Roddick’s US Open Predictions: Dark horse Berrettini, Sinner’s early exit and more

Andy Roddick went through the US Open men’s draw alongside journalist John Wertheim and attempted to predict all the matches of the tournament. The former world No. 1 was bold in choosing his favorites throughout the rounds, including an early exit for Jannik Sinner and a possible final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

In the first quarter, Jannik Sinner should have no trouble advancing to the quarterfinals, with victories along the way over Nicolas Jarry (26th) and Tommy Paul (14th). Daniil Medvedev would advance without issue to the quarterfinals, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime (19th) in the fourth round.

Roddick expects the Canadian to upset 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas early on, but it wouldn't be enough against Medvedev’s experience. "I think he's just too good, and I think when someone is that good and that consistent, three out of five sets works in their favor. I'm not worried about him figuring out a way to get through a couple of matches, and then I think it's normal for him," Roddick said about Medvedev.

In the second quarter, the leader is Carlos Alcaraz (third seed), from whom Roddick doesn’t expect any early shocks. However, they did note that Jack Draper would be a tough opponent in the third round, as the Brit beat him this summer. Still, Roddick believes the Spaniard has what it takes to advance through the early rounds without much trouble.

"I think there are a lot of guys that Carlos Alcaraz would much rather play on a fast surface," Roddick said regarding a possible matchup against Draper. "But I'm not going to bet against Carlos Alcaraz in a best of five sets in this matchup, so I had the chuckster through to the fourth round."

A fourth-round match against Sebastian Korda would again be a tough challenge for the Spaniard, according to Roddick and Wertheim, but they once again chose the 4-time Grand Slam champion. On the other side of the quarter, Hubert Hurkacz is Roddick’s favorite to overcome Alex De Minaur in the fourth round and secure a quarterfinal spot against Alcaraz.

This time, the former world No. 1 surprised by choosing a ‘dark horse,’ or at least an unseeded player, as Matteo Berrettini could challenge the rankings, defeating three seeded players on his way to the quarters.

Roddick predicted wins for the Italian against Taylor Fritz (No. 12), Ugo Humbert (17th), and Casper Ruud (4th) before securing his place in the quarterfinals. "It's so weird because we never give Ruud enough credit ever, and then all of a sudden, he makes deep runs in slams like all the time," Roddick said. "I’m going with Berrettini in the quarters," he concluded.

Berrettini's opponent could be 4th seed Alexander Zverev, who should advance without much trouble through the quarters, facing his biggest challenge against 15th seed Rune, although Roddick sees him as Berrettini's potential quarterfinal opponent.

Grigor Dimitrov would emerge victorious in a potential matchup against Andrey Rublev and face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. The defending champion shouldn't have any problems in the first four rounds, despite Alexei Popyrin (28th) and Frances Tiafoe (20th) looming along the way.

On the other hand, John Wertheim expects a shock from Jiri Lehecka (32nd), who would defeat Rublev and Dimitrov to become Djokovic’s quarterfinal opponent. Still, they saw a straightforward path for Nole to the semifinals.

Thus, Roddick's quarterfinals would see Daniil Medvedev as the winner of the quarterfinal match against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. However, his journey would end there, as he would stumble against Carlos Alcaraz, whom Roddick expects to defeat Alex De Minaur in the quarters.

On the other side, Roddick chose Novak Djokovic to reach the final, defeating Dimitrov and Zverev along the way. The Serbian will continue his fantastic run and claim his 25th Grand Slam title by beating Alcaraz in the final.