A few picks from the first round of US Open qualifying today, and honestly it's a pretty interesting slate with some recognizable names trying to claw their way into the main draw. Let's get into it.
US Open Qualifying Predictions
Alex Bolt vs Pablo Llamas Ruiz
Head-to-head: Bolt 1-1 Ruiz
The H2H is level but Llamas Ruiz is the higher-ranked player and has looked more consistent on hard courts recently. Bolt has been floating around the 150-175 range for a while now without really breaking through and hard court qualifying at a Slam is a tough ask for him.
Ruiz takes this one in five, but don't be surprised if Bolt makes it scrappy.
Prediction: Ruiz in 3
Lorenzo Giustino vs Grigor Dimitrov
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is a strange one. Dimitrov is the bigger name by a mile, but he's been dealing with injuries and his ranking has slipped to 138, which is how you end up in qualifying at a Slam you've reached the semis of before. Giustino is a grinder and at 195 in the world he has nothing to lose, and long matches on a slow hard court surface, which tends to neutralize any advantage in firepower, can go sideways fast for a player who hasn't been match-tough.
I feel like Dimitrov's lack of recent court time is the real story here, and Giustino grinds him down over five sets.
Prediction: Giustino in 3
Bernard Tomic vs Lloyd Harris
Head-to-head: Tomic 1-0 Harris
Two players who had real promise a few years back and are now both trying to rebuild. Hard to see this being competitive at all given Harris has the bigger serve and more weapons on hard courts. That said, at this point in both their careers the margins are tiny and Tomic's motivation in these situations has always been a question mark.
Harris gets this done, all things considered.
Prediction: Harris in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Yannick Legare/ZUMA Press Wire