Federer To Meet Young In US Open First Round; Djokovic, Ferrer In Same Half

Written by: Staff on 23rd August 2012

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis

Federer To Meet Young In US Open First Round; Djokovic, Ferrer In Same Half

epa03119121 Donald Young of the US hits a return shot to John Isner of the US during second round match play in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, 23 February 2012. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

(Original Link: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2012/08/Features/US-Open-Draw-Announced.aspx

World No. 1 and five-time former champion Roger Federer will play American Donald Young in the first round of the US Open, which begins on 27 August.

Federer has a 61-7 record at the hard-court Grand Slam championship after lifting trophies in 2004-2008. The Swiss will be looking to win an Open Era record sixth title in New York.

Third-seeded Scot Andy Murray has been placed in the same half of the draw as Federer, the player he lost to in the 2008 final. Murray will play Russia’s Alex Bogomolov Jr. in the first round. Murray beat Federer to win the gold medal at the recent London 2012 Olympics.

Federer could potentially meet sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals. Berdych is set to play Belgian David Goffin in the first round. Murray may have a fourth-round test versus No. 15 seed Milos Raonic. The victor could play fifth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last eight. Tsonga faces a qualifier in the first round.

Second seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic, who beat Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-7, 6-7(3) 6-1 in last year’s final, will challenge Italian Paolo Lorenzi in the first round. The Serbian, who was also runner-up in 2007 (l. to Federer) and 2010 (l. to Nadal), took part in the draw ceremony on Thursday alongside last year’s women’s titlist Sam Stosur.

Fourth seed David Ferrer, the 2007 semi-finalist, will meet Kevin Anderson of South Africa in the first round. French No. 13 seed Richard Gasquet or No. 21 seed Tommy Haas could be a third-round opponent.

Eighth-seeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, who plays Guillaume Rufin of France in the first round, could come face-to-face with ninth-seeded American John Isner in the fourth round. Isner plays Xavier Malisse of Belgium first up.

Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 champion (d. Federer), who is in Djokovic’s quarter of the draw, will face his Davis Cup team-mate David Nalbandian in the first round.

Two other former champions, Australian wild card and 2001 winner Lleyton Hewitt, plays Tobias Kamke of Germany, while 2003 titlist and American No. 20 seed Andy Roddick tackles a qualifier. Tenth-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco is a possible third-round opponent for Roddick.

Topics: David Ferrer, Donald Young, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, US Open 2012