By Russell Miller
The opening day of the US Open features a star-studded lineup on the show courts, with a total of 64 singles matches and 32 seeded players making up the schedule of play.
There are some dangerous opponents for some seeded players, and it will be worth keeping an eye on these matches. Here are four seeds in action tomorrow who could face an early exit from New York.
Francisco Cerundolo (24) v Andy Murray
This year’s US Open marks the ten-year anniversary of Andy Murray’s first Major title. The Brit has not been seeded at a Slam since 2017 and should prove a tough test for the 24th seed Cerundolo.
Murray was at the centre of an epic match here last year against third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, and came ever so close to beating the Greek. Cerundolo has enjoyed a breakout year which has included his first career title in Bastad on clay, as well as a semi-final showing in Miami.
However, his form has dipped over the US Open series with a 0-2 record, while Murray’s most recent performance in Cincinnati was promising, with a tight defeat to Cameron Norrie in the second round.
H2H: First Meeting
Maria Sakkari (3) v Tatjana Maria
Mum-of-two Tatjana Maria has been one of the stories of the tennis year, after recording her best Major result at Wimbledon, where she reached the semi-finals. Her run featured a victory over Maria Sakkari, who has been out of form over the last couple months, losing three of four matches on hard courts.
The German has not been in brilliant form either but showed at Wimbledon how effective her tricky game is, with the slice backhand being a feature of her deep run. The Greek will be hoping to avoid an early loss as she is defending a large bulk of points from last year’s semi-final run, but she has been dealt a tough draw in the Big Apple.
H2H: Maria leads 2-1 (including events below WTA tour
Roberto Bautista Agut (16) v J.J. Wolf
JJ Wolf is one of the 21 American men in this year’s singles draw and is currently at a career high ranking of 83 in the world. The 23-year-old is making just his 2nd main draw Slam appearance, after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the 3rd round of the US Open in 2019.
He has the tools to provide a tough test for 16th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who has been one of the most consistent Major performers in the men’s game for some time. The pair had a three-hour tussle in Miami earlier this year, and could put on another epic show tomorrow on Court 5.
H2H: Bautista Agut leads 1-0
Barbora Krejcikova (23) v Fernanda Contreras Gomez
This year’s US Open qualifying had more attention than ever, following the remarkable run from Emma Raducanu 12 months ago. Fernanda Contreras Gomez from Mexico is one of the lowest ranked players to have qualified for the main draw but has caught the eye after making her way through the qualies of the last three Majors.
The Mexican will be high on confidence going into her match against Barbora Krejcikova, who has struggled with injuries and poor form in 2022. With just one win in the US Open build-up for Krejcikova, Contreras Gomez will fancy her chances of a big upset here.
H2H: First Meeting
