Djokovic, Nadal Match-Up Looms At US Open
Djokovic, Nadal Match-Up Looms At US Open
Murray could face Nishikori in last eight
Novak Djokovic could have a tricky start to defending his US Open championship, and it won’t get any easier later for the Serbian in New York, where main draw play starts on Monday.
The top seed and two-time champion (2011, 2015) will open against former World No. 14 and 2013 Wimbledon semi-finalist Jerzy Janowicz. In the second round, Djokovic could face one of the five players to gain a win against him this season: Czech Jiri Vesely, who beat Djokovic in the second round at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in April.
From there, the Belgrade native could meet 28th seed Martin Klizan for the third time. Djokovic beat the Slovakian twice on hard courts last season.
If the seeds maintain, Frenchman Richard Gasquet, 13th seed, or 20th seed John Isner could challenge the Serbian in the fourth round. But both players have enticing first-round contests: Isner plays American wild card Frances Tiafoe; Gasquet meets #NextGen star Kyle Edmund of Britain. Another all-American, first-round clash will take place in the same quarter when 26th seed Jack Sock meets #NextGen star Taylor Fritz.
Read More: Roddick, Blake, Courier Optimistic About American Prospects
Croatian Marin Cilic, 2014 US Open champion, could meet Djokovic in the quarter-finals. Seventh seed Cilic heads to New York playing some of his best tennis since he captured his first Grand Slam championship two years ago. The 6’6” right-hander beat Andy Murray last week in Cincinnati to take his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.
In the semi-finals, fans could see the 50th installment of Djokovic v. Rafael Nadal. The 29-year-old right-hander has won their past seven encounters.
Fourth seed Nadal debuts against Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin and could face Frenchman Stephane Robert or Italian Andreas Seppi in the second round. The Spaniard’s first seeded opponent could be countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas, the 31st seed, in the third round. Another Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, the 15th seed, or 24th seed Lucas Pouille of France might meet Nadal in the fourth round.
Tenth seed Gael Monfils or fifth seed Milos Raonic could battle Nadal in the last eight. Both Monfils and Raonic open against hard-charging, big servers: Monfils plays Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller; Raonic plays Germany’s Dustin Brown.
On the other half of the draw, second seed Andy Murray, 2012 US Open champion, opens against the Czech Lukas Rosol and could meet Spaniard Marcel Granollers or Argentine Juan Monaco in the second round.
The Brit’s first seeded opponent could be 30th seed Gilles Simon in the third round. Murray leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 14-2. Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, 16th seed, or 22nd seed Grigor Dimitrov might meet Murray in the fourth round. This year’s Emirates US Open Series champion Kei Nishikori could greet Murray in the last eight.
Read More: Nishikori Claims Bonus Challenge
Awaiting Murray in the semi-finals could be third seed Stan Wawrinka, but the Swiss will have to fight past a difficult early stretch. He opens against World No. 47 Fernando Verdasco, who beat Wawrinka on grass at the Aegon Championships in June. American Denis Kudla or a qualifier will await in the second round, and Wawrinka might have to face #NextGen star Alexander Zverev in the third round. Aussie Nick Kyrgios, the 14th seed, or 17th seed Bernard Tomic could await in the fourth round. If the seeds play out, eighth seed Dominic Thiem would be Wawrinka’s quarter-final opponent.
Juan Martin del Potro, 2009 US Open champion, returns to New York by wild card and debuts against fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman. Del Potro could meet 19th seed and top American Steve Johnson in the second round. Spanish veteran David Ferrer, the 11th seed, could await in the third round before del Potro might face Thiem in the Round of 16.