If the weather forecasts are to be believed, there is going to be a lot of broken tennis for the next four days as plenty of rain is scheduled for Flushing Meadows and that doesn't bode well for the tournament that is beginning the Third Round for the men's matches this weekend, although half of the women's Third Round matches were completed on Friday.
Even with the added day for the men's Final which is being played on a Monday this year, there is still a chance that some players will be forced to play in consecutive days at the back end of the tournament and that has proven to be a difficult hurdle for the player coming through the last Semi Final to overcome in recent seasons.
The tournament organisers will be hoping there are enough gaps in the weather to keep the tournament on schedule, although a couple of long five set matches, an increased possibility as the competition thins and the best players begin to meet, will really put them behind the black ball going forward through the rest of the week.
I will be posting the picks for Day 6 of the tennis in the hours leading up the start of play at 11am local time, so check back for those then. It has been a bad tournament for the picks, much like the last few weeks ever since the end of Wimbledon, but little things like Laura Robson needing one more game and being broken from 30-0 up, or Juan Martin Del Potro having a shocker against Lleyton Hewitt by not turning up in the fourth set tie-break are making a ton of difference and it is really very frustrating to say the least.
Kevin Anderson was another who played a shocker, while the last couple of days has seen Feliciano Lopez blow a strong winning position, Bernard Tomic doing the same and those matches alone changes a poor record into a very strong one and that is the part that irritates the most.
David Ferrer - 7.5 games v Mikhail Kukushkin: David Ferrer is quietly going through his section of the draw, while some of the dangers have already been knocked out so instead of facing Ernests Gulbis, he has to face Mikhail Kukushkin in what looks a much more comfortable Third Round match.
Kukushkin is a player with a decent serve and he has heavy groundstrokes, but he has been struggling for consistency since being injured at the US Open last year and much of his time has been spent on the Challenger circuit as he tries to rebuild his confidence.
That confidence should be in a much stronger place now he has come through 3 qualifying matches and also won two matches in the main draw, although Kukushkin couldn't have wished for a much better draw in the first two Rounds here.
David Ferrer will be happy with the draw too as he has looked vulnerable with poor performances being the case since Wimbledon and I thought he may have a hard US Open, but players going out early has opened up this section for the Spaniard. He has played pretty well early in the tournament, and I think he will have a little too much grind it out tennis for Kukushkin who will be forced to play one too many shots on occasion.
I can imagine the first couple of sets being tight ones, but Ferrer should then be able to pull away and a record a 75, 63, 61 win.
Feliciano Lopez v Milos Raonic: I was surprised to see Milos Raonic as such a big favourite to come through this Third Round match considering he hasn't exactly looked convincing at times this week, regardless of the two comfortable looking wins on the scoreboard that he has recorded.
He has the big serve that will always get him out of trouble, but Feliciano Lopez also has a serve that will see him hold serve with some comfort during periods of the match and the left-hander may also give Raonic a different look today.
This could be a quick match with both players rattling through service games, but I just think the value is with the Spaniard and he shouldn't be as big a price as he is to beat Raonic despite the run the latter had at the Montreal Masters in preparation for the US Open.
Rafael Nadal - 8.5 games v Ivan Dodig: I still have strong memories of the way Ivan Dodig beat Rafael Nadal in Montreal two years ago, but I think Nadal is playing too well at the moment for a repeat of that surprise in this Third Round match.
There has been little to no pressure put on Nadal since his first set against Ryan Harrison in the First Round and winning those back to back Masters tournaments has increased the confidence in the Spaniard to add to his sole US Open success this time around.
Ivan Dodig has a decent serve that should keep him close in a set, but he can lose his way at times while coming to the net off of poor approach shots and that is where Nadal could make hay in this match. Dodig can also be guilty of dropping his head when he gets behind and I believe Nadal will wear him down and end up recording a 64, 62, 63 win.
Roger Federer - 9.5 games v Adrian Mannarino: With all the rain that is forecasted around Flushing Meadows today, I am not sure Roger Federer will get a chance to get out on court, but it should focus the former five time winner here to try and get through the match as quickly as possible.
I was surprised with the way Adrian Mannarino beat Sam Querrey in the last Round, although the American will be kicking himself for the number of chances to break serve that he missed with poor returns and poor construction of points.
That is not going to happen with Federer for the most part and it will be tough for the Frenchman to keep him at bay if a similar level of performance to the one that saw off Carlos Berlocq is produced by the World Number 7 here.
If Federer can make a fast start, he could put himself in a strong position early on in this match and I do think he will be too good for Mannarino and prevail with a 61, 63, 63 win.
Ana Ivanovic - 5.5 games v Christina McHale: Ana Ivanovic is not really considered as a credible threat to win the US Open this season as she is still too erratic with her play, while her serve can go off the boil at any time.
In saying that, Ivanovic has played well her in two matches so far in New York and I think the Serb will be too good for Christina McHale who has taken advantage of a decent draw in her first two matches.
McHale is not someone that I think is without potential- when I have seen her play, McHale looks capable of hitting the ball well off both wings and she has a decent serve, but confidence has been short in 2013 and that is tough to come out of when a player has suffered a lot of losses.
The two wins will give the American some belief in her game, but Ivanovic should be able to come through the match if she can take what is likely to be a tough first set. Win that, and she should be able to move away in the second to go through 64, 62.
Alize Cornet + 7.5 games v Victoria Azarenka: I may have backed Victoria Azarenka to be the player lifting the trophy in the women's event next Sunday, but this a match that could give her the most trouble before the Final.
Alize Cornet is full of beans thanks to a strong summer on the hard courts and she will have memories of pushing Azarenka all the way at the French Open earlier this season. She has the game that can put pressure on the Azarenka serve and this does look an awful lot of games to be giving the Frenchwoman.
I think this will be closer than the layers may imagine and Cornet is playing with a lot of confidence which should stand her in good stead, even if Azarenka has been in very good form with her win in Cincinnati and two comfortable wins here.
Daniela Hantuchova - 3.5 games v Julia Glushko: Daniela Hantuchova took apart the feel-good story of Victoria Duval in the last Round and I think she can beat another youngster that qualified for the US Open in this match.
I haven't seen a lot of Julia Glushko, but she is has played a lot of tennis in the last week and she is yet to really make the breakthrough on the main Tour. She is playing a player that has a lot of experience in this Third Round match and I can see Hantuchova just using that experience to provide the difference in a straight sets win.
It's never easy against a youngster with confidence, but Hantuchova dealt with that in the Second Round and I believe she will do so again with a 64, 64 win.
Caroline Wozniacki - 5.5 games v Camila Giorgi: When I saw Camila Giorgi play at Wimbledon and I think the young Italian has a decent future on the WTA Tour, but she could be frustrated by Caroline Wozniacki who played very well in the Second Round.
Wozniacki might struggle against the top players that can hit through her with consistency, but players like Giorgi are likely to have some success before finding themselves having to hit one too many shots and that is where the Dane can grind down her opponents.
Qualifiers that reach the Third Round have a lot of tennis in their legs and while this will improve Giorgi's Ranking, but it could also mean that it catches up with her especially with Wozniacki providing as much mental pressure as she could in this one.
I expect the first set to be close at times, but Wozniacki may just win the key points in that to take it and then manage to go clear of Giorgi in the second.
MY PICKS: David Ferrer - 7.5 Games @ 1.92 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Feliciano Lopez @ 3.20 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Rafael Nadal - 8.5 Games @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Roger Federer - 9.5 Games @ 2.20 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Ana Ivanovic - 5.5 Games @ 1.92 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Alize Cornet + 7.5 Games @ 1.83 William Hill (2 Units)
Daniela Hantuchova - 3.5 Games @ 1.85 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Caroline Wozniacki - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)
US Open Update: 15-21, - 7.95 Units (57 Units Staked, - 13.95% Yield)
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