Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP US Open match.
In the opening round of US Open qualifying, two clay-court specialists meet — Serbia’s Dušan Lajović and France’s Luca Van Assche. Both struggle on hard courts, but the Serbian’s class and experience should give him the upper hand here.
Dušan Lajović
The 34-year-old Serb has built most of his career on clay, though he does have some hard-court pedigree. This season Lajović has won just four of 11 matches on the surface, but in Brisbane he managed to beat the solid Arthur Cazaux (No.76 ATP). More recently he captured a Challenger title in Cordenons, only withdrawing mid-match in Cancún against Roman Andres Burruchaga.
Luca Van Assche
At 20, Van Assche has long been seen as a promising talent, but his development on hard courts has stalled. In 2025 he has played just three matches on the surface — a defeat to Dane Sweeny (No.467 ATP) at the Canberra Challenger, a win over Adria Soriano Barrera (No.287) and a loss to Edas Butvilas (No.237) in Porto. Against Lajović, Luca also came up short: in their only previous meeting, at the 2022 Parma Challenger, the Serb won convincingly (6:2, 7:6).
Dušan Lajović vs Luca Van Assche Prediction
Lajović should prevail thanks to his experience and ability to maintain his level throughout the match, while the Frenchman still lacks the tools to compete in high-level hard-court battles.
