | Alex Michelson 7/1
Jannik Sinner is being turned into a pantomime villain following two failed drug tests. People have accused the Italian of being treated differently after authorities deemed him eligible to carry on competing. I tend to sympathise with all parties.
There should be more uniformity in punishments. But it also seems a bit unfair for Sinner to be banned for a harmless error made by his coaching staff.
In any event, Sinner had to come back from a set down in his opener against Mackenzie McDonald, extending his current winning streak to five matches (he won in Cincinnati a few weeks ago).
This has been a surreal year for Sinner. It started with that magnificent Aussie Open victory, which laid the foundation for him to dominate the first quarter of the season.
But he started to fade as the year progressed, with Carlos Alcaraz winning those back-to-back Grand Slam titles. He has managed to keep his World No.1 status due to the unique – and perhaps – flawed ATP scoring system. Sinner will be under an intense microscope this fortnight and it will be fascinating to see how he withstands the pressure.
Big-serving American Alex Michelson has been in terrific form of late and I wasn’t surprised to see him sail past compatriot Eliot Spizzirri in his opening match.
The 20-year-old has really gone from strength to strength since turning pro last year. He reached the third round of a slam for the first time at this year’s Aussie Open. He also recorded his first top-ten win against Alex de Minaur in Los Cabos.
But it’s only during these last few months that he has really come to life. He finished runner-up at Newport for the second successive season. He followed that up with a quarter-final run in Washington and he is fresh off a brilliant runner-up finish at the Winston-Salem Open. He is 11-5 in his last five outings (this one included) and that will give him plenty of confidence going into this massive test.
The Verdict: Sinner to win in four 9/4
Sinner leads the head-to-head 1-0, beating the American in Cincinnati two weeks ago. Sinner won in straight sets but Michelson was extremely competitive.
Michelson has an imposing serve and he will receive delirious support in this match. Sinner may feel the pressure here and I think the American could nick a set.
David Goffin 48/100 | Adrian Mannarino 16/10
33-year-old Belgian David Goffin is having a bit of a mini-renaissance. The former World No.7 finished last year ranked outside the top 100 in the world for the first time in a decade. And this season has really been much of the same.
He won the Ilkay Challenger event but has struggled to gain any traction on the tour proper. His victory over Shapovalov in Atlanta was a little glimpse of his hardcourt potential. He then produced one of the more surprising results of the year, reaching the semifinals at last week’s Winston-Salem Open.
And he seems to have carried that momentum into this year’s US Open, beating 22nd seed Alejandro Tabilo in a rousing opening victory. Goffin just looked revitalized against the younger opponent, hitting 45 winners to just 29 unforced errors in the straight-sets win.
Goffin reached the 4th round here in four consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2020. He is an offensive baseliner who looks to wear his opponents down (he doesn’t have that gargantuan weapon that can take the game away).
Few would have given Adrian Mannarino a chance of beating Borna Coric in straight sets. But the out-of-form Frenchman defied expectations, winning 80% of his first-serve points against the Croatian.
Mannarino was in desperate need of a positive start after what has been a challenging season. Lest we forget, Mannarino enjoyed his best-ever season last year, winning three titles and rising to 22 in the world rankings.
And he started this year in a similarly decisive manner, reaching the semifinals of the United Cup before an excellent 4th round run at the Aussie Open. Those results helped to catapult him to a career-high ranking of 17.
But the crafty counterpuncher has gone completely off the rails since then. He actually came into this tournament on a ten-match losing streak (he was 2-19 in his last 21 matches). He reached the 3rd round here last season and will look to emulate that with victory over Goffin.
The Verdict: Goffin to win in four sets 29/10
These two are familiar foes, with Goffin holding a 5-3 career advantage over the Frenchman. Having said that, Mannarino has won their two most recent encounters.
This is really a match for the purists. Expect plenty of long rallies, with neither player possessing major-league power. Goffin will be the natural aggressor while Mannarino will look to counterpunch. I think Goffin’s US Open pedigree and recent form gives him the edge here.
