Find out who has the edge in five key men's third-round matches on Day 6 at the US Open.

Rafael Nadal (Spain) vs. Ivan Dodig (Croatia)

Ivan Dodig is in an extremely elite class of players that can boast about not having a losing record against Rafael Nadal. Though they have only played twice, the hard-hitting Croat stunned Nadal in Montreal just over two years ago.

In that match, Dodig cracked 19 aces, shortened points with colossal forehands, and most crucially, played the big points well. He won the last two sets in tiebreaks by identical 7-5 scores.

The approach that we saw from Dodig in his Montreal victory over Nadal must be replicated if he expects to have any chance at getting through to the fourth round. Montreal is best-of-three sets, and Dodig’s commitment and execution of highly offensive tennis cannot endure any let ups in the best-of-five format.

I would not anticipate anything too special from Nadal. He knows that his opponent can cause him trouble, but he usually defeats such journeymen with ease. Considering Nadal’s superb form as of late, this match should be lights out in under two hours.

Prediction: Nadal in three sets

John Isner (United States) vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany)

John Isner will be eyeing much sought-after revenge in his third-round encounter with Philipp Kohlschreiber. The German delivered John Isner his fourth and final fifth-set loss at majors in 2012, rallying from two sets to one down in a match that ended at 2:26 A. M.

Kohlschreiber does not overpower opponents, but his game has few flaws. As one of the more underrated servers on the Tour, Kohlschreiber will be looking to hold quickly and transfer the pressure back to the big man. The German also gets a lot of balls back returning and should fare well in rallies if he can find the Isner backhand consistently.

Another advantage for Kohlschreiber is that he thrives upon devising intelligent, well-developed points. Isner’s ability to maintain rallies once he is pulled away from the center of the court is quite poor,  so Kohlschreiber should seek to put Isner on a string and move him across the width of the baseline.

Isner will look to exploit this opponent’s modest stature with high-arching kick serves that put himself in offensive positions. In addition, Kohlschreiber’s backhand side should be a consistent target for the big man.

Isner’s hard court summer has been nothing short of spectacular, but Kohlschreiber has given the American tons of problems in the past. With that said, I think Isner’s serve and the support of the American crowd will prove too much for the German to fight off.

Prediction: Isner in four sets

Jack Sock (United States) vs. Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia)

Coming into the US Open, Jack Sock had won seven ATP matches in 2013 and one match at a major. Tipsarevic, who won 57 matches in 2012, had only won 15 matches coming into the US Open and only five matches at majors.

2013 has not been a year to remember for either player, but this third-round encounter gives each of them a fantastic opportunity to reach the second week of a major.  For Tipsarevic, this match is especially important because he has quarterfinal points to defend from 2012.

If Tipsarevic is able to drag Sock into long, grinding baseline rallies, the young American’s mechanics are more likely to break down, especially on the backhand side. Sock’s forehand contains many moving parts, and his inconsistent backhand is hindered by an unorthodox grip and his tendency to push the racket flat into the ball.

Tipsarevic knows that Sock loves running around the backhand, so the Serb will integrate cross-court patterns as much as possible. Those patterns should induce Sock into overly risky forehands and open up Tipsarevic’s excellent backhand down the line.

This is by far the biggest match of Jack Sock’s career and it is unclear that he is totally ready for the moment.

Prediction: Tipsarevic in four sets

Milos Raonic (Canada) vs. Feliciano Lopez (Spain)

In a battle of big servers, there is little history to forecast how this match will pan out. What is likely here is lots of aces, poor returning, and maybe a few tiebreaks.

The only time that these two squared off was in 2011 when Lopez took out the Canadian at the Madrid Masters 1000 tournament in three sets.

Raonic is arguably the best server on the planet right now, but Feliciano Lopez is no lightweight off the serve either. The Spaniard’s effectiveness serving should be accentuated by the fact that Raonic is one of the worst returners on tour.

Lopez and Raonic are both unimpressive movers, and both possess poor backhands. Off the forehand side, both men strike the ball very well, but the Spaniard is much more versatile in the sense that he can add spin or drive straight through the ball whereas Raonic is exclusively a flat ball hitter.

In what promises to be an extremely tight match, Lopez’s greater versatility should pay dividends and score the upset.

Prediction: Lopez in five sets

Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) vs. Richard Gasquet (France)

Earlier this week, I tweeted that Dmitry Tursunov, seeded 32nd, has a wonderful opportunity to make the semifinals. Tursunov’s spectacular summer included a semifinal run in Washington D. C. and quarterfinal appearances in Cincinnati and Winston-Salem. As a result of those achievements, Tursunov is not only seeded but was luckily placed in the least demanding section of the draw, the Gasquet-Ferrer quarter.

Always talented but always questionable at majors, Richard Gasquet will have his hands full. Tursunov won their last meeting and owns a 5-2 record against Gasquet. 

The last time these two met was in 2010, and the head-to-head is not as surprising as it looks. Gasquet prefers to camp far behind the baseline and carefully choose his opportunities to be aggressive, whereas Tursunov constantly aims to be aggressive. He can exploit Gasquet’s defensive postures with hard, sharp cross court shots.

The Frenchman’s defensive positioning will force Tursunov to play that extra shot, but if the Russian can find his range, Gasquet’s movement and retrieving skills may prove futile.

For me, all signs in this match point to a big upset for Tursunov.

Prediction: Tursunov in four sets