US Open Day 5 Men’s Predictions Including Tommy Paul vs Nuno Borges

The second round of the 2025 US Open continues on Day 5 with many scintillating matchups. No. 14 seed Tommy Paul looks to make another run in New York as he squares off against Nuno Borges in Round 2. Elsewhere across the grounds, we have previews and predictions for Jannik Sinner vs Alexei Popyrin, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Daniel Altmaier, and Alexander Zverev vs Jacob Fearnley. Ateet Shrivastava, Damian Kust, and Shane Black offer their insights. But who will advance?

US Open Day 5 Men’s Predictions

Jack Draper vs Zizou Bergs

Editor’s note: Jack Draper was forced to withdraw from the men’s singles event due to injury. Zizou Bergs progresses to the third round by walkover. We’ve included our insights on the would-be match.

Ateet
Last year’s semifinalist, Jack Draper, was pushed a lot by Federico Agustin Gomez in the first round, but Draper ended the match playing some great tennis and will look to continue that in the second round. Zizou Bergs had an easy first-round win where he looked in good touch. However, going toe-to-toe with Draper for an entire match will be extremely tough for the Belgian.
Prediction: Draper in 4

Damian
Gomez produced an inspired effort to push Draper to four sets in the opening round and the Brit was running low on steam at points. That’s probably something he can improve with more match practice after the break he took post Wimbledon, but he’ll need to sort it out quickly. Bergs will probably lack a bit of weight of shot to get through him.
Prediction: Draper in 4

Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Roman Safiullin

Ateet
Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated an inspired Billy Harris in the first round to get his first US Open win since 2022. It was a straight-sets win, but it could have easily gone four if Harris had converted on the opportunities he got in the second set. The Canadian played the big points well and had a good performance at the net. He has the advantage against Roman Safiullin, but needs to hit his backhand well.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 4

Damian
Auger-Aliassime can make these early Slam matches difficult for himself, and Safiullin is an improvement on his previous opponent, Harris. But I’m not sure the Russian is playing well enough at the moment to be that much of a threat. He’s so aggressive, and the level is probably fluctuating too much for him to manage a four or five-set win here.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 4

Shane
Auger-Aliassime has the top-end level to compete with the world’s best, but he is also susceptible to dips in level. Safiullin has struggled mightily this season. In fact, he has not won back-to-back matches at the ATP level since Miami. However, something tells me he is going to play the Canadian tough.
Prediction: Safiullin in 5

Francisco Cerundolo vs Leandro Riedi

Ateet
Francisco Cerundolo made the craziest comeback of the first round as he was down two sets and a break to Matteo Arnaldi. He will cherish the comeback, but needs to improve his level to go further in the tournament.
Prediction: Riedi in 4

Damian
Cerundolo looked down and out against Arnaldi, before suddenly producing the comeback from two sets behind. It should be a confidence boost, but it doesn’t mean he’s suddenly not vulnerable anymore. If Riedi can execute on as high a level as in the opening round, he’s gonna be in with a chance here.
Prediction: Riedi in 5

Shane
Cerundolo did well to survive the first-round upset scare. I think that five-set victory will propel him forward, potentially into the second week of the US Open. Riedi has not dropped a set in four matches in New York, but I struggle to see him produce the top-end level to pierce someone as consistent as Cerundolo.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 4

Tommy Paul vs Nuno Borges

Ateet
Tommy Paul looked good in his first-round match, and if he can continue playing at that level, he will win this match. Borges will make it hard with his consistency, but Paul is the better player on this surface and has the crowd advantage to go with it.
Prediction: Paul in 4

Damian
Paul’s fitness has looked questionable over the summer, but Moller on hard courts just wasn’t an opponent that had any chance of testing it. We should know more about how the American is doing soon. It seems like, even a little out of rhythm, he should probably be able to survive Borges and keep going.
Prediction: Paul in 4

Shane
I am one of Tommy Paul’s biggest supporters, but his injury at Wimbledon and lack of US Open lead-up has me concerned about his chances in New York. Borges is not someone you want to play when you are not feeling your best. The 28-year-old has reached the third round in every Slam this season, and I expect that to continue with an upset over the American.
Prediction: Borges in 4