US Open: Dan Evans vs. Alexei Popyrin 9/3/21 Tennis Prediction

Dan Evans (24) of Great Britain will face young Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the Third Round of the 2021 US Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Friday September 3rd, 2021 at 12:30pm EST.

A close match is expected here between Dan Evans and Alexei Popyin with a spot in the Round of 16 at the US Open up for grabs. The two men play very different game styles and are very evenly matched. Will it be the talented youngster Popyrin causing the upset? Or will the reliable veteran use his steady style to frustrate his opponent, and advance to the Round of 16?

Dan Evans is the 24th seed here at the 2021 US Open and is currently ranked #27 on the ATP Tour. He has been solid this year, and has had some consistently good results. The Brit has had a slow start to his 2021 US Open campaign, needing four sets in both of his matches so far, defeating Thiago Monteiro and Marcos Giron in unconvincing fashion. He has a very unique style and uses a lot of variety to frustrate his opponents to very good effect. He is the favorite here against the young Aussie Alexei Popyrin but will have to be careful here as his opponent has some serious power and can catch fire at any moment.

Alexei Popyrin is unseeded here at the 2021 US Open and is ranked #73. He has long been considered a star in the making and really is a special talent. However, he has largely failed to translate that talent into consistent success and mixes some fantastic performances in with some terrible ones. He won his first ATP title in Singapore this year and has started strongly here at the US Open, defeating Radu Albot before stunning Grigor Dimitrov in the Second Round. He is the underdog here against Dan Evans but if things are clicking for him he could have a chance. His serve and forehand are big enough to dominate the Brit but the fear is that he will commit so many errors due to Evan’s unconventional style to have much of a chance.

I expect this to be a very competitive match, but it is hard to look past Dan Evans for the win here. Popyrin has more upside but you cannot ignore the experience of the Brit, and his slice and net rushing are sure to unsettle his young opponent. Popyrin is good enough to keep it very close but I don’t think he can sustain a high enough level to win this match over five sets. Evans to win and advance to the Round of 16 here at the 2021 US Open.