Ricky’s Preview & Picks For Day 7 Of The U.S. Open Tennis • Federer vs. Goffin and Grigor Dimitrov vs. De Minaur

By Ricky Dimon

Quarterfinal spots at the U.S. Open will start being handed out on Sunday, when Roger Federer will be part of the day session. Federer is going up against David Goffin, while Alex de Minaur and Grigor Dimitrov are rounding out that section of the bracket.

Ricky previews those two matches and makes his predictions.

(3) Roger Federer vs. (15) David Goffin

You never want to run into Federer in the early rounds of a slam because it probably means you are going home almost right away. At the same time, though, you usually have a better chance of an upset. By the time Federer sinks his teeth into a tournament, it is generally bad news for the opponent. That could be the case for Goffin on Sunday, as Federer seems to have gotten in gear just in time for the proverbial second week of the tournament. Following somewhat lackluster four-set defeats of Sumit Nagal and Damir Dzumhur, the third-ranked Swiss picked up the pace to destroy Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and 20 minutes.

This head-to-head series stands at 8-1 in favor of Federer, whose only losses to Goffin has come in the semis of the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals. They have met only twice on outdoor courts, with the 38-year-old having taken all four of those sets. Goffin punched his ticket to the last 16 in New York by beating Corentin Moutet, Gregoire Barrere, and Pablo Carreno Busta while surrendering just one set to Moutet. The Belgian reached the semifinals in Cincinnati earlier this month, so it is safe to say that he has recaptured his 2017 form. Still, Goffin his never exactly hurt Federer with offensive weapons and more one-way traffic should be expected on Sunday.

Pick: Federer in 3

Grigor Dimitrov vs. Alex de Minaur

De Minaur and Dimitrov will be facing each other for the first time in their careers on Sunday. A whole lot of speed and more than a few wild rallies are surely in store for this one, not unlike the case between de Minaur and Kei Nishikori in the third round on Friday. The 20-year-old Australian got through that 6-2, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 after previously defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Christian Garin. De Minaur’s fine hard-court summer is highlighted by his second career ATP title in Atlanta.

Dimitrov lost to world No. 405 Kevin King in straight sets in the Atlanta first round, which had to be considered the low point of his prolonged slump. The 78th-ranked Bulgarian also exited right away from Montreal and Cincinnati, but those were more encouraging setbacks–especially in Cincinnati–at the hands of Stan Wawrinka. Dimitrov has been much luckier with his draw and much better on the court at Flushing Meadows, where he has dismissed Andreas Seppi and lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak while also getting a walkover from Borna Coric. This should be a fun one, with a slight edge going to de Minaur based on his current form and confidence from so many recent victories.

Pick: de Minaur in 5

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.