The quarterfinals of the US Open will begin on Tuesday in New York, and on the men's side of things we'll be treated to two matches featuring Americans who are sure to galvanize the home crowd in thrilling encounters.
Here are my US Open tennis picks for Fritz vs Zverev and Dimitrov vs Tiafoe.
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US Open Schedule, US Open Tennis Picks
Taylor Fritz (+135) vs Alexander Zverev (-175)
1:30 p.m. ET, Arthur Ashe Stadium
It sure looks like Taylor Fritz is in the mood to win this tournament.
The top-ranked American will enter the quarterfinal of the US Open for a second straight season, though this year he won't have to worry about Novak Djokovic standing in his way. Instead, he'll draw a much more favorable matchup against Alexander Zverev — a player he's beaten numerous times in the past.
Fritz's level at this tournament has been exceptional, taking him past a pair of pesky baseliners as well as two huge hitters in Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini. He's been asked to do it all on court, and he's only dropped one set through four matches as he dazzles with his serve and wins points convincingly with his forehand.
Zverev's had the easier draw and has run into more trouble than his opponent, which should really create a wide-open feel to this one. He continues to make gains on the forehand wing, but against one of the best forehands remaining in the draw it's fair to question how it will hold up — and if he will have too much faith in it.
Fritz just took out Zverev in five sets a couple of months ago at Wimbledon, and in the last four hard court meetings between the two it's been Fritz to win three times.
He shouldn't fear much here in an even matchup, given he can counter the formidable Zverev backhand with a very reliable shot of his own, and with the confidence he's built up I think he's ready to earn another victory over the German.
Pick: Fritz ML (+135 via DraftKings)
Grigor Dimitrov (-150) vs Frances Tiafoe (+120)
8:30 p.m. ET, Arthur Ashe Stadium
This one's a bit tougher to call than the first quarterfinal of the day. Frances Tiafoe has featured some much-improved play over the last month, but he'll run into an opponent in Grigor Dimitrov who's given him issues in the past and has played some quality tennis here at the US Open.
The deciding factor could well be the setting, considering Tiafoe's had a wealth of success throughout the years playing on Arthur Ashe — particularly at night — and as the match wears on late into the night, fatigue could set in for Dimitrov after a draining five-set win over Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.
While Dimitrov leads the head-to-head here 3-1, all but one of those matches came five or more years ago and probably isn't a good predictor of this one. He does feature a backhand slice that gives most opponents issues, but Tiafoe's slice is one of the best in the world and he should have a fair chance to counter any of the Bulgarian's offense.
I'm not entirely sold on Dimitrov here, especially when you consider he served at just 57% last match against Rublev. We saw what a poor serving night did to Alexei Popyrin last round against Tiafoe, and while the American didn't serve all that well in his own right he continued to win matches in spite of his first delivery, dominating on return against one of the bigger servers on tour.
There's a lot to believe in when it comes to the returning ability of Tiafoe, and I think the game spread is a sneaky bet here given the serving numbers for both. He may run away with one or more of these sets and find a way to cover even in a loss.
Pick: Tiafoe +2.5 games (-110)
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