The 2024 US Open continues as we head into the second round. Damien Kayapt previews two of Wednesday’s matches: Taylor Fritz v Matteo Berrettini and Ben Shelton v Robert Bautista Agut.
2024 ATP Tour
US Open Tennis
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre
Selected Second Round Matches
28th August 2024
Taylor Fritz 57/100 | Matteo Berrettini 27/20
12th seed Taylor Fritz is enjoying a consistent campaign that has been one or two matches away from being a great one. He has been solid in the slams, reaching the quarter-finals in Melbourne and Wimbledon.
He won titles in Delray Beach and Eastbourne and reached a maiden clay-court final in Munich. But he has gone slightly off the boil since SW19. Sure, he did pick up Olympic Bronze playing alongside Tommy Paul in the doubles.
But he was eliminated early in the singles and has suffered back-to-back early exits in Montreal and Cincinnati. I honestly think that the rangy American has perhaps played a little too much tennis this season. He looked really solid in his opener, winning 80% of his first-serve points to cruise past Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli in straight sets.
Fritz reached the quarter-finals here last season and he will be desperate for a deep run in front of fanatical home supporters.
Matteo Berrettini is really a nightmare second-round opponent for anyone. The magnetic Italian has obviously had major battles with fitness these past few seasons. But at his best, the big-serving 28-year-old has been one of the most dangerous dark horses in recent Grand Slam memory, reaching the quarter-final stage or better in six slams.
And he has a real affinity for this arena, reaching the semi-finals in 2019 and back-to-back quarter-finals in 2021 and 2022. His megawatt game just perfectly suits these slick surfaces. And the Italian has actually been in brilliant form since returning to action this season.
In fact, he has reached four finals this calendar year. He won the Grand Prix Hassan II and then picked up back-to-back clay-court titles in that weird post-Wimbledon clay-court swing.
Sure, those are hardly elite events. But it shows that the Italian is getting reacquainted with the art of winning. He easily saw off Ramos-Vinolas in his opener, serving 16 aces and winning a stunning 88% of his first-serve points.
Verdict: Berrettini to win in four at 46/10
Fritz has dominated their head-to-head rivalry, leading the Italian by a comfortable 3-0 margin. But this will be their first Grand Slam meeting. I just feel that the Italian’s greater Grand Slam pedigree could guide him to a win here.
Fritz has looked susceptible to raw power in the past and Berrettini’s forehand is a thing of wonder. Berrettini has always been embraced by the New York faithful and I don’t think there will be too much ill will if he were to upset the American pin-up star.
Ben Shelton 23/100 | Roberto Bautista Agut 3/1
Ben Shelton just picked up from where he left off last season, easily negotiating a tricky encounter with 2020 champ Dominic Theim in straight sets. The 21-year-old showed his class after the match, leading the applause for the Austrian after what was his final Grand Slam appearance.
Shelton fans have reason to be optimistic this week. He obviously enjoyed an incredible summer last year, riding that booming lefty serve to a maiden Grand Slam semi-final appearance. And he has enjoyed a solid follow-up season, winning his second career title at the clay-court event in Houston.
And his form has really been trending well in recent times. He reached the final 16 in Wimbledon and then opted to skip the Olympics to focus on his North American hardcourt prep.
And he probably made the right choice, reaching the semi-finals in Washington before a highly commendable quarter-final run in Cincinnati (where he lost to Zverev in an epic three-set tussle). Shelton thrives in this pressure-cooker atmosphere and will take some beating.
Veteran Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut ground out a tight straight-sets victory in his opening match, seeing off Italian Luca Nardi 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Bautista Agut has always bucked the trend for Spanish players, achieving the vast majority of his success on hard courts.
He has reached 19 hardcourt finals throughout his career (the highlight of which was a runner up finish at the 2016 Shanghai Masters). He also has some North American hardcourt pedigree, reaching semi-finals in Miami and Cincinnati in the past. But this campaign has been a slog for the Spaniard and I can see him hanging up his racquet in the not-too-distant future.
To be fair, his round-of-16 run at Wimbledon did give us a glimpse of his best tennis. But the counter-punching Spaniard just doesn’t move with the same fluidity anymore and he came into this event off the back of three consecutive tour-level losses.
That victory over Nardi will give him some confidence and it will be intriguing to see how he deals with the Shelton delivery.
Verdict: Shelton to win in four sets at 47/20
Shelton won their only previous encounter, conquering the Spaniard in straight sets at this year’s Aussie Open. Bautista Agut is actually the type of player who can cause Shelton issues.
He loves to counterpunch and will look to extend rallies for as long as possible. I can see Shelton surrendering a set due to his impatience. Still, I can’t see Bautista Agut withstanding his raw power over the course of the match.
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