US Open 2022: Alex de Minaur vs. Cristian Garin Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 US Open as Alex De Minaur takes on Cristian Garin in the second round on Wednesday, August 31st, 2022.

Will Alex De Minaur produce another stellar run at the US Open this year? Or will Cristian Garin motor past the Australian? While this is hardly a popcorn match that will get the crowd out of their seats, it has the potential to produce some quality tennis. So who will prevail?

Alex De Minaur took precisely two hours to knock out Filip Krajinovic in what proved to be a harmless opening match for the Sydney native. De Minaur hammered 20 winners including six aces and converted eight out of 14 break points. Krajinovichad his chances in the first set when he ran the Aussie very close. But once he lost the set 7-5, the Serbian lost a little bit of bit of spark in his game to contain the fast-footed Aussie. De Minaur has been to the second week of the US Open twice in his career and is in prime position to make it three this fortnight.

Cristian Garin, meanwhile, earned a potentially career-defining win by beating Jiri Lehecka in the first round of the US Open. Garin has had a tough year with shoulder problems that prompted him to reconsider his tennis future. He had been out of action since a first-round loss in Kitbuhel over a month ago. And when he dropped the first set to the young Czech, the writing appeared to be on the wall. Except that Garin’s resilience came to the fore. The Chilean began moving astutely and took calculated risks. The second set tiebreak proved decisive. Garinwon it and set the tone for the rest of the match.

Alex De Minaur leads the head-to-head over Cristian Garin 3-1. However, it was the Chilean who won their last showdown at Wimbledon just a few months ago in a titanic tussle which stretched to five sets (Garin fought back from two sets to love down). Garin is a player with top 10 potential and it is devastating that he has seriously considered of quitting the sports altogether due to a freak injury earlier this season. It just shows tennis is indeed a quick turnaround sport. But this matchwill be a real test for his confidence and physical wellbeing. And De Minaur might take advantage.