Jannik Sinner vs Alexei Popyrin
(19:00 CET, Arthur Ashe Stadium)
Jannik Sinner's birthday was bitter two weeks ago; he abandoned his 0-5 final with Carlos Alcaraz in Cincinnati due to nausea. But he apparently managed to pull himself together at the US Open. He allowed Vito Kopriva just four games in the first round and is looking up to Alexei Popyrin.
The Australian has a grudge against him, having lost their only match four years ago in Madrid on clay (6:7 and 2:6), and so he can now exact revenge. Popyrin is not to be underestimated; he has beaten three top 10 players in the last year.
For Sinner, this will be a much tougher test than his opening match of the tournament. It will also be a reminder of his tennis beginnings, as he and Popyrin grew up together in Riccardo Piatti's academy and used to be a doubles pair.
Hailey Baptiste vs Naomi Osaka
(19:00 CET, Louis Armstrong Stadium / Eurosport 2)
When Naomi Osaka returned to the world of tennis last year, things looked very promising; she could play even matches with the best. However, she lacked consistency in her performance. That's why she couldn't break into the top 40 for a long time. But in July, she teamed up with former coach Iga Swiatek and appears to be a completely different player. Under Tomasz Wiktorowski, she has a record of 8 wins against only one loss.
If her dream is to regain the Grand Slam title, her best chances are on the hard court in New York or Melbourne. But now she has to concentrate on her clash with Hailey Baptiste, whom she has beaten twice before, but always in the third set. It will surely be a battle of accuracy and punch from the baseline once again.
Follow the women's singles tournament at the US Open here.
Gabriel Diallo vs Jaume Munar
(20:30 CET, Court 7)
Of the eight Spanish tennis players, only two remain in play on the fifth day of the US Open. Alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Jaume Munar is looking to improve on his Grand Slam best to date. The Barcelona native is his country's current number three and is increasingly trying to adapt his tennis to concrete courts. He used to be very successful on clay, but that hasn't been the case this year (6-9), and instead, he has already recorded 13 match wins on hard court.
This is also why Gabriel Diallo has to be alert. Last year in New York, the Canadian went straight to the third round on his first attempt. This year, he is seeded, but in any case, he put in a lot of work in his opening match.
Damir Dzumhur tormented Diallo for three and a half hours. The Canadian has had the upper hand in his battles with Munar so far, winning both encounters, including last year's first-round battle (3-1). That was his first-ever Grand Slam win.