By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday August 28, 2024

Day 4 of the US Open means… the end of round two! Here’s what we’ll be watching as the round of 64 completes in Flushing Meadows on Thursday…



The Sinner and Alcaraz Show

All eyes have been on Jannik Sinner since the start of the tournament. When you reveal to the world that you’ve twice tested positive for a banned substance but avoided suspension due to a strong legal argument – and legal team – it’s understandable.

Read More: Reaction to Sinner Scandal Reverberates Around the Grounds

As the shock of his revelation recedes, the top seed will try to shift the focus back to tennis on Thursday as he faces American teen Alex Michelsen in the second round.

Sinner, who has never been beyond the quarterfinals in five previous experiences, will have to be better than he was against Mackenzie McDonald. In that first-round contest he dropped the opening set and was broken in four of his first five service games before dashing to victory in four.

The Italian will have his hands full with Michelsen, a talented 19-year-old who is steadily rising up the ATP rankings, and he more important, he'll have to clear his head and focus on his tennis. For Sinner, it’s not a question of talent, it’s more about compartmentalizing and getting his mind in that pure place, where tennis – and nothing else – is the focus.

“It is still a little bit, you know, not easy,” he said. “You have to go through, day by day.”

Carlos Alcaraz also lost a set in his opening match, and he will hope to improve on his form after taking out Australia’s Li Tu in four sets. The 2022 US Open champion will face Botic Van de Zandschulp in the second round as the two rising stars of men’s tennis remain on collision course to meet in the semifinals.



Osaka vs Muchova Popcorn

Fans who loved to see two-time champion Naomi Osaka back in the New York groove on Tuesday as she took out No.10-seeded Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets, will be happy to get another does, and another classic matchup on Thursday. The tilt with 2017 Roland-Garros was a heavily anticipated clash, and so too will be her next one.

The 2018 and 2020 champion faces crafty Czech Karolina Muchova in the first match of the night session in what will be the pair’s first meeting since 2021 Madrid (won by Muchova), and their second overall (1-1 head-to-head).

Muchova is on the comeback trail like Osaka, the Czech has recently eased back into playing on tour after wrist surgery, while Osaka is still just eight months into her return from maternity leave.



Meddy at Night

Head over to Armstrong if you want to see a former champion and fan favorite do his thing in the New York night. Daniil Medevedev, the No.5 seed and 2021 champion will face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.

The Russian is 30-6 lifetime in Flushing Meadows, and who could forget his momentous night session memories from 2019 when he riled up the faithful on Armstrong and created a bond with the New York fans. It all started with turbulence, but now New Yorkers consider Medvedev, who lost to Nadal in a five-set final that year, as one of them.