ASHE STADIUM, Noon
Alexander Zverev vs. Frances Tiafoe
Zverev, ranked No. 6, has reached the third round at the Open only once. There have been questions surrounding whether Zverev, 22, or any other young prospect, is ready to unseat the Big Three of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal. Zverev survived Tuesday’s upsets on his side of the draw — barely.
Tiafoe, a 21-year-old American who reached the quarterfinals at this year’s Australian Open, will be another test. He didn’t lose a service game in his first-round win over the big-serving Ivo Karlovic, and will surely look to replicate that as Zverev was broken five times in his five-set, first-round win over Radu Albot.
ASHE STADIUM
Simona Halep vs. Taylor Townsend
Halep, having won the championship at Wimbledon, looked fallible on Tuesday afternoon, when the American qualifier Nicole Gibbs took her to three sets. Halep, seeded fourth, will face another American qualifier in Townsend after the Zverev-Tiafoe match on Ashe. Halep is 3-0 against Townsend, including at the Miami Open in March. Halep’s solid baseline play will be problematic for Townsend, who won only 42 percent of her baseline rallies in her first-round match.
ARMSTRONG STADIUM, 11 A.M.
Andrea Petkovic vs. Petra Kvitova
Kvitova, the No. 6 seed, has reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open twice in the last four years, and if her dominant performance in the first round is any indication, she’ll be eager to repeat, if not improve upon, this feat. She has played Petkovic on 10 occasions, and each of them has walked away victorious five times. Although Petkovic has not played as well recently as she did during her peak, she is capable of scintillating performances, and Thursday’s opening match should be a treat to watch.
ARMSTRONG STADIUM
Naomi Osaka vs. Magda Linette
Osaka, the defending champion, seemed to still be playing herself into fitness in her first-round match on Tuesday after some concerns over her left knee. But in the end, she was able to overcome those concerns as well as the nerves that she attributed to being the reigning champion. She won in three sets. On Thursday, in the second match at Armstrong Stadium, she’ll play Linette, whom Osaka beat in the first round of the Australian Open this year on the way to her second Grand Slam title. Although Linette served well in her first-round match, she will have a much harder time holding against the powerful baseline game of Osaka.
