Three picks from the US Open qualifying final today, and honestly all three look genuinely close on paper. We've got our takes below, so let's get into it.
US Open Qualifying Predictions
Zsombor Piros vs Christopher O'Connell
Head-to-head: Piros 2-2 O'Connell
Four matches and perfectly split, which tells you this is a real rivalry between two players who know each other's games well. O'Connell has had a quietly decent season and at his best he's relentless off the ground on hard courts, exactly the kind of player who can grind through qualifying. Piros isn't without weapons, but he's inconsistent and in a best-of-five format that inconsistency tends to catch up with you eventually.
I think O'Connell's superior hard-court grind wins out over five sets here, even if Piros makes him work for it.
Prediction: O'Connell in 3
Arthur Gea vs Nishesh Basavareddy
Head-to-head: First meeting
Gea is ranked nearly 80 places above Basavareddy and that gap is hard to ignore, especially on a surface like this where ranking points tend to reflect results pretty accurately. Basavareddy is a young American with a future, but asking him to beat a top-100 player in a qualifying final on the biggest hard-court stage in the world feels like a stretch right now.
Gea gets through, though I feel like it won't be totally comfortable, all things considered.
Prediction: Gea in 3
Lloyd Harris vs Pablo Llamas Ruiz
Head-to-head: Harris 2-0 Ruiz
Harris leads the head-to-head 2-0 and owns both of those wins on hard courts, so there's a real pattern here. When Harris is healthy and firing his serve, he's a nightmare to break and hard courts bring out the best in him. That said, Llamas Ruiz is ranked higher than his name recognition suggests and he's had a solid year, but two losses in two tries against Harris is hard to ignore going into a third.
Harris takes it, probably in four sets.
Prediction: Harris in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Yannick Legare/ZUMA Press Wire