RICKY DIMON BREAKS DOWN THE U.S. OPEN TENNIS MEN’S SINGLES DRAW FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

Written by: Staff on 28th August 2015

RICKY DIMON BREAKS DOWN THE U.S. OPEN TENNIS MEN'S SINGLES DRAW FROM TOP TO BOTTOM |

Rafa drawn against Borna Coric in the first round of @usopen with a potential quarterfinal with Novak Djokovic – Photo by @atpwtafanpage0328 via Instagram.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal may be in the same quarter of the draw for the second time in the last three Grand Slams, but there is balance to this bracket. After all, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka are in the other half along with Roger Federer.

Djokovic’s quarter

Rarely is a section of any major that features both Djokovic and Nadal not the toughest…by far. But this 32-man group at the U.S. Open is an exception to the rule. That says a lot, of course, about the state of Nadal’s game. The Spaniard has captured titles in 2015 in no place aside from one 500-point tournament and pair of 250-pointers and he is No. 7 in the race to London. But it also speaks volumes about Milos Raonic. The Canadian has been a non-factor since the start of the clay-court swing due to a foot injury. With Nadal and Raonic far from their best right now, can anyone challenge Djokovic?

You may have to dig deep if you’re looking for an answer from someone other than Nadal or Raonic. David Goffin is in fine form and led Djokovic by a double-break in the third set of their recent Cincinnati encounter, but the world No. 1 promptly reeled off six consecutive games. Vasek Pospisil is one of the most dangerous unseeded players in the field and could face Djokovic in round two, but the Canadian has never seriously troubled the world’s best.

Best first-round matchup — (8) Rafael Nadal vs. Borna Coric

As disastrous as Nadal has been throughout this 2015 campaign, he is still in far better shape than he was last fall. That’s when he faced Coric for the first time and the Croat took advantage of a rusty opponent to prevail 6-2, 7-6(4) on the indoor hard courts of Basel. This is one is going to be far more watchable.

Possible surprises – The Nadal-Raonic eighth of the bracket presents a huge opportunity for just about everyone else involved. It would be poetic justice if Mardy Fish is the one to capitalize. Fish is retiring at the U.S. Open, which is where his battle with an anxiety disorder began three years ago. The 33-year-old American has played sparingly in 2015, but he showed encouraging signs in Cincinnati with a blowout of Viktor Troicki followed by a competitive loss to Murray. Feliciano Lopez, Steve Johnson, and Fernando Verdasco may also be in the mix for that particular quarterfinal spot.

Nishikori’s quarter

A combination of two factors make this section extremely wide open and up for grabs among a handful of players. First, it is by no means top-heavy. The top two seeds, Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer, have combined for zero Grand Slam titles and just two major finals. Nishikori is playing well but his health is almost always a question mark, and Ferrer has played only one match since the French Open and none during this American hard-court swing. Secondly, the quarter is particularly deep. It also boasts Marin Cilic, Gael Monfils, Grigor Dimitrov, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Toronto semifinalist Jeremy Chardy, and Cincinnati semifinalist Alexandr Dolgopolov.

The possible third-round battles are especially intriguing. Nishikori could face Dolgopolov, Monfils and Tsonga are lined up for an all-French affair, Cilic’s title defense may include a date with Dimitrov, and Ferrer is already a familiar foe of Chardy. Six qualifiers will eventually be placed in this section, making it even more of a proverbial wild card.

Best first-round matchup — (4) Kei Nishikori vs. Benoit Paire

Nishikori’s four previous U.S. Open results leading into last year’s runner-up performance were third round, first round, third round, and first round. The world No. 4 is far more reliable now, but those early exits still cannot be overlooked. Neither can Paire, whose talent is undeniable but whose showmanship often gets in the way.

Possible surprises — Where should we start? Arguably eight different men have a realistic chance of making a run to the semifinals: Nishikori, Ferrer, Cilic, Monfils, Dimitrov, Tsonga, Chardy, and Dolgopolov. Ferrer might actually be the biggest longshot of that group simply due to inactivity. Chardy would be several notches down on the list, as well. Nishikori and Cilic cannot be considered surprises given their rankings and because they played the 2014 final, but keep an especially close eye on Dolgopolov. The Ukrainian likes the big stage, has momentum on the heels of Cincinnati, and although his draw is tough (Sam Groth in the opening round, for example), it is manageable.

Murray’s quarter

The least interesting quarter is home to the most interesting first-round matchup (see more below). Beyond Murray vs. Nick Kyrgios, however, the third section of the U.S. Open draw may get lost in the shuffle. Assuming Murray scrapes through his opener, he will have little more than a couple of qualifiers to deal with en route to the fourth round. Wawrinka, meanwhile, should be able to coast through two matches before likely running into Jack Sock. Will Sock be the one to derail a Murray-Wawrinka quarterfinal? Or Kevin Anderson? Or Dominic Thiem? Or—and this is the best chance—nobody?

One development worth watching is the race to face either Wawrinka or Sock in the last 16. The pod that includes Gilles Simon, Donald Young, Ernests Gulbis, Aljaz Bedene, Ryan Harrison, Rajeev Ram, Frances Tiafoe, and Viktor Troicki is there for the taking. Simon and Troicki have underwhelmed since Wimbledon, so opportunities abound for the six aforementioned unseeded men.

Best first-round matchup — (3) Andy Murray vs. Nick Kyrgios

Murray vs. Kyrgios may not prove to be the most competitive contest (then again, it could), but it will almost certainly lead the number of headlines acquired through the first two days of the U.S. Open. The third-ranked Scot is sweeping the head-to-head series 3-0 and Kyrgios has obviously been preoccupied with non-tennis issues this summer, so the same story may continue. But you never know with Nick….

Possible surprises — Unless Anderson turns back into the Anderson of the first two Wimbledon sets against Djokovic or Thiem pretends the surface under his feet is red clay, Murray—assuming he navigates past Kyrgios—is going to the quarterfinals. Will Wawrinka join him there? Sock’s season has stalled just a bit, but his serve and forehand are such that he compete with just about anyone on any given day. Simon, a surprise Wimbledon quarterfinalist, has seemed bored since leaving the All-England Club. Will another major—and a great draw—wake him up?

Federer’s quarter

Federer turned back the clock earlier this month in Cincinnati. No, it’s not like winning Cincinnati requires any kind of time machine for the 34-year-old Swiss. He lifts that trophy basically all the time, regardless of his form going into it. But the way in which he triumphed at the Western & Southern Open this time around was surprisingly and amazingly dominant. Federer did not drop a set or even a single service game while disposing of Roberto Bautista Agut, Anderson, Lopez, Murray, and Djokovic. Thus he heads to New York as the No. 2 seed and second favorite.

In this kind of form, there appears to be no denying Federer a semifinal spot. But the road to get there may be a fun one—both for the 17-time major champion and for fans. Opening opponent Leonardo Mayer had five match points in their tussle last fall in Shanghai but could not seal the deal. Up next could be Marcos Baghdatis and then possibly Philipp Kohlschreiber. The winner of an anticipated huge-serving collision between John Isner and Ivo Karlovic would gain the right to meet Federer in round four. Tomas Berdych, who has defeated Federer at the U.S. Open (2012) and Wimbledon (2010) would likely await in the quarters.

Best first-round matchup — (12) Richard Gasquet vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis

These guys just went head-to-head in the Cincinnati second round. Gasquet did not have too much trouble pulling away from his much younger opponent for a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory. Kokkinakis, though, loves the spotlight. The Aussie has already enjoyed epic slam wins Down Under and at the French Open this season. Is he in line for another?

Possible surprises — Based on what was on display in Cincinnati, maybe the only way to beat Federer is to completely take the racket out of his hands. At the very least, one must neutralize the world No. 2’s aggressive second-serve returning. Isner or Karlovic are two of the few men who would be able to do that. Federer is obviously massive favorite against either opponent, but it would be a scary test. As for Berdych’s side of this section, the Gasquet-Kokkinakis winner has a real shot at going all the way to the quarters.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Benoit Paire, Borna Coric, Kei Nishikori, milos raonic, Nick Kyrgios, Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Sports, Stan Wawrinka, Tennis News, Thanasi Kokkinakis, U.S. Open tennis

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10sBalls_com says:

August 28, 2015 at 7:29 am

-@Dimonator BREAKS DOWN THE @usopen #tennis MEN’S SINGLES DRAW FROM TOP TO BOTTOM- http://t.co/4NaMNBz8zI #USOpen2015 #ATP #Federer #Nadal

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