RICKY GIVES THE U.S. OPEN TENNIS DRAW A GLANCE • FEDERER & DJOKOVIC IN SAME QUARTER

Written by: Staff on 23rd August 2018

Western and Southern Open tennis tournament

RICKY GIVES THE U.S. OPEN TENNIS DRAW A GLANCE • FEDERER & DJOKOVIC IN SAME QUARTER

epa06957469 Roger Federer of Switzerland in action against David Goffin of Belgium in their semifinal match in the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 18 August 2018. EPA-EFE/TANNEN MAURY |

Roger Federer of Switzerland in action against David Goffin of Belgium in their semifinal match in the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 18 August 2018. EPA-EFE/TANNEN MAURY

Federer, Djokovic in same quarter as U.S. Open men’s singles draw is revealed

By Ricky Dimon

It will be Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. Well, that is if they both win four matches.

The draw ceremony for the season’s final Grand Slam took place on Thursday afternoon in New York City, where the Djokovic’s name was always going to be the big story.

And what a story it is: the reigning Wimbledon champion has landed in the same section of the bracket as Roger Federer. While the majority of the quarter is weak outside of those two GOATs, Federer may also run into Nick Kyrgios in the third round.

In the top half of the USO draw, Rafael Nadal and Kevin Anderson are on a collision course for the quarters in what would be a rematch of last summer’s title match–won by the Spaniard in straight sets. It will be an all-Spanish affair right off the bat for Nadal, as good friend and familiar foe David Ferrer is his first-round opponent. The third round is arguably the only chance as a stumbling block for either Nadal (likely vs. Karen Khachanov) or Anderson (likely vs. Denis Shapvalov).

The biggest news in the top half gas to be another first-round battle between Grigor Dimitrov and Stan Wawrinka, who had to go head-to-head right away bat Wimbledon. The winner of that blockbuster showdown could collide with Milos Raonic during third-round action. They are all in Juan Martin Del Potro’s section, which is also headlined by a potential showdown between the Argentine and Andy Murray in round three.

Rounding out the draw as potential semifinal adversaries for either Federer or Djokovic in the bottom half are Alexander Zverev and 2014 U.S. Open winner Marin Cilic. It is a friendly section for both Zverev and Cilic, although the German could run into Kei Nishikori in round four.

A fun second-rounder in the Zverev-Cilic section could see Frances Tiafoe go up against Alex de Minaur.