Second-round competition at the U.S. Open continues on Thursday, when Italians Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti are among those taking the court. On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are back in action.
Here are my picks for three of Thursday’s best matchups.
(1) Jannik Sinner vs. Alexei Popyrin
Popyrin upset Novak Djokovic to reach the U.S. Open fourth round last summer. The 26-year-old Australian can only hope that lightning strikes twice at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, this time against Sinner. It isn’t likely, of course. After all, Sinner is the best player in the world–especially on hard courts. He has swept the last three hard-court majors–the Aussie Open twice in a row and the 2024 U.S. Open. The world No. 1 opened with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 romp over Vit Kopriva, while Popyrin beat a rusty Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3). Popyrin is dangerous, but hard-court major is the last place where anyone wants to face Sinner.
Pick: Sinner in 3
(10) Lorenzo Musetti vs. David Goffin
Musetti and Goffin will be facing each other for the fifth time in their careers and for the second time at the U.S. Open. Their previous meeting in New York was an absolute thriller, won by Musetti 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(11-9) in the 2022 first round. The Italian leads the overall head-to-head series 3-1. When healthy, Musetti is without question one of the best players on tour. The 23-year-old comes in at 10th in the rankings and he reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2024 in addition to the Roland Garros semis in 2025. He is 27-12 this season after defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in four sets on Tuesday. Goffin is seemingly running out of steam at 34 years old and a ranking of No. 80. His record this season is a horrendous 9-16. Musetti should roll.
Pick: Musetti in 3
Jenson Brooksby vs. (24) Flavio Cobolli
Brooksby’s comeback from a two-year suspension has been an impressive one, but since lifting the Houston trophy in April he has beaten only one opponent ranked as high as Cobolli (No. 26)–and that was world No. 20 Ugo Humbert, who is ice cold these days. The 92-ranked American kicked off his U.S. Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 defeat of Aleksandar Vukic on Monday. Cobolli also needed five, getting the best of fellow Italian Francesco Passaro 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Cobolli has been playing great since a slow first couple of months this year, and his current run includes quarterfinal performance at the All-England Club. Unless Brooksby raises his level significantly, this one will likely go to Cobolli.
Pick: Cobolli in 3
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.