The US Open begins on Monday and the tournament looks wide open on both the Men's and Women's side of the draws.
That feeling is backed up by the surprising names that have won the big titles in Canada and Cincinnati this past month and I do think we could have another in New York City over the next fortnight. In recent years, the US Open has been the hardest Grand Slam to predict with it being played eight months into a long season on the Tour and I do think that has to be noted.
No Novak Djokovic is a blow to the tournament, but defending Champions Daniil Medvedev and Emma Raducanu will be in action. In fact, the Men's tournament has three defending Champions in action in Medvedev, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem as all play for the first time in New York City since lifting the US Open title.
Daniil Medvedev - 9.5 games v Stefan Kozlov: The defending Champion has arguably not been the same threat on the hard courts since blowing the Australian Open Final against Rafael Nadal. He will still be considered one of the favourites to win the title when the US Open gets underway on Monday, but Daniil Medvedev will know he will have to be better than what we have largely seen in the build towards New York City.
An early loss at the Canadian Masters was followed by a disappointing defeat in the Semi Final in Cincinnati, but Daniil Medvedev did win the title in Los Cabos.
The First Round should be a relatively serene moment for most of the top players in the draw and Daniil Medvedev will be a strong favourite to not only move through, but to do so without dropping a set.
He will be facing a home hope in Stefan Kozlov who has not really pushed on as a professional in the manner he would have hoped. At 24 years old, Stefan Kozlov has yet to crack the top 100 in the World Rankings and the numbers being produced on the hard courts suggest it would be an almost historic upset if he was to beat the defending Champion in the First Round.
The return of serve can be a strength for Stefan Kozlov, but his own serve has not been as effective as he would have liked and I do think he will be put under pressure by Daniil Medvedev and his ability to get balls in play and nullify rallies before turning into the offensive player.
With a much superior serve, Daniil Medvedev could have plenty of freedom to attack the Stefan Kozlov serve and I think that will help the World Number 1 win the match and by a comfortable margin on the scoreboard. In his run to the title here last season, Daniil Medvedev made easy work of his early opponents and I do think the defending Champion can lay a marker down early at the US Open in 2022.
Roberto Bautista Agut - 5.5 games v JJ Wolf: As a player that is pretty happy on the hard courts and who has reached the Quarter Final at the Australian Open, it is perhaps a surprise to note that Roberto Bautista Agut has not made it to the second week at the US Open since 2015.
He looks to have an opportunity to have a good run in 2022, especially after putting some decent efforts together at the Canadian and Cincinnati Masters. However, at 34 years old, Roberto Bautista Agut may have had his best days even if he is still a top 20 Ranked player.
Matches like this one should still be very winnable for Roberto Bautista Agut, although he is going to have to deal with the home crowd who will be firmly in JJ Wolf's corner. The young American has reached a career best World Ranking this month, but three straight losses on the hard courts is far from ideal for a player that is making his second appearance in the main draw at his home Grand Slam.
On his first appearance in 2020, JJ Wolf did reach the Third Round, but the crowds will feel much different in 2022 as the US Open is once again played in front of full capacity crowds. That brings a different pressure on those on the courts and I do think JJ Wolf will find it tough against someone as experienced as Roberto Bautista Agut.
Both have produced similar kinds of numbers behind the serve, but Roberto Bautista Agut has had the edge when it comes to the returning side of his tennis and that was also the case when these two met in Indian Wells earlier this season.
The match lasted well over three hours and was relatively tight on the scoreboard, but Roberto Bautista Agut created 18 break points on the day compared with JJ Wolf's 8. The Spaniard was simply not as efficient with the big points, but he did win 10% more points behind serve and it won't take a lot for those numbers to lead to a much wider win.
With a bit more confidence behind him having put some wins on the board over this summer series, I do think Roberto Bautista Agut will break down the JJ Wolf game and he can cover this big mark on his way through to the Second Round.
MY PICKS: Daniil Medvedev - 9.5 Games @ 1.61 Bet365 (2 Units)
Roberto Bautista Agut - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Pablo Carreno Busta - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Alex De Minaur - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Emil Ruusuvuori @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Francisco Cerundolo @ 2.20 Bet365 (2 Units)
Tommy Paul - 7.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Serena Williams - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Daria Kasatkina - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
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