One of the great entertainers in tennis will begin his quest to qualify for the main draw of the 2023 US Open on Wednesday.

Fabio Fognini, the former World No. 9 known as much for his on-court antics as his tennis, is a -150 favorite over 17-year-old Jakub Mensik in what could be the most interesting match of the day. 

It could also be one of, if not the last times that Fognini plays a match in Flushing.

This match may just be a qualifier, but there’s potential for it to be box office with Fognini on the court. 

This is a showdown between two players at opposite ends of their career.

While Mensik has never played an ATP main draw match, Fognini has been a mainstay on the circuit for nearly two decades.

The 36-year-old really cracked the big leagues back in 2007 and, while he’s spending a lot of time on the Challenger Tour these days, he was a force to be reckoned with in his salad days.

Fognini has never made it beyond the quarterfinals at any Grand Slam, but he did win a Masters 1000 title at Monte Carlo back in 2019. 

Fognini has always done his best work on clay and this will be his first match off the dirt since March, but he’s been around the block enough times that the adjustment to a new surface shouldn’t be a huge deal.

I trust that Fognini can adapt, while I can’t make the same assumption for Mensik.

After a terrific junior career, Mensik has cracked the top-200 and won a Challenger Title before turning 18. Not too shabby for the native of Czechia.

But now Mensik will try to qualify for his first grand slam and his draw is unkind.

Fognini may be well beyond his prime, but he’s a tough opponent to gameplan for because he’s unpredictable.

The Italian is never afraid to go off-script with his shot selection and that could cause problems for a young player.

Perhaps Mensik is used to Fognini’s tricks since these two met a month ago — one-sided win for the Italian — but I’d suggest it takes more than one match to get used to a player like Fognini.

There are times when you can question whether Fognini’s head will be in a contest.

He’s mercurial and emotional on the court, but given that this could be his swan song at one of the iconic venues in tennis, I’d imagine he should be up for this match.

And while Mensik is going to have advantages in terms of athleticism and raw talent at this point in his career, Fognini has a huge edge in terms of experience and he should be able to rely on that to get through this match.