RICKY DIMON LOOKS AT THE 2016 U.S. OPEN TENNIS SEEDS FOR THE POTENTIAL U.S. OPEN MATCHUPS – MINUS THE GREAT ROGER FEDERER

Written by: Staff on 24th August 2016

RICKY DIMON LOOKS AT THE 2016 U.S. OPEN TENNIS SEEDS FOR THE POTENTIAL U.S. OPEN MATCHUPS - MINUS THE GREAT ROGER FEDERER

epa04929236 A giant US flag is displayed over the court during the national anthem shortly before the rain-delayed start of Roger Federer of Switzerland and Novak Djokovic of Serbia's men's final on the fourteenth day of the 2015 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 13 September 2015. The US Open runs through 13 September, which is a return to a 14-day schedule. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |

The U.S.T.A. announced its 32 seeds for the U.S. Open earlier this week, so we now know certain matchups that could potentially take place at various points in the tournament. “Potentially,” of course, is the optimum word here. After all, a whole host of seeded players could be bounced out of New York before they are even slated to go up against a fellow seed. Juan Martin Del Potro, for example, is unseeded and will be schedule to battle a seeded opponent in either the first or second round (just as he did vs. Novak Djokovic in round one of the Olympics).

But for the sake of this piece, we’ll assume that all of the seeds successfully make their way through the draw.

If the seeds reach the third round, 1-8 would face 25-32.

1. Novak Djokovic

2. Andy Murray

3. Stan Wawrinka

4. Rafael Nadal

5. Milos Raonic

6. Kei Nishikori

7. Marin Cilic

8. Dominic Thiem

vs.

25. Philipp Kohlschreiber

26. Jack Sock

27. Alexander Zverev

28. Martin Klizan

29. Sam Querrey

30. Gilles Simon

31. Albert Ramos-Vinolas

32. Benoit Paire

Thus there is a chance for a rematch between Djokovic and Sam Querrey, who squared off in the last 32 at Wimbledon. In that rain-interrupted contest, Querrey stunned the world No. 1 on his way to the quarterfinals and ultimately opened the door for Andy Murray to capture his second title at the All-England Club. Kei Nishikori, meanwhile, could run into Benoit Paire in the third round at Flushing Meadows. They faced each other in the opening round last year, when the Frenchman pulled off a five-set upset after saving two match points. Good friends Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev may have to go head-to-head in the third round, just as they did at the French Open (Thiem won in four sets en route to the semifinals).

9-16 would face 17-24.

9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

10. Gael Monfils

11. David Ferrer

12. David Goffin

13. Richard Gasquet

14. Nick Kyrgios

15. Roberto Bautista Agut

16. Feliciano Lopez

vs.

17. Bernard Tomic

18. Pablo Cuevas

19. Steve Johnson

20. John Isner

21. Ivo Karlovic

22. Grigor Dimitrov

23. Kevin Anderson

24. Lucas Pouille

Good news for John Isner: he cannot play Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round. The 6’10” American lost to Kohlschreiber in three consecutive U.S. Opens–all in the third round (2012, 2013, and 2014). But Isner could go up against Monfils, and good things generally happen when those two square off. The head-to-head series is tied 4-4 and almost every one of their eight showdowns has been entertaining (including a U.S. Open second-round thriller in 2013, won by Isner in a fourth-set tiebreaker). An all-Aussie affair featuring Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic could also be a possibility.

If the seeds hold to form into the fourth round, 1-4 would face 13-16.

1. Novak Djokovic

2. Andy Murray

3. Stan Wawrinka

4. Rafael Nadal

vs.

13. Richard Gasquet

14. Nick Kyrgios

15. Roberto Bautista Agut

16. Feliciano Lopez

Kyrgios vs. Stan Wawrinka would be the headliner, for obvious reasons. That being said, the 21-year-old Aussie also has a history against Murray and Rafael Nadal. Kyrgios is a hopeless 0-5 lifetime against Murray and he has succumbed to the second-ranked Scot in a whopping four of the last seven Grand Slams. Nadal is 1-1 against Kyrgios with a 2014 Wimbledon loss and a three-set victory earlier this season on the clay courts of Rome. A Wawrinka vs. Richard Gasquet matchup would also be of note. Each of their two previous major meetings (2013 French Open, 2015 Wimbledon) went deep into fifth sets (8-6 in Wawrinka’s favor and 11-9 to Gasquet).

5-8 would face 9-12.

5. Milos Raonic

6. Kei Nishikori

7. Marin Cilic

8. Dominic Thiem

vs.

9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

10. Gael Monfils

11. David Ferrer

12. David Goffin

The chances of these contests coming to fruition are slim. Thiem appears to have run out of gas late in the season, Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are always injury question marks, David Ferrer is slumping, and David Goffin has cooled off since a red-hot spring campaign. Tsonga vs. Marin Cilic, would be a rematch of a contentious five-setter in the quarters of last year’s U.S. Open. Cilic, the 2014 champion at Flushing Meadows, prevailed 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(3), 6-4. Thiem and Goffin, who are occasional doubles partners, battled in the Roland Garros quarters a few months ago–with the Austrian winning in four sets.

And in the quarterfinals, of course, 1-4 would face 5-8.

1. Novak Djokovic

2. Andy Murray

3. Stan Wawrinka

4. Rafael Nadal

vs.

5. Milos Raonic

6. Kei Nishikori

7. Marin Cilic

8. Dominic Thiem

Raonic came within one win of stealing the No. 4 seed from Nadal, but the Canadian lost to Murray in the Cincinnati semis and thus had to settle for No. 5. As such, he could run into either Djokovic, Murray, Wawrinka, or Nadal in the U.S. Open quarters instead of possibly facing Nadal, Nishikori, Cilic, or Thiem. A Murray-Raonic meeting would mark their sixth of the year. Murray has won their previous five 2016 showdowns and now leads the head-to-head series 8-3 after once trailing it 3-1.