US Open 2021 preview: Djokovic chases history, Murray & Osaka play, Williams, Federer, Nadal missing
Novak Djokovic is the centre of attention as he bids to win an historic 21st Grand Slam men’s title at a US Open missing some of the big-name stars.
Novak Djokovic is the centre of attention as he bids to win an historic 21st Grand Slam men’s title at a US Open missing some of the big-name stars.
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz reiterated his intentions to add a second ATP Tour title to his resume after he dismissed American Marcos Giron in straight sets in the Winston-Salem Open quarter-finals on Thursday.
The 18-year-old advanced to his third tour-level semi-final and first on hard courts with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over the No. 65 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The one-hour, 40-minute victory booked a showdown with Mikael Ymer, following the Swede’s 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3 trumph over 13th seed Frances Tiafoe.
Alcaraz is the last seed standin and makes no secret of his desire to clinch the title. After falling in his first tour-level semi-final in Marbella (l. to Munar), he went all the way in Umag.
“I thought that I’m able to win the tournament in the first round. I think I have the game, I’m playing really, really well,” Alcaraz said. “I’m feeling really comfortable on court.”
The Spaniard fell to Ymer in the pair’s only prior ATP Head2Head meeting in the second round of this year’s Australian Open. But the teenager felt he had grown as a player in the time since and favoured his chances against the 22-year-old.
“I’m really happy to make my first ATP semi-final on hard court, really excited to play,” Alcaraz said. “I played him once in Australia. He beat me… I think I’m ready and I’m hoping to be able to get the win.
“Everybody knows he’s a great player, really tough but I’m ready for this battle. I played him in Australia but I’m more ready than I was in Australia,” he added in his on-court interview.
Alcaraz won 73 per cent of first-serve points and 70 per cent on second serves against Giron. He broke just once from six chances.
Earlier, Ymer pulled off a come-from-behind victory to improve his ATP Head2Head record against Tiafoe to 2-1. Despite having the shots to hurt his opponent throughout, Tiafoe was unable to inflict any doubt on the Swede, who refused to be fazed.
The American lost the rhythm and patience he displayed in the opening set as increasingly overplayed in the final set. Ymer fended off five break points in the opening game of the third set alone.
“I feel good. It’s fun playing a tournament again after a couple of weeks off training in Stockholm,” Ymer said. “I think it was important today to stay composed. Frances is obviously very talented and can come up with great shots and good variety in his game. Staying composed and just waiting for an opening was a very important task today.”
Paolo Lorenzi, the 39-year-old Italian known among his peers for his tireless work ethic and friendly demeanour, played his final match on Thursday in the second round of US Open qualifying. Frenchman Maxime Janvier eliminated the veteran 6-4, 6-3.
“No more professional tennis. That’s what I was thinking, to finish in New York. I’ve always loved New York, so I think it’s a good place to stop,” Lorenzi told ATPTour.com. “Everything was more difficult and I had a few injuries at the beginning of the year, so I knew that my body was not like before anymore. You have to know when it’s time to finish.”
The final game of the match was fitting for Lorenzi, who saved three match points and earned a break point to get back on serve before bowing out. Afterwards, Lorenzi spent about two hours chatting with a few friends who were in attendance just a few strides from the court.
“I would like to finish every match trying every chance, every moment in the match to try my best,” Lorenzi said. “I hope that this is a good memory.”
Paolo Lorenzi takes a picture with his friends after his first-round qualifying match at the US Open.
The US Open was a special tournament for Lorenzi, who is now a Florida resident. The Italian lost his first 13 major main draw matches before winning one at Flushing Meadows in 2014. His three best Slam results came in New York, where he made the fourth round in 2017 and the third round on two more occasions.
“Every time I’m here, I’m happy, so that’s why I chose New York [to retire],” Lorenzi said. “It’s strange. Of course I know that one part of my life is finished, for sure the best part. I was lucky. My passion was my work, so I cannot ask for anything more than that.
“But I’m also happy because I was trying my best. From when I was young, I was trying to be a professional tennis player. I made it.”
Lorenzi did not break into the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings until he was 27. But in 2016 at age 34, the Rome native became the oldest first-time singles champion in ATP Tour history (since 1990) when he triumphed in Kitzbühel.
One year later, Lorenzi climbed to a career-high World No. 33. He also won 421 ATP Challenger Tour matches and 21 titles at that level, good for second and third, respectively, on each all-time list.
Lorenzi is not positive what is next, but he plans to remain in tennis. The Italian worked for Sky Italia during Wimbledon, where he interviewed the likes of Roger Federer, and is set to work in a similar capacity this November in Turin at the Nitto ATP Finals. He also is considering coaching in the future.
“[I want to] share my passion with all the other people. I hope it’s going to work,” Lorenzi said. “I was trying to be focused until New York, because my goal was to try to play my best tennis. From now on I will try to do something else.”
Lorenzi thanked his wife, Elisa, and the rest of his family for all their support. He also shared his gratitude for the fans, who backed him throughout his lengthy career.
Lorenzi admitted that if there was one thing that he was sad about Thursday, it was that he hoped to qualify for the main draw to have one more opportunity to play in front of spectators. There are no fans in attendance for US Open qualifying this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would like them to remember me as a player who was trying his best every time on court and was fighting until the end,” Lorenzi said. “This was the best journey of my life. I really enjoyed every moment. Every time I was on court, it was a dream that came true.”
#NextGenATP player Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune’s winning streak is up to 12 matches following a straight-sets triumph over Mitchell Krueger in the second round of US Open qualifying on Thursday.
The Danish 18-year-old, who won back-to-back ATP Challenger titles in San Marino and Verona leading in, landed a 6-4, 6-1 victory over the American in 73 minutes for his second straight-sets victory in succession in New York. The No. 145 in the FedEx ATP Rankings won 81 per cent of first-serve points, including four aces, and 69 per cent on second-serve points.
The 2019 junior Roland Garros champion will next meet Mats Moraing for a place in his maiden Grand Slam main draw. The German progressed 7-6(3), 6-1 over Australian 10th seed Christopher O’Connell.
Turkey’s Cem Ilkel passed the second round of Grand Slam qualifying for the first time with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over former World No. 7 and two-time US Open quarter-finalist Fernando Verdasco. The 26-year-old World No. 189 defeated the 16th seed in two hours and 24 minutes.
It was the 37-year-old Verdasco’s first Grand Slam qualifying attempt since the 2004 Australian Open. Ilkel will next meet Jiri Lehecka for a place in the main draw after the Czech saved a match point in the second-set tie-break to deny Ukrainian 32nd seed Illya Marchenko 4-6, 7-6(10), 6-4.
Former World No. 14 Ivo Karlovic kept his retirement plans on ice for at least another round after the Croatian defeated Bolivian 17th seed Hugo Dellien 7-5, 6-7(1), 6-2. Five years since he reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows, the 42-year-old hammered 23 aces and won 90 per cent of first-serve points. He will face 15th seed Yuichi Sugita for a main draw berth, following the Japanese player’s 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4) win over Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Former World No. 10 Ernests Gulbis closed to within one win of a first main draw berth at Flushing Meadows in four years. The Latvian dropped just three points on his first serve and never faced a break point in a 6-4, 7-5 victory against Slovak Filip Horansky.
The two-hour, eight-minute victory set a third-round qualifying clash with Quentin Halys. The 24-year-old Frenchman secured a 7-6(6), 6-4 win over Poland’s Kacper Zuk on the back of 89 per cent of first-serve points won, including 18 aces.
American Aleksandar Kovacevic sprung the upset of the day over top seed Benjamin Bonzi, 6-3, 6-4. The World No. 410 overcame a 316-place gap in the FedEX ATP Rankings to defeat the Frenchman in 93 minutes.
Kovacevic hit eight aces and won 78 per cent of first-serve points. He will next meet Marco Trungelliti in the third round of qualifying after the Argentine’s 6-4, 6-4 win over 25th seed Liam Broady.
A first ATP Tour hard-court final will be on the line when Emil Ruusuvuori and Ilya Ivashka square off in the Winston-Salem Open semi-finals following the pair’s respective straight-sets upsets on Thursday. Ruusuvuori took down former No. 7 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Richard Gasquet, 7-6(5), 6-1 to reach his third tour-level semi-final.
Ivashka earlier rode an impressive day on serve as he saw off top seed and 2016 champion Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6(2), 6-3. As with Ruusuvuori, it was the third straight seed he had felled to reach his third career semi-final.
Frenchman Gasquet made early inroads against Ruusuvuori and carried his advantage to serve for the opening set at 5-4 only to be broken. With the first set in the bag, the floodgates opened for the 22-year-old Finnish player as Gasquet was visibly struggling in the hot and humid conditions.
Ruusuvuori, who also reached the semi-finals in Atlanta a month ago, closed out the clash at the 93-minute mark on his fourth break. He won 78 per cent of first-serve points and 56 per cent on of second-serve points.
“I thought that first set was a very high level. He’s a great player. He’s been playing on tour almost more years than I have in my life,” he said. “The break back [in the first set] was key. Obviously, we saw that everything wasn’t quite there physically with him so that’s a pity.”
Ivashka improved his ATP Head2Head to 1-2 against Carreno Busta as he notched his second tour-level semi-final of the season, following his run to the final in Munich in May. The 27-year-old Belarusian defeated Ruusuvuori en route to that runner-up showing in the pair’s only prior ATP Head2Head meeting.
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“Of course it’s a great feeling. I had a great match today. These conditions suit me,” Ivashka said. “I think he had more pressure because he’s the top seed so for me it was a good challenge to see what my level is and to compete with these guys, so for me it was a great match.
“I think I was playing very aggressive and I was not giving a lot of time to him, trying to push him from the return from the baseline. I was trying to go to the net to play as aggressively as I could and it worked.”
The 27-year-old lost just nine points on serve and never faced a break point. He claimed 86 per cent of first-serve points and 73 per cent on his second serve.
“It could be one of the best [serving performances of season]. I was not thinking during the match about this statistic but it was obviously working well because he didn’t have a break point and he’s a great returner,” Ivashka said. “If I gave him more chances I think he would be harder.”
Britain’s Emma Raducanu is one win away from the US Open main draw after beating Mariam Bolkvadze in the second round of qualifying.
Former champion Andy Murray will face Greek world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the US Open.
Novak Djokovic’s quest to complete the Grand Slam will begin against a qualifier following Thursday’s release of the US Open draw. In the second round he could face big-hitting German all-court player Jan-Lennard Struff, who took a set from the Serb at the 2020 Australian Open.
In the third round, the World No. 1 could meet former finalist Kei Nishikori or 27th seed David Goffin and in the fourth round is seeded to meet either Aslan Karatsev, whom he defeated in the Australian Open semi-finals, or Australian 14th seed Alex de Minaur.
Should Djokovic reach the quarter-finals, he could meet sixth seed Matteo Berrettini, whom he beat in the Wimbledon final or Polish 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz.
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Interesting first-round matches include World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas against 2012 champion and former World No. 1 Andy Murray.
Who’s ready for this Round 1 blockbuster? ?♂️@steftsitsipas and @andy_murray will meet for the first time in their careers!#USOpen pic.twitter.com/DjF8zS31x8
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2021
Unseeded Australian Nick Kyrgios, perhaps the most dangerous floater, will play gritty Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, while Briton Cameron Norrie, who is enjoying a breakout season, will play 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
Second seed Daniil Medvedev will play French veteran Richard Gasquet. Top-ranked American John Isner will face 20-year-old countryman Brandon Nakashima.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who is riding an 11-match winning streak and who toppled Djokovic en route to the Tokyo Olympics gold medal, could meet the 20-time Grand Slam champion in the semi-finals.
The German opens against big-serving American Sam Querrey. He is seeded to meet Alexander Bublik in the third round, #NextGenATP Jannik Sinner in the fourth round and seventh-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov or ninth-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals.
Some ? first-round matches this year at the #USOpen
?? Tsitsipas v. Murray ??
?? Medvedev v. Gasquet ??
?? Bautista Agut v. Kyrgios ??
?? Ruud v. Tsonga ??
?? Norrie v. Alcaraz ??
?? Isner v. Nakashima ??— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 26, 2021
Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas could see plenty of British action, facing Murray in the first round and potentially Cameron Norrie in the third round. The Greek is seeded to meet Chilean Cristian Garin in the fourth round and in-form Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.
Rublev, a finalist last week at the Western & Southern Open, begins against a qualifier. On paper, Rubelv would appear to have a smooth path to the fourth round, where he could face the last man standing from a tricky section that includes 12th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, first-round combatants Bautista Agut and Kyrgios, and Finn Emil Ruusuvuori.
If he wins his opener against Gasquet, 2019 finalist Medvedev is seeded to meet 2014 champion Marin Cilic in the third round. In the fourth round the Russian could meet 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov, in what would be a replay of their 2019 semi-final, or 24th seed Daniel Evans.
Diego Schwartzman, who could play former finalist Kevin Anderson in the second round, is seeded to meet Medvedev in the quarter-finals.
Women’s Draw: Top Seed Barty Opens Against 2010 Finalist Zvonareva
The Australian Open’s tournament boss says that a two-week biosecure bubble will replace hotel quarantine for the 2022 tournament.
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz erased a second-set blip and regrouped emphatically as he saw off fourth seed Marton Fucsovics for a place in the Winston-Salem Open quarter-finals on Wednesday. The 18-year-old advanced to his second tour-level quarter-final of the season 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.
In a first ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair, Alcaraz steadied the ship after he lost the second set in 30 minutes. He broke in the opening game of the deciding set and it was just the reset he required as he carried the shift in momentum to the finish line after two hours and seven minutes.
“Well it has been a great match, a really, really tough match. In the second set I went down absolutely… and I went up [on] my serve a little bit to start the third… I [thought] I could do it. Really happy to get the win,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.
“In this match, I didn’t feel comfortable playing the long rallies. I started to… hit as hard as I can to try to make the points shorter.”
It paid dividends as the teenager won 57 per cent of first-serve points to Fucsovics’ 68 per cent but won three of six break points and saved 11 of the 14 he faced. Alcaraz, who won his first tour-level title in Umag in July, booked a clash with American Marcos Giron, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner over Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Giron’s compatriot Frances Tiafoe backed up his victory over Andy Murray on Tuesday with another straight-sets triumph, this time over Brazilian Thiago Monteiro. The 13th seed booked a quarter-final berth following a 7-5, 7-6(2) win in one hour and 42 minutes.
Tiafoe was dominant on serve as he claimed 86 per cent of first-serve points and 68 per cent on second-serve points. He fended off both break points faced. He will next meet Swede Mikael Ymer, a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Australian lucky loser Max Purcell.
“It was two tight sets, quick sets I felt like. I was holding pretty swiftly but would not be happy to be playing a third set,” Tiafoe said. “Tonight I served unbelievable…. If you can loosen up from the back a little you can go for it because you’re so confident. Hopefully I can serve like that the rest of the week.”
