Jesper De Jong vs Francesco Passaro Prediction U.S. Open - New York · Sep 1, 2026

Analysis

This is a first-round meeting between two players cut from similar cloth: both are grinders who built their games on clay and the Challenger circuit, and both arrive in New York needing a fast start on hard courts. The only data point supplied is De Jong's warm-up loss on 24 August to Adam Walton, a 0-2 defeat that suggests his hard-court timing was not yet dialled in coming into the tournament. Passaro's recent form and any prior meetings between the pair were not provided, so this read leans on style and surface fit rather than numbers. De Jong's flatter, more compact ball-striking and his willingness to redirect from the baseline travel a little better to a quick US Open court than Passaro's heavier, more topspin-dependent pattern, which is why he edges the two-way market. But the margin is thin, both men are stubborn defenders who extend rallies, and best-of-five gives the trailing player plenty of room to find a way back. A long, physical match with sets traded in both directions is the most likely shape.