Second round promotion at the US Open starts on Wednesday, when seeds Holger Rune and Ben Shelton come back in gear. Rune is waiting for qualifying Jan-Lennard Struff, while Shelton is facing Pablo Carreno Busta.
(Q) Jan-Lennard Struff vs. (11) Holger Rune
Simply put, Struff is dangerous. And Rune is well aware of that fact. On the way to their US Open Second-Round Showdown on Wednesday, they confronted each other with only one earlier occasion. With the home advantage on the red clay of Munich last spring, Struff dominated 6-2, 6-0. The 144th ranking did not play well in 2025, but he finally has some momentum thanks to a successful qualification for this event, followed by a four set of four set of McDonald.
Rune may be flying under the radar a bit, because he is seven places of his career-high ranking at number 11 in the world, but he is in a solid form this summer. The 22-year-old Dane reached the fourth round in Toronto and the quarterfinals in Cincinnati before on Monday for Winston-Salem second Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets in straight sets in straight sets. Struff may be able to serve his way to a set, but Rune is the distant superior all-round player and should prevail without too much trouble.
Choose: Rune in 4
(6) Ben Shelton vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
This is a relatively similar story of a heavy favorite player who is in stellar form against an underdog opponent who is dangerous for some reason. Although Carreno Busta does not bring as much firepower to the table as Struff, the 34-year-old Spaniard generally throws in New York. Shocking, he is a double semi -finalist (2017 and 2020); He has not improved that far with another Grand Slam.
Carreno Busta opened with a 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-2 victory over Pablo Llamas Ruiz, while Shelton thrown the qualification-Impeacio Buse 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 away. When Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are in their own class, Shelton settles as one of the world’s best players behind the Sinner-Alcaraz duo. The sixth rank American conquered his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto and then reached the quarterfinals of Cincinnati. Shelton is even better in Slams than at Masters events, so there is no limit on a far. The 22-year-old defeated Carreno Busta in four sets during the second round action on the Australian Open earlier this season; It should be even more routine in New York.
Pick: Shelton in 3
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