Novak Djokovic will put his winning streak at risk against compatriot Laslo Djere at the US Open with a spot in the 4th round up for grabs.
Novak Djokovic cruised through the US Open draw so far, opening with a win over Alexandre Muller. The second match saw him cruise past Bernabe Zapata Miralles, but the biggest challenge is ahead. Compatriot Laslo Djere will present a tricky challenge for Djokovic because they know each other well.
Obviously, that will likely benefit Djokovic more because he is the more skilful player who is able to go to a higher level should he need it. Djere has been on a tear himself, showing the highest level on the hard court he ever showed.
Djere is generally a clay player because his forehand is a pretty good weapon on that surface. On hard courts, it's not as dangerous but still good enough to create damage alongside his serve. 9 wins on hard courts this year equals the most he's had in a decade, showing his good form.
Djokovic is on a 7-match winning streak dating back to Cincinnati, where he won the trophy. That shows the stark difference between the players, as Djokovic almost accumulated the same number of wins as Djere in just two weeks. When we look at the season overall, Djokovic has 22 wins on hard. That's as many as Djere has since 2019.
Head-to-head:
In any case, the H2H favours Djokovic as he won the only previous match they played. It happened last year on clay in Belgrade where Djere won the opening set, but Djokovic bounced back to win the match in three sets 2-6 7-6(6) 7-6(4).
Prediction:
The calculations are fairly simple. Djere will need his serve to be on fire to have any kind of chance but unfortunately, Djokovic is an exceptional returner. Sooner or later he'll find a gap and probably use that chance. In that sense, anything but a Djokovic win would be a major surprise.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in three sets.
0 Comments