American hopeful Ryan Harrison meets Marcos Baghdatis in arguably the most surprising third-round pairing, after both pulled off unexpected wins against higher-ranked opponents on Wednesday. Baghdatis defeated Benoit Paire in four sets, whilst Harrison ended Milos Raonic’s hopes of reaching his second consecutive Grand Slam final. The meeting will be the pair’s second ever meeting.
Baghdatis sees off the 32nd seed Benoit Paire
Marcos Baghdatis has set up his third round meeting with Ryan Harrison after defeating Facundo Bagnis and Benoit Paire with the loss of only one set. He took a two-set lead over Bagnis in the first round, before the Argentine retired at 1-1 in the third, citing an injury sustained weeks before.
In the second round, the Cypriot edged past the 32nd seed Benoit Paire with a four-set victory to level their head-to-head at 2 wins apiece, and reach the third round in New York for only the second time. The 31 year-old’s first serve percentage fell slightly between the two matches, but the break point conversion rate improved as he converted 6 of his 9 chances against the erratic Frenchman.
Harrison reaches a Grand Slam third round for the first time
Ryan Harrison pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the 2016 US Open thus far, by defeating Milos Raonic 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-5, 6-1 in the second round. The fifth-seeded Canadian was clearly struggling with a wrist issue, but Harrison took advantage and progressed to the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. In the match, the American hit 48 winners, and won 74% of points on his first serve to register the finest result in his career, earning the victory in just under four hours.
The 24 year-old pulled off a smaller upset in the opening round against Adrian Mannarino, winning in straight sets to complete his first win in a Grand Slam main draw for three years.
Head-to-head record
Baghdatis and Harrison have only met once previously, with the Cypriot winning their first round clash in Brisbane 7-6(7), 6-4. The encounter took place four years ago, with Baghdatis losing out to eventual champion Andy Murray in the quarterfinals.
Both sets were tightly contested, with Baghdatis taking advantage of an early break in the second set to close out the victory in straight sets.
Prediction
The pair’s second ever meeting provides both with a great opportunity to reach the second week in New York, with Harrison aiming to reach that stage for the first time. This lack of inexperience at this stage of a major may affect the American in the big moments, but he’ll have the crowd’s support despite facing a popular crowd favourite.
The key battle will be the forehand’s of both players, with both able to produce some heavy-hitting when hitting the ball sweetly. Harrison will be looking to dictate with the forehand behind his serve, which has been delivering impressively during the early stages of the tournament. On average, he is winning 77% of points on his first serve, whilst serving over 50% in both matches he’s played. Baghdatis won 79% of points on his first serve in the victory over Paire, and both will know the importance of holding their own serve in this encounter.
Another factor which could dictate the result is the time both players have spent on court so far, as Harrison has spent over two hours more on court than Baghdatis, playing just shy of six hours throughout his two rounds. A lack of being used to this amount of match time compared to rest is likely to catch up with the American at some stage of the fortnight, and an expected long match here will do nothing to enhance his chances of winning through to the fourth round.
Expect a long match, with high serving numbers and long rallies, but Baghdatis’ experience and less amount of time on court should give him the edge. Both players can be erratic, and the player who composes themselves the most should progress to an unlikely fourth round appearance.
Prediction: Baghdatis in four sets