Over the course of the next six weeks, two Grand Slam events will be decided, as Roland Garros will commence just four weeks from today.
With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal not present in Flushing Meadows, an undefeated Novak Djokovic is the heavy favorite to win his 18th Major. That would place him right behind Federer (20) and Nadal (19) for most men’s Grand Slam singles titles. The women’s singles draw is even more unpredictable than usual, with six of the world’s top 10 sitting this fortnight out, including three of last year’s semifinalists. After losing four consecutive Grand Slam finals, can Serena Williams finally claim her 24th Major?
Sascha Zverev (6) vs. Kevin Anderson
This is pretty much the toughest draw Zverev could face: a former finalist who is unseeded due to injuries from last year. Anderson missed the majority of 2019, and is just 4-4 this season. The South African is 0-5 against Sascha, with three of those matches taking place on North American hard courts. Anderson’s lack of match play paired with the lopsided head-to-head is a bad combination. However, Zverev has never played his best tennis in New York, with last year’s trip to the fourth round being his best career result. And Sascha lost his opening round match at last week’s Western & Southern Open to another top player coming back from injury, Andy Murray. The serving issues that plagued Zverev at this year’s ATP Cup have returned, as Murray broke him twice in a row to come back and win 7-5 in the third. All signs indicate this will be an extended battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium. I give the slight edge to Anderson due to his previous success at this event, Zverev’s propensity for overcomplicating best-of-five matches, and Sascha’s service yips.
Anastasija Sevastova (31) vs. Coco Gauff
Last summer, Gauff was the talk of the tennis world, with her breakout runs at Wimbledon and the US Open. But like Zverev, Coco is battling some serving glitches, which enabled Maria Sakkari to easily eliminate Gauff last week. Sevastova loves playing in New York, having reached the quarterfinals or better three of the last four years. Her unorthodox style has frustrated many power hitters like Gauff on these courts. And surely Gauff will be negatively impacted by the lack of spectators at this event, as the fans were boisterous in their support for her a year ago. However, Sevastova is a measly 1-8 on the season, though it’s worth nothing her only victory came in Fed Cup over Serena Williams. While Anastasija has shown she’s capable of deep runs here without arriving with much momentum, Gauff should be able to fight her way through this tricky opening round opponent.
David Goffin (7) vs. Reilly Opelka
If the skyscraping American was 100% healthy, I would favor him for the upset here. Opelka and Goffin have split their two previous meetings, though Opelka claimed their most recent one last fall on a hard court in Basel. But after reaching the quarters last week without dropping a set, Reilly retired against Stefanos Tsitsipas with a right knee injury. And Goffin is one of the last players you want to face when you are hobbled, considering his speed and consistency. If Opelka’s knee is close to 100%, this could be a captivating battle. If not, it could be a straightforward win for Goffin.
Anett Kontaveit (14) vs. Danielle Collins
Danielle Collins is one of those players who can hit almost anyone off the court when she’s on. The 26-year-old American started the year strong with victories down under over the likes of Elina Svitolina, Belinda Bencic, and Sofia Kenin. But last week she lost her only match since January to a qualifier. And today she faces one of the WTA’s most reliable performers. Kontaveit has an impressive 19 wins in this abbreviated season. The 24-year-old Estonian has reached the quarterfinals or better at four of six events played, and was extremely close to ousting Naomi Osaka last week. Her aggressive ground game should apply enough pressure to yield many errors off the often overaggressive Collins. In a wide open women’s draw, Kontaveit is a name to keep an eye on.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Damir Dzumhur
Last week, Djokovic was able to overcome neck issues, an upset stomach, and the distraction of off-court politics to extend his 2020 undefeated record to 23-0. He narrowly escaped defeat in both the semifinals and finals, against in-form opponents Roberto Bautista Agut and Milos Raonic respectively. Just 48 hours later, he’ll begin his quest for his second consecutive Major title. While he’ll surely still feel a bit drained, this should be a rather comfortable opening round for the three-time champion of this event. Even though Dzumhur can be a pesky opponent with a lot of speed about the court, he hasn’t won more than two games in a set in two previous hard court encounters against Djokovic. And while Damir took a set off Roger Federer at last year’s US Open, it will be a challenge to repeat that feat against an extremely confident Novak.
Other Notable Matches on Day 1:
2018 champion Naomi Osaka (4) vs. Masaki Doi, her fellow countrywoman from Japan. What shape will Osaka’s leg be in just two days after withdrawing from the Western & Southern Open final?
The women’s top seed and 2016 finalist Karolina Pliskova (1) vs. Anhelina Kalinina, the 145th ranked player in the world from Ukraine.
2016 champion Angelique Kerber (17) vs. Ajla Tomljanovic. Kerber recently reunited with Torben Beltz, who coached Kerber to multiple Major titles.
Two-time Major champion Petra Kvitova (6) vs. Irina-Camelia Begu. Kvitova is 4-0 against Begu, but often struggles in New York.
ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas (4) vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas, a veteran from Spain who is 3-9 in his career at the US Open.
Full order of play (GMT)
ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM
Ka. Pliskova (CZE) [1] vs. A. Kalinina (UKR)
K. Anderson (RSA) vs. A. Zverev (GER) [5]
NOT BEFORE 7:00 PM
N. Djokovic (SRB) [1] vs. D. Dzumhur (BIH)
N. Osaka (JPN) [4] vs. M. Doi (JPN)
LOUIS ARMSTRONG STADIUM 11:00 AM
A. Kerber (GER) [17] vs. A. Tomljanovic (AUS)
D. Shapovalov (CAN) [12] vs.S. Korda (USA)
NOT BEFORE: 3:00 PM
C. Gauff (USA) vs. A. Sevastova (LAT) [31]
S. Johnson (USA) vs. J. Isner (USA) [16]
T. Maria (GER) vs. A. Riske (USA) [13]
COURT 17 11:00 AM
K. Mladenovic (FRA) [30] vs. H. Baptiste (USA)
I. Begu (ROU) vs. P. Kvitova (CZE) [6]
S. Tsitsipas (GRE) [4] vs. A. Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)
D. Collins (USA) vs. A. Kontaveit (EST) [14]
R. Opelka (USA) vs. D. Goffin (BEL) [7]
COURT 5 11:00 AM
D. Schwartzman (ARG) [9] vs. C. Norrie (GBR)
D. Koepfer (GER) vs. T. Fritz (USA) [19]
K. Edmund (GBR) vs. A. Bublik (KAZ)
R. Montgomery (USA) vs. Y. Putintseva (KAZ) [23]
M. Bouzkova (CZE) vs. J. Pegula (USA)
COURT 11 11:00 AM
P. Andujar (ESP) vs. B. Coric (CRO) [27]
P. Carreno Busta (ESP) [20] vs. Y. Uchiyama (JPN)
T. Martincova (CZE) vs. P. Martic (CRO) [8]
U. Blanch (USA) vs. C. Garin (CHI) [13]
A. Blinkova (RUS) vs. J. Brady (USA) [28]
COURT 4 11:00 AM
F. Di Lorenzo (USA) vs. A. Sasnovich (BLR)
A. Mannarino (FRA) [32] vs. L. Sonego (ITA)
M. Linette (POL) [24] vs. M. Inglis (AUS)
M. Brengle (USA) vs. L. Tsurenko (UKR)
P. Martinez (ESP) vs. J. Struff (GER) [28]
COURT 6 11:00 AM
S. Travaglia (ITA) vs. J. Thompson (AUS)
P. Gojowczyk (GER) vs. H. Hurkacz (POL) [24]
K. Kozlova (UKR) vs. W. Osuigwe (USA)
V. Golubic (SUI) vs. V. Lapko (BLR)
I. Khromacheva (RUS) vs. S. Rogers (USA)
COURT 7 11:00 AM
M. Vondrousova (CZE) [12] vs. G. Minnen (BEL)
J. Paolini (ITA) vs. C. Garcia (FRA)
M. Safwat (EGY) vs. G. Simon (FRA)
M. Giron (USA) vs. M. Polmans (AUS)
R. Peterson (SWE) [32] vs. K. Flipkens (BEL)
COURT 8 11:00 AM
A. Davidovich Fokina (ESP) vs. D. Novak (AUT)
P. Lorenzi (ITA) vs. B. Nakashima (USA)
U. Arconada (USA) vs. K. Juvan (SLO)
A. Sharma (AUS) vs. D. Yastremska (UKR) [19]
J. Sousa (POR) vs. M. Mmoh (USA)
COURT 9 11:00 AM
J. Londero (ARG) vs. E. Donskoy (RUS)
C. Dolehide (USA) vs. A. Friedsam (GER)
M. Cressy (USA) vs. J. Kovalik (SVK)
F. Gaio (ITA) vs. R. Berankis (LTU)
E. Rybakina (KAZ) [11] vs. K. Zavatska (UKR)
COURT 12 11:00 AM
D. Lajovic (SRB) [18] vs. E. Gerasimov (BLR)
J. Sock (USA) vs. P. Cuevas (URU)
K. Bondarenko (UKR) vs. A. Kiick (USA)
F. Krajinovic (SRB) [26] vs. M. Ymer (SWE)
A. Li (USA) vs. A. Rus (NED)
COURT 14 11:00 AM
J. Jung (TPE) vs. F. Coria (ARG)
M. Krueger (USA) vs. P. Sousa (POR)
T. Kwiatkowski (USA) vs. S. Kwon (KOR)
C. Bellis (USA) vs. T. Korpatsch (GER)
C. Giorgi (ITA) vs. A. Van Uytvanck (BEL)
COURT 15 11:00 AM
V. Gracheva (RUS) vs. P. Badosa (ESP)
D. Kovinic (MNE) vs. L. Cabrera (AUS)
M. Kostyuk (UKR) vs. D. Kasatkina (RUS)
A. Balazs (HUN) vs. M. Kukushkin (KAZ)
L. Harris (RSA) vs. M. Cecchinato (ITA)