US Open 2019 Men's Singles Quarterfinals Picks

US Open 2019 Fourth Round Picks, RESULTS
Top Half: 3 Wins; 1 Losses

Bottom Half: 2 Wins; 2 Losses

Stan Wawrinka has made another case for himself to always be included in the discussion whenever "The Big Three" are mentioned. Though Wawrinka's number of majors championships is way behind them, he continues to be a factor on which of them will play for the championship.

[Wawrinka S.] (23) vs. Medvedev D. (5) -- Neither player has what I would call a "defined game". They are both shotmakers who win big matches while flying under the radar. Medvedev has had more recent success and is really trying to establish himself as a force on the tour. He has beaten Wawrinka in their lone meeting, with the question being how healthy was Wawrinka at that time.

For Wawrinka, he has accomplished three majors championships wins and shown a propensity to fare well against Novak Djokovic. Last round's victory against Djokovic shakes up this half of the draw but most have Roger Federer has the eventual benefactor. This is a toss-up match where I edge toward Wawrinka because of his prior big moments.


[Federer R.] (3) vs. Dimitrov G. --  Federer has won all 7 meetings. This is a classic case of one player living in another's shadow as the greater player's "next". Dimitrov does have attributes of Federer's game but that has not proven to be enough to keep him as a consistent Top 10 player. Every pro has a puncher's chance of winning any match.

For this upset to happen Dimitrov will have to add a wrinkle to his game, a better mental focus and a prayer that Federer is not at his best.


Berrettini M. (24) vs. [Monfils G.] (13) -- Monfils has to ready for a possible five-set match where the decision might come down to which player generates more power. In his last round match against Andrey Rublev, Berretini upped his own level. This could be because he had the advantage when it comes to strength. Though this will be tested against Monfils, Berretini sill has the game to get the win off his own racket and not rely solely on Monfils losing due to errors.

The question for Monfils is whether he will have to use a bit of the finesse and trickery he tends to fall back on, for entertainment value and when he is not as focused.


Schwartzman D. (20) vs. [Nadal R.] (2) -- Nadal has won all 7 meetings. Schwartzman is probably the shortest player who is a "regular" tour. He has good strength and generates power as well as defends against it. He literally makes a living beating on players who are not better than him. He draws even with those who are on his level and pulls off an occasional upset.

Nadal is not one to get upset. His mental focus and game preparation alone makes it hard to beat him.