Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the US Open match.
Jannik Sinner arrives in New York as one of the two main favourites for the US Open title alongside Carlos Alcaraz. But his fitness raised eyebrows after he pulled out of the Cincinnati final. Is it too early for him to go full throttle? His opening test comes against Vit Kopriva.
Jannik Sinner
Just a few days before the tournament, Sinner reassured fans he feels physically fine — not yet 100%, but confident a couple of days’ rest would do the job. Against opposition of Kopriva’s level, he should not encounter serious problems. The Italian has won nearly 90% of his matches this season and has reached at least the fourth round in each of his last four US Open campaigns. However, there are doubts about how far he can go — just one final appearance last year ended with the trophy.
Vit Kopriva
Despite being 28, Kopriva’s tour experience remains limited — he has played about the same number of main-draw matches in his entire career (36) as Sinner has this year alone. Kopriva’s record is negative (14-22). His progress this season — climbing 40 ranking spots — came mainly through Challenger success. By late spring he stepped up to ATP-level tournaments. At Roland Garros he reached the second round, but his lone win came against Thiago Monteiro, ranked 45 places lower. Last week in Winston-Salem, he lost 3:6, 4:6 to world No.86 Sebastian Korda in the second round.
Jannik Sinner vs Vit Kopriva Prediction
Against Sinner, the gulf in class is obvious. The world No.1 seed should win in straight sets, and a combined market strengthens the value.
