US Open 2024: Daniil Medvedev vs Dusan Lajovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Daniil Medvedev vs Dusan Lajovic
Date: August 27, 2024
Tournament: US Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $75,000,000
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN, RDS
Daniil Medvedev vs Dusan Lajovic preview
Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev will face Dusan Lajovic in the first round of the US Open 2024.
Medvedev reached his third Australian Open final at the start of the season and went down to Jannik Sinner this time after blowing a two-set lead. He then returned to defend his title in Dubai and bowed out in the semifinals. He advanced to his second final of the season at the Indian Wells Masters and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.
Medevdev's title defense at the Miami Open ended in the semifinals against Sinner. He enjoyed a decent level of success on clay, with a quarterfinal finish at the Madrid Open and a fourth-round showing at the French Open being his best results. He capped off his time on grass with a second semifinal at Wimbledon.
The Russian bowed out of the Paris Olympics in the third round. His transition to hardcourts has been quite disappointing thus far. He crashed out of the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open without winning a match and has arrived in New York on a three-match losing streak.
Lajovic's best results this season have all been on clay. He reached the semifinals of the Barcelona Open, and the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open, the Rio Open, and the Croatia Open. The French Open remains the only Major where he registered a win this year, and progressed to the second round.
Following a first-round exit from the Paris Olympics, Lajovic resumed his hardcourt swing at the Cincinnati Open and lost to Brandon Holt in the first round of qualifying.
Daniil Medvedev vs Dusan Lajovic head-to-head
Lajovic leads Medvedev 2-1 in the head-to-head. The Serb won their previous encounter at the Rotterdam Open three years ago in straight sets.
Daniil Medvedev vs Dusan Lajovic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Daniil Medvedev vs Dusan Lajovic prediction
Medvedev usually performs quite well during this part of the season. However, after swift exits from his last two hardcourt events, there are doubts surrounding another deep run at the US Open. He was the runner-up in New York last year and won the tournament in 2021.
While Medvedev has a losing record against Lajovic, the latter hasn't performed too well on hardcourts this year. He has a 3-5 record on the surface this season and a 4-9 record at the US Open. This seems like the Russian's best shot to level this rivalry, despite being in shaky form himself.
Medvedev had won five titles by this time last year but is yet to lay his hands on the winner's trophy this season. While that may or may not happen here, he will be favored to win his opener at the very least.
Pick: Daniil Medvedev to win in four sets.