On Monday night, Serena Williams received one of the most thunderous ovations in the 25-year history of Arthur Ashe Stadium as she walked onto court. She then electrified the New York audience with a straight-set victory over Danka Kovinic. But on Wednesday, she encounters a stiff challenge in the No.2 seed, Anett Kontaveit. Can Serena pull off the upset, or will this be the last match of her career?
Wednesday’s other second round action includes defending champion Daniil Medvedev, 2012 champion Andy Murray, 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu, and 2021 runner-up Leylah Fernandez.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Leylah Fernandez (14) vs. Liudmila Samsonova – Not Before 5:00pm on Grandstand
A year ago at this event, Fernandez made one of the most thrilling runs in US Open history, defeating four top players in three-setters (Osaka, Kerber, Svitolina, Sabalenka). But she returned to New York having played only three matches in the last three months. At Roland Garros, Leylah suffered a foot injury which caused her to miss two months of action. And while Fernandez was sidelined, Samsonova continued to surge. The 23-year-old is currently on an 11-match win streak, after claiming titles in both Washington and Cleveland. Liudmila possesses a strong serve and powerful groundstrokes, which helped her completely dominate the competition in Cleveland, losing just 18 games across 10 sets. This is a dangerous second round draw for Leylah, especially considering her recent lack of match play.
Serena Williams vs. Anett Kontaveit (2) – 7:00pm on Arthur Ashe Stadium
Serena’s victory in the first round was only her second in nearly 15 months, and this is just her fourth tournament since missing a full year of action. While Williams was inactive, Kontaveit shot up the rankings, winning five titles within a six-month period. However, her results have diminished since getting COVID earlier this summer, as well as splitting with her coach, Dmitry Tursunov. And her results at Majors remain subpar, as she hasn’t made the second week of a Slam in two years.
In press, Anett spoke about how excited she is for the opportunity to face Serena for the first time. But she’ll surely feel pressure on this big occasion, and I expect Serena to loosen up after getting through her first round. And as we saw on Monday, as well as all during last year’s US Open, the crowd in New York can often play a significant factor in a match’s outcome. With 23,000 people fully behind her, another Serena win on Wednesday feels entirely plausible. Yet if Kontaveit can play her best, that will be extremely challenging for Serena. But I expect Anett will find it difficult to play her best on this stage.
Jack Draper vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime (6) – 7:00pm on Louis Armstrong Stadium
Auger-Aliassime achieved his first Major semifinal here a year ago, and then earlier this year, finally won his first ATP title in nine tries. But on Wednesday, he is faced with one of the ATP’s fastest rising stars. Draper is a 20-year-old Brit with a big game. He reached the semifinals of Eastbourne in June, and is coming off back-to-back quarterfinals in Montreal and Winston-Salem. In Montreal, Jack upset Stefanos Tsitsipas for his first career top five win. In their first career meeting, and at the first Major where Auger-Aliassime is defending so many ranking points, I would not be surprised to see Draper pull off another upset over a top player.
Beatriz Haddad Maia (15) vs. Bianca Andreescu – Last on Louis Armstrong Stadium
Since Andreescu’s title run here three years ago, she’s endured a plethora of injuries, only playing 53 matches since the end of 2019. Bianca was only 2-2 this summer on hard courts heading into this tournament. Meanwhile, Haddad Maia is having a sensational season, with 44 wins at all levels. She claimed two ITF-level titles in May on clay, two WTA titles in June on grass, and reached a WTA 1000 final this month in Toronto. Her run in Canada featured victories over Leylah Fernandez, Iga Swiatek, Belinda Bencic, and Karolina Pliskova. And in her opening round here, she defeated Ana Konjuh 6-0, 6-0. All of this makes Beatriz a considerable favorite over Bianca on Wednesday night.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Ons Jabeur (5) vs. Elizabeth Mandlik (WC) – Mandlik is the 21-year-old daughter of 1985 US Open champion Hana Mandlikova. Jabeur defeated another American, Madison Brengle, in straight sets on Monday.
Andy Murray vs. Emilio Nava (WC) – Murray defeated Francisco Cerundolo on Monday in straight sets, his first straight-set victory at a Major in over five years. Nava is a 20-year-old American who took out John Millman in the first round.
Madison Keys (20) vs. Camila Giorgi – These are two of the WTA’s heaviest hitters. Keys is coming off a semifinal run two weeks ago in Cincinnati. She is 3-2 against Giorgi at tour level.
Elena Gabriela Ruse vs. Coco Gauff (12) – Gauff earned her first career victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday. Ruse arrived in New York on a five-match losing streak, with one of those losses coming against Coco at Wimbledon.
Daniil Medvedev (1) vs. Arthur Rinderknech – Medvedev dropped only six games in his opening round. Rinderknech is a 27-year-old who reached two Challenger finals in recent months, though he’s never advanced beyond the second round at a Major.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
