Britain's Jacob Fearnley is aiming to reach the third round of the US Open for the first time but standing in his way is 27th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Fearnley looked like he was going to miss the final Grand Slam of the year altogether after losing from a set up in the final round of qualifying to Jurij Rodionov, but he was handed a reprieve as a lucky loser.
The 25-year-old seized that opportunity with both hands as he battled back to win his first-round match against Martin Landaluce in five sets to reach the second round at Flushing Meadows for the second year in a row.
Next up for Fearnley is Wednesday’s clash with the talented Argentine Etcheverry, who overturned some poor form leading into this year's US Open to claim a commanding straight sets victory over Vit Kopriva in the first round, dropping only seven games along the way.
This will be the first meeting between these two players on the ATP Tour and the winner will go on to face either former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini or Etcheverry's fellow Argentine Mariano Navone in the third round.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry v Jacob Fearnley Tips Summary
Best Bet - Tomas Martin Etcheverry to win & over 38.5 games @ 5/2
Alternative Bet - Jacob Fearnley 12+ double faults @ 5/6
Bet Builder - Tomas Martin Etcheverry to win, Tomas Martin Etcheverry 10+ aces, Jacob Fearnley to win a set & Over 6.5 breaks of serve @ 21/5
Tomas Martin Etcheverry v Jacob Fearnley Prediction
Best Bet: Tomas Martin Etcheverry to win & over 38.5 games @ 5/2
Fearnley must feel like a cat with nine lives heading into this second-round clash, as not only was he handed a lucky loser spot after being defeated in qualifying, but he was forced to stage a stunning comeback to beat Spaniard Landaluce in the first round.
Trailing 2-1 in sets and down 5-2 in the fourth, Fearnley proceeded to win 10 of the next 11 games to book his place in the second round, matching his achievements in New York from last season.
In total, Fearnley’s first-round match featured a mammoth 49 games and he may be involved in another lengthy contest when he takes on Etcheverry.
World number 32 Etcheverry arrived in New York off the back of a dreadful run of form that saw him lose his opening matches at the Washington Open, Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open without picking up a single set.
The 27-year-old also lost in the opening round on his last two Grand Slam appearances at Wimbledon and the French Open, but he ripped up the formbook in his opener at Flushing Meadows, disposing of world number 69 Kopriva 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.
It is worth noting that Kopriva had never been beyond the first round of the US Open so it is difficult to judge how much the victory was about Etcheverry returning to form and how much was down to a favourable draw.
The Argentine is sure to be pushed harder by Fearnley and this one could well go to five sets - increasing the likelihood of over 38.5 games being contested - but it is Etcheverry that is favoured to ultimately come out on top.
Alternative Bet: Jacob Fearnley 12+ double faults @ 5/6
Fearnley came through his first-round match against Landaluce despite getting only 57% of his first serves into play.
That unsurprisingly led to the Brit producing more than his fair share of double faults, as his total of 16 was three more than his opponent and double what he managed to serve up in aces (eight).
With this clash with Etcheverry also expected to go into a fourth or even fifth set, the likelihood of Fearnley serving up at least another dozen double faults appears high, especially if his first-serve percentage remains low.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry v Jacob Fearnley Bet Builder Tip
Tomas Martin Etcheverry to win
Tomas Martin Etcheverry 10+ aces
Jacob Fearnley to win a set
Over 6.5 breaks of serve
Pays 21/5
Etcheverry is ranked 69 places above Fearnley in the world and if he can match the levels he produced against Kopriva in round one, he should be able to come through, although the Brit is fancied to take a set.
In his victory over Kopriva, Etcheverry produced 10 aces in just three sets, so with this match expected to go to a fourth or even a fifth set, the Argentine should be able to more than match that total.
A lengthy match also increases the likelihood for plenty of breaks of serve and despite being dominant against Kopriva, Etcheverry was still broken twice during that first-round contest.
Fearnley, meanwhile, was broken seven times on his own in his five-set success over Landaluce in round one.
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Key Match Stats
Tomas Martin Etcheverry is bidding to make it through to the third round of the US Open for the second time
Jacob Fearnley is into the US Open second round for the second time but he has never been beyond this stage
A win would see Fearnley reach the third round of a Grand Slam for a third time, matching his efforts at the Australian and French Opens in 2025
Etcheverry's best Grand Slam performance came when he reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2023
This will be the first meeting between these two players at ATP Tour level
Etcheverry dropped just seven games during his first-round victory over Vit Kopriva
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
