Nuno Borges vs Daniil Medvedev Prediction: Daniil Medvedev is favorite

The Round of 16 at the US Open pits Portugal's Nuno Borges, currently ranked 34th in the ATP rankings, against Russia's Daniil Medvedev, the World No. 5. This is a big moment in the career of Borges as he tries to surmount the challenge of Medvedev, a former US Open champion and one of the consistent performers on hard courts. The two have faced each other twice earlier, with Medvedev emerging victorious in both matches. Their most recent match was against each other at the ATP Halle tournament in Germany this year, where Medvedev won in straight sets.

This US Open has been quite impressive for Borges, who has shown resilience and fight in these matches. His path into the Round of 16 was paved by a string of good wins: 1st Round: beat Federico Coria 3-0; 2nd Round: beat Thanasi Kokkinakis 3-0; 3rd Round: beat Jakub Mensik 3-2. In his last 10 matches, Borges has attained a record of 7-3. It attests to his consistency and level of play under pressure. Of course, his victories have shown his solid baseline game and effective serve, which have been so vital in negotiating opponents who are mostly taxing. His eventual 5-set win against Mensik in the previous round demonstrates physical and mental endurance that could be substantial against Medvedev.

The best chance of success for Borges is to take the initiative early in rallies. He will look to dictate with his forehand and push Medvedev back behind the baseline. Medvedev loves rhythm, so he will have to create variety with shots like slice, drop shot, and changes of pace, therefore making it hard for him to time his shots. Borges is going to have to serve really well, placing over power. Holding his serve regularly will be important to put scoreboard pressure on Medvedev. With the deep return position of Medvedev, he should take advantage and move on to finishing the points at the net. That would add another dimension to his game and not give him a rhythm into his defensive groove.

Medvedev is a known force on the ATP Tour. He has had an equally good run in this year's US Open: 1st Round: defeated Dusan Lajovic, 3-1; 2nd Round: beat Fabian Marozsan, 3-0; 3rd Round: beat Flavio Cobolli, 3-0. If a head-to-head is generated from the last 10 matches played by Medvedev, it would be 6 wins against 4 losses, thus showing a slight dip in form from the usual standards he has accustomed himself and people to. Not for nothing, his dominance on hard courts was never an object of discussion. Generally speaking, Medvedev's performance in the tournament so far has been pretty typical for his style of game: an excellent return game, deep positioning in the court, and smooth transitions from defense to offense. His straight-sets victory against Cobolli was, in fact, a piece of art-nice baseline tennis where Medvedev dominated through dominant groundstrokes and precise placing of shots.

The pushing of Borges into longer rallies by the relentless consistency of Medvedev from the back should force errors from the Portuguese player through better shot tolerance. Medvedev's deep return position allows him to neutralize even the best of serves. He will be looking to put pressure on Borges' second serve, trying to get an early break. Medvedev is one of the better counter punchers out there. He will most probably soak up Borges' aggressive shots and turn the defense into offense, especially whenever Borges tries to close at the net. Medvedev will be trying to make rallies long and try testing Borges's stamina, given Borges' five-set marathon in the previous round.

The head-to-head dominance, experience, and form all combine to make this a very one-sided match in favor of Medvedev. Borges has looked extremely promising and was in great form, but the task of playing Medvedev on a hard court-the best-of-five format-is just enormous. The experience, tactical acumen, and ability to dominate from the baseline give Medvedev an edge in this matchup. It could be demanding for Borges to keep up his level against such an opponent, and it is very likely that Medvedev will make it through into the quarterfinals in straight sets.

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