US Open 2022: Grigor Dimitrov vs Steve Johnson preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (17) Grigor Dimitrov vs Steve Johnson
Date: August 30, 2022
Tournament: US Open 2022
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $60,102,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & ESPN2 | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv, Sony Ten & Sony Six
Grigor Dimitrov vs Steve Johnson preview
Grigor Dimitrov and Steve Johnson will meet for the second straight time at a Slam when they square off in the opening round of the 2022 US Open on Tuesday.
Dimitrov, the 17th seed, was forced out of his last main-draw appearance in Winston-Salem due to injury — collecting a 16th loss against Dominic Thiem as opposed to his 20 match wins. The last time the Bulgarian posted consecutive wins was at the French Open.
A former semifinalist at Flushing Meadows, Dimitrov will be keen to rediscover some of his lost form this week.
Johnson, meanwhile, comes into the tournament with quite a few matches under his belt on the North American hardcourts in the lead-up.
The 32-year-old reached two quarterfinals — at the Hall of Fame Open and Los Cabos. He enjoys playing in these conditions and has posted wins over the likes of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Pedro Martínez. He will be fancying his chances against an out-of-sorts opponent.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Steve Johnson head-to-head
Grigor Dimitrov leads Steve Johnson in their current head-to-head by a comfortable 5-3 margin. The last meeting between the pair was at Wimbeldon, with Johnson winning courtesy a retirement.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Steve Johnson odds
(All odds are sourced from betMGM)
Grigor Dimitrov vs Steve Johnson prediction
At his best, Dimitrov's all-court game can prove too strong for most opponents. However, injuries have kept him from playing his best tennis in recent times.
That said, Dimitrov has given ample evidence of his ability to bounce back from a few setbacks over the course of his long career. Just last year, he pulled off a memorable week at Indian Wells despite having struggled with his form for most of the season.
Johnson, for his part, will take heart from having beaten his opponent thrice before. The American will come into the match expecting to win a fair few free points on serve — his biggest strength.
With two power-hitters taking to the court on Tuesday, fans can expect a fine display of first-strike tennis. If fully fit, Dimitrov should still be the more dominant player from the baseline. If he can keep a tab on the error count, the 17th seed could well reverse the result from Wimbledon.
Pick: Dimitrov to win in four sets
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results