On Thursday, August 29, Tommy Paul will look to secure his spot in the third round of the 2024 US Open. Paul is coming off a four-set win over Lorenzo Sonego, a match he should have won in straights. The American thoroughly dominated the Italian, but he lost his focus a bit in the third set. Paul will now take on Max Purcell, who earned a 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 win over Aleksandar Vukic in the opening round. And while I do think Paul will end up winning this match, I like the Australian to get on the board with a set. And the price for that is right.
These two have never squared off, but Purcell can be a difficult challenger. He has a massive serve and he regularly hits his spots. He also has serve-and-volley mindset. Once he uses his serve to get you out of position, he’s coming to the net to finish the point off. Paul is very good at using his elite athleticism to get serves back. However, I think Purcell will have a little success in coming up and putting those returns away.