US Open Day 2 Preview: Five Must-See Matches - UBITENNIS
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US Open Day 2 Preview: Five Must-See Matches

Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki will all kick-off their campaigns at Flushing Meadows.

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5 years ago

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The USTA’s five-year, $600-million renovation is complete. A brand-new Louis Armstrong Stadium opened play on Monday, adding a second court with a roof to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

 

And within the first 90 minutes of Day 1, history was made on that very court. The top women’s player in the world, Simona Halep, was eliminated, the first time a top seed has ever lost in the opening round of the US Open. On the heels of a Wimbledon where all top 10 ladies’ seeds were out within the first seven days, are there a lot more upsets in store as the first week of the Open progresses?

On Monday, the heat and humidity in New York were significant factors for many players. With the temperatures forecasted to go even higher over the next few days, fitness and endurance will only become more important, especially on the men’s side where they play best-of-five.

Jelena Ostapenko vs. Andrea Petkovic

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This will be the first match of the day on Armstrong, and it could be another upset in the making to start the day on that court. The 21-year-old Ostapenko is seeded 10th, coming off her semifinal run at Wimbledon. But Jelena hasn’t won a singles match since The Championships. Petkovic is a former US Open semifinalist, yet has struggled with injury and form in recent years to the point where she even contemplated retirement. However, the 30-year-old has shown signs of rediscovering her play of yesteryear over the past few months. She gave World No.1 Simona Halep all she could handle at Roland Garros before an injury during the match derailed her efforts. Andrea then scored impressive wins over Belinda Bencic and Defending US Open Champion Sloane Stephens on her way to the semifinals in Washington, DC. Ostapenko won their only previous meeting two years ago in Doha, though that was another match in which Petkovic was suffering from injury. Considering the summer results of both players, and the general instability atop the women’s game, an upset here would not be shocking.

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Samantha Stosur

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Here we have a battle of Major singles champions to open the day’s play on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Stosur won this tournament seven years ago, but she’s just 5-4 in New York since that career highlight. Wozniacki of course finally got the Major monkey off her back this year in Melbourne, but she’s been far from 100% this summer. She withdrew from or retired from two of her three summer hard court tournaments, and was upset by the red-hot Aryna Sabalenka in her Rogers Cup opening round. Much like Ostapenko, Wozniacki arrives in New York with no wins since Wimbledon, and appears to be highly vulnerable to an upset. However, perhaps Stosur is not the best candidate for that job. She’s dropped to 64th in the world, and has more losses than wins in 2018. Wozniacki leads their head-to-head 7-5, through four of Stosur’s victories have come on hard courts. With Caroline at much less than 100%, it’s a great opportunity for the 34-year-old Stosur to get her biggest win in quite some time.

Novak Djokovic vs. Marton Fucsovics

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Next up on Ashe, the Wimbledon and Cincinnati champion, Novak Djokovic, will return to the US Open for the first time since he was a finalist in 2016. And he just may be the favorite to win this tournament based on his two recent titles, which included impressive victories over Nadal at Wimbledon and Federer in Cincinnati. This will be his first meeting against Fucsovics, the 26-year-old from Hungary who just last week reached a career-high ranking of 40th in the world. Marton won his first ATP title this year in Geneva, and held match points over Stan Wawrinka just a few weeks ago at the Rogers Cup, in a match that went deep into a third set tiebreak. Fucsovics is one of the highest-ranked players Djokovic could draw in the first round. While he may test Djokovic, Novak should comfortably prevail based on his recent form.

Caroline Garcia vs. Johanna Konta

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This is a blockbuster opening round matchup, which will be third up on the Grandstand. Three years ago, Konta arrived in New York barely ranked inside the top 100. But this is the tournament that launched her career to a new level, as she reached her first Major fourth round at the 2015 US Open, followed by her semifinal appearance at the next Grand Slam event in Melbourne. After reaching the semifinals at her home Major last year, the British No.1 fell into a big slump, partially due to injury. From Wimbledon last year until the start of the grass court season this year, Konta went just 16-17. Her ranking has dropped to 46th in the world, making this first round match possible. Garcia has certainly been the stronger player over the past year, but the Frenchwoman is just 4-4 in her last four tournaments. And Caroline is only 5-5 in New York throughout her career. Konta owns a 3-2 record against Garcia, though they haven’t played in over a year. This is another women’s match on Tuesday where an upset could be in the making.

Roger Federer vs. Yoshihito Nishioka

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This will kick off the night session on Ashe. Federer has been meticulous in managing his schedule over the past two years, but is it possible he arrives in New York a little light on match play? Following his Wimbledon loss to Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinals, he skipped the Rogers Cup to focus on Cincinnati, a tournament which he’s won seven times. Roger did advance to the final there this year, but was defeated by Djokovic. A loss on those very fast-paced courts in the best-of-three format won’t boost Federer’s confidence against Djokovic should they meet at the Open. And the chances of that happening are high, as the sixth-seeded Novak fell into Roger’s quarter of the draw. Roger’s opening opponent is a 22-year-old from Japan who is just 4-9 at tour-level events on the year. Nishioka is ranked 177th in the world and is into the tournament on a protected ranking, as Yoshihito tore his ACL and missed most of the 2017 season. Yoshihito shouldn’t pose a serious threat to Federer, but let’s see how comfortable Roger looks on the court. Dating back to Indian Wells this year, and most recently in Cincinnati earlier this month, Federer has often appeared pretty irritable on the court. He may need some sharp play and decisive wins going into the second week of this tournament.

Other notable matches on Day 2

  • Petra Kvitova, winner of five titles in 2018, vs. Yanina Wickmayer, a former US Open semifinalist
  • Wimbledon Champion Angelique Kerber vs. Margarita Gasparyan, currently ranked 370th in the world
  • Former Champion Maria Sharapova vs. 39-year-old Qualifier Patty Schnyder, a US Open quarterfinalist both 10 and 20 years ago.

Order of play

Arthur Ashe Stadium – 17:00 BST start
S. Stosur (AUS) vss C. Wozniacki (DEN) [2]
N. Djokovic (SRB) [6] vs. M. Fucsovics (HUN)

Not before 0:00 BST
Y. Nishioka (JPN) vs. R. Federer (SUI) [2]
M. Keys (USA) [14] vs. P. Parmentier (FRA)

Louis Armstrong Stadium – 16:00 BST start
A. Petkovic (GER) vs. J. Ostapenko (LAT) [10]
M. Gasparyan (RUS) vs. A. Kerber (GER) [4]
P. Polansky (CAN) vs. A. Zverev (GER) [4]

Not before 0:00 BST
N. Kyrgios (AUS) [30] vs. R. Albot (MDA)
M. Sharapova (RUS) [22] vs. P. Schnyder (SUI)

Grandstand – 16:00 BST start
N. Osaka (JPN) [20] vs. L. Siegemund (GER)
M. Cilic (CRO) [7] vs. M. Copil (ROU)
C. Garcia (FRA) [6] vs. J. Konta (GBR)

Not before 22:00 BST
F. Tiafoe (USA) vs. A. Mannarino (FRA) [29]

Court 17 – 16:00 BST start
P. Kvitova (CZE) [5] vs. Y. Wickmayer (BEL)
K. Flipkens (BEL) vs. C. Vandeweghe (USA) [24]
F. Fognini (ITA) [14] vs. M. Mmoh (USA)

Not before 21:00 BST
M. Marterer (GER) vs. K. Nishikori (JPN) [21]

Court 5 – 16:00 BST start
Y. Sugita (JPN) vs. R. Gasquet (FRA) [26]
K. Bertens (NED) [13] vs. Kr. Pliskova (CZE)
D. Collins (USA) vs. A. Sabalenka (BLR) [26]
F. Bagnis (ARG) vs. G. Monfils (FRA)

Court 10 – 16:00 BST start
R. Berankis (LTU) vs. H. Chung (KOR) [23]
D. Schwartzman (ARG) [13] vs. F. Delbonis (ARG)
T. Babos (HUN) vs. D. Kasatkina (RUS) [11]
A. Kontaveit (EST) [28] vs. K. Siniakova (CZE)

Court 13 – 16:00 BST start
A. Cornet (FRA) vs. J. Larsson (SWE)
M. Cecchinato (ITA) [22] vs. J. Benneteau (FRA)
M. Vondrousova (CZE) vs. M. Buzarnescu (ROU) [21]
A. de Minaur (AUS) vs. T. Daniel (JPN)

Court 4 – 16:00 BST start
Y. Wang (CHN) vs. A. Schmiedlova (SVK)
M. Jaziri (TUN) vs. P. Carreno Busta (ESP) [12]
L. Pouille (FRA) [17] vs. Y. Maden (GER)
N. Gibbs (USA) vs. C. Suárez Navarro (ESP) [30

Court 6 – 16:00 BST start
M. Niculescu (ROU) vs. J. Glushko (ISR)
J. Brooksby (USA) vs. J. Millman (AUS)
M. Baghdatis (CYP) vs. M. Youzhny (RUS)
L. Cabrera (AUS) vs. A. Tomljanovic (AUS)

Court 7 – 16:00 BST start
M. Kukushkin (KAZ) vs. N. Rubin (USA)
D. Cibulkova (SVK) [29] vs. A. Rus (NED)
F. Gaio (ITA) vs. D. Goffin (BEL) [10]
Y. Putintseva (KAZ) vs. B. Pera (USA)

Court 8 – 16:00 BST start
L. Djere (SRB) vs. L. Mayer (ARG)
A. Sasnovich (BLR) vs. B. Bencic (SUI)
M. Puig (PUR) vs. S. Voegele (SUI)
B. Paire (FRA) vs. D. Novak (AUT)

Court 9 – 16:00 BST start
J. Sousa (POR) vs. M. Granollers (ESP)
T. Bacsinszky (SUI) vs. A. Krunic (SRB)
F. Krajinovic (SRB) [32] vs. M. Ebden (AUS)

Court 11 – 16:00 BST start
T. Townsend (USA) vs. A. Anisimova (USA)
V. Troicki (SRB) vs. T. Sandgren (USA)
Y. Hanfmann (GER) vs. P. Kohlschreiber (GER)
S. Cirstea (ROU) vs. A. Riske (USA)

Court 12 – 16:00 BST start
T. Smyczek (USA) vs. J. Struff (GER)
F. Di Lorenzo (USA) vs. C. McHale (USA)
M. McDonald (USA) vs. R. Haase (NED)
H. Tan (FRA) vs. E. Bouchard (CAN)

Court 14 – 16:00 BST start
S. Travaglia (ITA) vs. H. Hurkacz (POL)
G. Garcia-Lopez (ESP) vs. J. Munar (ESP)
V. Zvonareva (RUS) vs. A. Blinkova (RUS)
K. Mladenovic (FRA) vs. T. Zidansek (SLO)

Court 15 – 16:00 BST start
A. Van Uytvanck (BEL) vs. L. Tsurenko (UKR)
E. Alexandrova (RUS) vs. S. Hsieh (TPE)
J. Vesely (CZE) vs. C. Moutet (FRA)
Y. Bhambri (IND) vs. P. Herbert (FRA)

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Stefanos Tsitsipas Benefitting From Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev’s Success

Stefanos Tsitsipas starts his Miami Open campaign against Richard Gasquet on Saturday.

Published

7 hours ago

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24/03/2023

By

(@stathopoulosth - Twitter)

Stefanos Tsitsipas admits that he is benefitting from Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev’s recent success ahead of the Miami Open.

 

Tsitsipas had a good start to the season himself after reaching the Australian Open final before losing to Novak Djokovic.

However since then Tsitsipas’ form has tailed off as he continues to manage injuries.

The Greek has a lot of work to do to turn his form around ahead of the clay court season after his last set tiebreak defeat to Jordan Thompson in the second round of Indian Wells.

Tsitsipas’ turbulent form comes at a time where his nearest rivals are achieving great success in the tour with Carlos Alcaraz winning Indian Wells last week.

Meanwhile Daniil Medvedev was on a 19 match winning streak before losing the final at Indian Wells to Alcaraz.

Speaking to the media Tsitsipas says he is using Greek philosophy to help him believe that his rivals success will translate to his game, “I’m happy for them,” Tsitsipas told Tennis Infinity.

“I believe in the message of ubuntu [a philosophy that supports collectivism over individualism]…by having others be good, [to] sort of witness greatness of others around me, I am also allowing myself to become better too.

“I believe in that message and I think the fact that they’re doing well is benefitting me too and it’s giving me a clear, better view of how I should approach my game.”

Tsitsipas will be positive that their success will benefit his game at the Miami Open where he is the second seed.

The opening match for Tsitsipas will be fellow one-handed backhander Richard Gasquet with their head-to-head tied at 1-1.

Ahead of the contest Tsitsipas admitted that he is getting closer to being pain free, “Everything is getting better and I’m heading toward the right direction,” Tsitsipas said.

“[I hope] to play pain free and just be able to step out there and show something different than Indian Wells because Indian Wells was a big struggle…I hope I get to play with more of an element of fun on the court and not think too much about my arm.”

The match will take place on Saturday as Tsitsipas looks to build momentum towards his Monte-Carlo title defence.

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Miami Open Daily Preview: Canadians Andreescu, Fernandez Face Top 10 Opposition

Published

23 hours ago

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24/03/2023

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A look at the grounds of the Miami Open (twitter.com/HardRockStadium)

Second round ATP and WTA action takes place on Friday in Miami.

 

The WTA’s top two Canadian players will take part in two of the day’s best matchups.  2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu takes on Maria Sakkari, while 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez plays Belinda Bencic.

Other action on Friday includes top names such as Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Casper Ruud, and Ons Jabeur.

Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule.  Friday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.

Maria Sakkari (7) vs. Bianca Andreescu – 12:00pm on Stadium Court

Andreescu is 7-6 this season, and overcame fellow US Open champ Emma Raducanu in the first round.  This is only her third appearance in Miami, but she is 9-2 at this event, and was the runner-up the last time she played here in 2021.

Sakkari is now 15-6 on the year, yet is just 7-5 in Miami.  Four of those wins came during her semifinal run in 2021, when she lost to Andreescu in a dramatic three-setter.

That 2021 semifinal lasted nearly three hours, with Andreescu eventually prevailing in a third-set tiebreak well after midnight.  Their only other meeting occurred later that year at the US Open, with Sakkari winning 6-3 in the third.  In the rubber match on Friday, Maria has to be considered the favorite based on recent form, though it’s hard to ever count out Bianca, one of the sport’s most dogged competitors.

Leylah Fernandez vs. Belinda Bencic (9) – Fifth on Butch Buchholz Court

Fernandez is 8-6 in 2023, and on Wednesday earned her first-ever victory in Miami, over Lesia Tsurenko.  Leylah has struggled to regain her form after suffering a serious foot injury in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros last June.

Bencic is a strong 15-4 to start the season, and has already collected two hard court titles (Adelaide, Abu Dhabi).  While she’s just 8-6 lifetime in Miami, she did advance to the semifinals last year, losing to Naomi Osaka.

Leylah and Belinda have split four previous matches, two of which occurred during the Billie Jean King Cup, most recently last fall when Bencic won in straights.  Just a few weeks earlier, Bencic also defeated Fernandez, this time 6-3 in the third in Guadalajara.  This is another case where the Canadian should be considered the underdog, but a Canadian victory would not be shocking.

Other Notable Matches on Friday:

Andrey Rublev (6) vs. J.J. Wolf – Rublev is a modest 11-7 this year, and just 10-7 in Miami.  Wolf is 9-6 this year, and reached the second week of a Major for the first time in Melbourne.  Last summer in Washington, Andrey defeated J.J. in straight sets.

Varvara Gracheva (Q) vs. Ons Jabeur (4) – Jabeur is just 4-3 on the year, having undergone a minor surgery after the Australian Open.  She’s is 1-0 against Gracheva, having defeated her in three sets last year in Madrid on clay.

Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Facundo Bagnis – Alcaraz is 14-1 since February, and needs to defend this title in order to retain the No.1 ranking.  Bagnis’ win in the opening round was his first ATP-level main draw victory on a hard court since August.  Last summer on clay in Umag, Alcaraz beat Bagnis 6-0, 6-4.

Caroline Garcia (5) vs. Sorana Cirstea – This is a rematch from just last week at Indian Wells, when Cirstea upset Garcia 7-5 in the third.  Caroline claimed their other two previous meetings, though all three have now gone three sets.

Shelby Rogers vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka is now 17-2 in 2023, but is only 4-4 lifetime in Miami.  Rogers eliminated another Slam champ, Sloane Stephens, in the first round.  Aryna is 3-0 against Shelby, which includes a straight-set victory at January’s Australian Open.

Casper Ruud (3) vs. Ilya Ivashka – Ruud is defending runner-up points from a year ago, but is only 4-5 this season.  Ivashka arrived at Indian Wells on a nine-match losing streak, yet has now claimed three of his last four matches. 

Friday’s full Order of Play is here.

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Top 3 Miami Open 2023 Male Contenders

Carlos Alcaraz is among the top three contenders for the Miami Open title in 2023.

Published

2 days ago

on

23/03/2023

By

Carlos Alcaraz (@TheTennisLetter - Twitter)

Tennis is arguably one of the most popular sports of today. It features players from all over the world looking to walk away with a trophy after decimating their opponents. As a global sport, tennis has a following worldwide.

 

Loads of platforms enable tennis players to follow events and matches. Some of these platforms cover a variety of sports so besides tennis matches, they’ll also offer MMA fights, football tips, basketball matches, and more. The main thing about these sites is to enjoy them responsibly.

When it comes to tennis tournaments, the Miami Open 2023 is upon us, and there are some serious contenders this year. In that regard, here are the top 3 male contenders for the tournament this year:

Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz is a young Spanish tennis player who has been making waves in the tennis world. Born on May 5, 2003, in Murcia, Spain, he turned professional in 2018 and has already achieved several impressive feats at a very young age. He won his first ATP Tour title in August 2021, becoming the youngest player in over a decade to win an ATP Tour title. Alcaraz is known for his aggressive style of play, which is complemented by his excellent footwork and shot-making ability. With his promising talent, work ethic, and track record, Alcaraz is expected to be a top contender at the Miami Open 2023.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas is a Greek professional tennis player who has established himself as one of the brightest stars in the sport. Born on August 12, 1998, in Athens, Greece, Tsitsipas turned professional in 2016 and has since then climbed the ranks to become a top player. He has won nine ATP Tour titles, including the prestigious ATP Finals in 2019, and has reached the semi-finals of Grand Slam tournaments.

Tsitsipas is known for his all-around game, which is characterized by his powerful serves, aggressive baseline strokes, and deft touch at the net. He is also a keen strategist on the court, always looking for ways to outmaneuver his opponents. Off the court, Tsitsipas is a multilingual individual who is passionate about philosophy and other intellectual pursuits. With his talent, personality, and dedication, Tsitsipas is poised to make a significant impact on the Miami Open 2023.

Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud is a Norwegian professional tennis player who has been rising in the rankings in recent years. Born on December 22, 1998, in Oslo, Norway, Ruud comes from a family of tennis players, with his father being a former player and his mother a former top-level junior player. He turned professional in 2016 and has since then won nine ATP Tour titles, all of them on clay courts. Ruud is known for his strong baseline game, which is built around his powerful forehand and his ability to move well on clay. With his youth and talent, Ruud will be looking to make a significant impact on Miami Open 2023.

In conclusion, these are the 3 top male contenders for the Miami Open 2023. They will take on each other and prove their worth on the court. But only one will walk away with the trophy.

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