The final Grand Slam of the season has joined the Australian Open and French Open by pushing Day 1 forward into a Sunday start and there are some big stars heading out onto the courts at Flushing Meadows.
The Men's tournament is going to be dominated by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz if the last few months is anything to go by- they had a premature ending to the Final at Cincinnati last week, but Sinner should be over his illness and not many would back against the top two players in the world facing off in a third Grand Slam Final in succession.
Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev look to be the biggest threats to the top two players, but the US Open has regularly thrown up plenty of upsets and that is what some people will be hoping.
For the home fans the focus will be on Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz and both of those players should really enjoy the conditions in New York City.
The women's events continue to look wide open, although Iga Swiatek has pushed her claims forward following the win at the Cincinnati Masters.
After a poor start to the seas, at least by her own standards, Swiatek winning Wimbledon has just raised the confidence and she is a former winner here in New York City.
There are plenty of other players who will be confident of success, including defending Champion Aryna Sabalenka, but the World Number 1 has not found her best tennis when it has mattered most in the Grand Slams in 2025.
Madison Keys was a surprising winner in Melbourne and Coco Gauff got over the line in Paris, while Amanda Anisimova vs Iga Swiatek would not have been on too many tip sheets as the Wimbledon Final, and this could be the draw that sees plenty of upsets, which opens up the bracket for some new names to reach the business end of the tournament.
Novak Djokovic - 6.5 games v Learner Tien: At this stage of his career, Novak Djokovic is only preparing himself to be at his best when the Grand Slam tournaments come around. With that in mind, it is perhaps no surprise that the former World Number 1 has not been in action since his defeat in the Wimbledon Semi Final.
He has actually been beaten in the Semi Final in each of the Grand Slams played this season and Novak Djokovic has admitted that sliding to World Number 7 in the Rankings makes it very hard for his 38 year old body to navigate the latter stages of a Major. Now he has to likely beat both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to get his hands on another big trophy, and Novak Djokovic looks to be in the tougher half of the draw overall at the US Open in 2025.
However, the 2023 US Open is the last Grand Slam won by Novak Djokovic and he has been Champion in New York City on four occasions and reached the Final here ten times.
It is clear to Novak Djokovic and his team that he needs to find a way to make 'easier' work of the early Rounds at these Slams if he is going to have the energy to compete with young, hungry, talented players at the business end of the tournaments.
Novak Djokovic dropped three sets in five matches at Wimbledon before the loss to Sinner and that extra time on the court can be an issue. He will be hoping for a smoother start to this event and Djokovic remains one of the top hard court players in the world, while he did beat Carlos Alcaraz in the Quarter Final at the Australian Open to show it can be done.
The New York City crowd have had a history of getting under the skin of players and Novak Djokovic may have to find a way to keep them quiet when going up against Learner Tien of the United States under the lights.
Learner Tien is an improving player on the Tour and has cracked the top 50 of the World Rankings for the first time, although he would have hoped for a more comfortable opening match. He has lost in the First Round in each of the last three seasons at the US Open, but Learner Tien announced himself on the Tour by coming through the Qualifiers and reaching the Fourth Round at the Australian Open In January.
That included an upset win over Daniil Medvedev, although Learner Tien is still trying to figure out how to compete against the top players consistently.
While Novak Djokovic has been resting and preparing, Learner Tien has put up plenty of wins in his time in Washington, Toronto and Cincinnati. An upset over Andrey Rublev in Washington deserves respect, although the Russian earned revenge in Cincinnati, and it should be noted that Learner Tien is 7-9 on the hard courts when facing higher Ranked players.
Three of those wins were at the Australian Open and this is going to be a tough test for the teenager.
The performances in the defeats to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Alex Michelsen and Andrey Rublev in the build up to the US Open have been pretty one-sided on the scoreboard and the feeling is that this could trend that way too. It may take Novak Djokovic a bit of time to get used to the serve and the style, but the veteran has seen it all on the Tour and his returning skills should come to the fore, even on the traditionally quicker US Open hard courts.
Novak Djokovic is trying to work out how to beat the top two players in the world consistently, but he is still very good and can ease through the opening Round after a competitive first set is played.
Taylor Fritz to Win 3-0 v Emilio Nava: Reaching the US Open Final in 2024 will have given Taylor Fritz a lot of belief in his capabilities and the World Number 4 is going to arrive in New York City with a lot of confidence.
He reached the Wimbledon Semi Final last month and Taylor Fritz has enjoyed the tournaments back on the hard courts in the build up to the US Open. The only disappointment may be that Fritz has not picked up a title having reached the Quarter Final in Washington and Semi Final in Toronto, but the tennis under the legs could be important when playing at the final Grand Slam of the season.
It is no surprise that Taylor Fritz is a consistent player on the hard courts considering his World Ranking and having grown up on the surface.
His serve is a big weapon and that is going to be the key to whether Taylor Fritz can go one step further than last year.
Being one of the faces of the tournament for the home fans, Taylor Fritz has been scheduled to play on Sunday when the US Open begins.
The opponent in the First Round will be familiar to Taylor Fritz and Emilio Nava will feel like he has nothing to lose.
He is heading into the tournament at a peak World Ranking just outside of the top 100, but the American underdog will have plenty of support in this one. Credit has to be given to Emilio Nava for Qualifying for both Masters events played on the hard courts this month and for winning main draw matches to push his World Ranking very close to breaking into the top 100, although the run in Cincinnati was ended by Taylor Fritz.
Earlier this season, Emilio Nava has taken sets against Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov and so he deserves plenty of respect in this opening match. The latter of those matches was in Toronto in the lead up to the US Open, although Nava was well beaten by the end, and the lower Ranked player has a serve that can be effective on the hard courts.
If he serves at his best, Emilio Nava could find a way to win a set against Taylor Fritz for the first time having lost in straight sets in Miami in March 2023 and earlier this month in Cincinnati. He will take encouragement from the fact he won 68% of the points played behind serve when taking on Taylor Fritz in Cincinnati, although the World Number 4 did find a way to break serve twice.
Taylor Fritz certainly feels like the player who can get more out of the return in this contest and that should mean he is able to win the big points when they are needed.
The US Open does have a habit of throwing up plenty of surprises, but it would be a monster upset if Taylor Fritz is beaten on Sunday.
In reality the expectation is that Taylor Fritz can probably find the breaks of serve needed to win a couple of the sets without the tie-breaker, but he can also come through one of those on his way to a straight sets win. In his last ten wins at the US Open, seven have been in straight sets, while Taylor Fritz won his opening two matches in Melbourne back in January without dropping a set too.
Considering the challenges ahead, Taylor Fritz will not want to overwork early and he can focus for long enough in each set played to secure a relatively comfortable passage into the Second Round.
McCartney Kessler - 2.5 games v Magda Linette: There are just two places between these players in the World Rankings, but that can make all of the difference and it is the reason McCartney Kessler is Seeded at the US Open and Magda Linette is not.
Both are inside the top 40 in the World Rankings and McCartney Kessler is going to need all of the support from the crowd at her home Grand Slam.
Some credit has to be given to Kessler for picking up enough Ranking points to be in her current position considering she has not really had any impact at Grand Slam level previously. She did reach the Australian Open Second Round in 2024, but the remainder of her appearances have all ended with First Round losses and that includes twice in a row in New York City.
It is going to mean having to deal with some of the pressure that comes with having multiple early losses on the record, but McCartney Kessler looks an improving player. Like many other American players of recent years that have made their way onto the Tour, Kessler has come through the University route and it has hardened her as a player, which has reaped some reward on the Tour.
A First Round match against Magda Linette is going to be a test, but this is also a tough spot for the veteran who has racked up the opening Round defeats in recent Majors. In January 2023, Magda Linette reached the Australian Open Semi Final, but in the next ten Grand Slams, eight have ended in First Round losses and Linette has not been beyond the Third Round.
Magda Linette has won one of her last six matches at the US Open and she won three and lost three of the hard court matches played in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati in the lead up to the US Open.
Over the last couple of years, the World Number 36 has been a little inconsistent on the hard courts and the numbers have dipped considerably when facing opponents Ranked inside the top 50.
It is the returning side of her tennis on the hard courts which has let Magda Linette down and that was the case when these two players met in Brisbane to open this season.
McCartney Kessler has been the superior return player overall and that is expected to be the key factor in this First Round match. The American crowd can also help her push through as she looks for a first win at the US Open, which is going to feel like a big achievement.
There is no doubt that Magda Linette is a very capable performer and she can cause problems for the home player, but McCartney Kessler can win the key points to secure a place in the next Round with a cover of this handicap mark set.
Emma Raducanu - 5.5 games v Ena Shibahara: Four years ago, Emma Raducanu shocked the tennis world by coming through the US Open Qualifiers and going on to win the title in New York City.
Her career has not really taken off as may have been expected, but there are signs that Raducanu is getting closer to her best tennis after some solid results in the preparation events.
She takes on a Qualifier on Day 1 at the US Open and Emma Raducanu is a considerable favourite against Ena Shibahara, the World Number 130 who has won three Qualifiers without dropping a set. That includes an upset of a top 100 Ranked player in those Qualifying Rounds and will give Ena Shibahara some real confidence, even if the draw is a tough one in the First Round.
Emma Raducanu will feel a touch disappointed to have not earned a Seeding, but she is not in a bad part of the draw and can open up with a strong win.
That was the case when she beat this opponent on the grass courts in 2024 and the British player has a 6-2 record on the hard courts when facing an opponent Ranked lower than herself.
In five of those victories, Emma Raducanu would have covered the handicap line where it has been set for this First Round match and she can be backed to do that in her opening match at the US Open.
MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Taylor Fritz to Win 3-0 @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)
McCartney Kessler - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Emma Raducanu - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)
2025 Season: 127-107, + 7.70 Units (285 Units Staked, + 2.70% Yield)
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