This edition of US Open Fast Forward previews the second-round matches scheduled for Day 4.  Since rain plagued Day 3, however, remember to check out the Fast Forward for Day 3 to catch previews of several matches rescheduled for Thursday. 

Flavia Pennetta vs. Sara Errani:  An all-Italian clash always promises the unpredictable and the entertaining. Take for an example Pennetta’s match against Francesca Schiavone in Carlsbad this summer, during which neither woman held serve en route to a first-set tiebreak.  The flair and passion of the Italians diverges from the more mechanical approach followed by much of the WTA.  Errani recorded the first double bagel of her career in the first round, while Pennetta lost just two games, but both faced opponents much less experienced and accomplished than each other.

Roberto Bautista Agut vs. David Ferrer:  These two Spaniards meet for the second straight major in a sequel to a four-setter at Wimbledon.  Only the more devoted tennis fans have heard of Bautista Agut, who started 2013 by upsetting Tomas Berdych en route to the final at a small tournament in India.  He has accomplished little on hard courts since then, losing to opponents like Marc Gicquel, Wayne Odesnik, and Ricardas Berankis.  And yet Ferrer too has struggled on hard courts for much of this year, outside a Miami runner-up showing.  His section looks very soft, but can he take advantage?

John Isner vs. Gael Monfils:  This match could rank among the highlights of the entire first week—or completely flop.  Which it becomes lies almost entirely in the hands of Monfils, an acrobatic French showman whose form and effort fluctuate from one tournament, match, or even set to the next.  We know what to expect from Isner:  a monochromatic but patient and professional serving display, buttressed by his confidence from reaching the Cincinnati final.  We cannot guess what to expect from Monfils, who reached his second final of 2013 at Winston-Salem last week but retired from that match as his injury woes persisted.  The two men sum up the contrasts between their national cultures in their personalities and playing styles, which makes this match a fine illustration of the sport’s diversity.

Bernard Tomic vs. Daniel Evans:  The greatest surprise in the first round of the men’s draw came from Evans, a British journeyman more familiar with challengers than majors.  He had reached consecutive finals at that lower level of competition before shocking No. 11 seed Kei Nishikori in straight sets.  The future of Australian men’s tennis, if he can put off-court distractions behind him, Tomic toiled through an arduous five-setter in the first round.  He enters the second round as the heavy favorite with all of the pressure on him, not always a position in which he has excelled.  But Evans must ward off complacency in the wake of his breakthrough. 

Feliciano Lopez vs. Bradley Klahn:  A native of Southern California, Klahn hung tough through four sets and three tiebreaks against Kenny de Schepper, who had reached the second week at Wimbledon.  He won the Aptos challenger earlier this month and has room to advance in a workable section of the draw.  Famously dubbed “Deliciano” by Judy Murray, Spanish lefty Lopez brings a vintage serve-volley style that Klahn will not have seen often when facing his peers.  That style works especially well on these fast courts, although Lopez has earned his best results on grass.  A bounceback campaign in 2013 has included two finals, one in the United States.

Alison Riske vs. Mona Barthel:  Until recently, most observers identified Riske as a grass-court specialist with an affinity for the Birmingham event.  The young American started to expand her area of expertise by winning sets from Sorana Cirstea and Petra Kvitova before a comfortable victory over Tsvetana Pironkova in New York.  Riske hopes to continue an encouraging US Open for American women against an opponent with a similarly rough-hewn power.  For her part, Barthel hopes to improve the mixed results for German women at a tournament where Andrea Petkovic and Julia Goerges have fallen.

Daniela Hantuchova vs. Victoria Duval:  A wide-open section has lost its two leading seeds in Samantha Stosur and Nadia Petrova, so opportunity knocks for the winner here.  Duval dispatched the former in the tournament’s most stunning upset so far, and she faces the task of settling back into her routine after the euphoria.  The elegant Hantuchova will test the youngster’s questionable mobility more than Stosur did, stretching the court with sharply angled groundstrokes.  But the real battle here lies between the ears, with a raw 17-year-old confronting one of the WTA’s more mentally fallible veterans. 

Ivan Dodig vs. Nikolay Davydenko:  A former semifinalist at the US Open, Davydenko stands several years past his prime in 2008-10.  He is the only man who holds a winning record against Rafael Nadal after dueling with the Mallorcan bull 10 times or more, and he will get another crack at Nadal if he wins on Thursday.  For his part, Dodig has won his only hard-court meeting with Nadal.  He has developed a fondness for fifth sets this year, going the distance at least once in each major.  In the latest of those epics, Dodig upset Wimbledon quarterfinalist Fernando Verdasco here.  Both men will slap down-the-line groundstrokes with reckless abandon, hope, and a prayer.

Lucie Safarova vs. Roberta Vinci:  One of several volatile Czech lefties, Safarova entered this tournament on a four-match losing streak late in a disappointing season.  She survived a three rollercoaster sets in the first round, often the most difficult hurdle for her to cross.  A contrast of styles awaits against Vinci, a quarterfinalist at last year’s US Open who has knocked on the door of the top 10.  The pair played a tense Fed Cup match on clay this spring, which Vinci won, but she will find Safarova much more dangerous on these fast courts.

Donna Vekic vs. Simona Halep:  Another very talented and very flappable blonde, the 17-year-old Vekic turned some heads during the grass season when she reached the Birmingham final.  She has not yet defeated a champion among the WTA elite, yet she has recorded several victories against her leading peers. That trend bodes well for the future, as would a debut in the third round of a major.  Both of these women played uneven tennis in the first two sets of their openers before finishing impressively.  Halep has reached the third round of a major just once despite recent exploits at non-majors.