Serena Williams in action during the 2016 Summer Olympic Games (image via zimbio.com)
The second day of the US Open will see Serena Williams return to the Arthur Ashe stadium for the first time since her heartbreaking loss in last year’s semifinal.
Awaiting the world No.1 in the opening round will be a player that she has previously lost to in a grand slam tournament, Ekaterina Makarova. Since that exit at the 2012 Australian Open, Williams has revenged her loss by defeating the Russian a trio of times on the tour, with the most recent occurring in 2014. The upcoming match will be the first real indication of how fit the 34-year-old is after recently being troubled by inflammation in her right shoulder.
Stan Wawrinka will be another player expected to be tested in his opening match. The two-time grand slam champion will play Fernando Verdasco. The Swiss has already experienced disappointment against Verdasco this year after losing to the Spaniard in the Aegon Championships in London. The two has played each other once before on a hard-court in the 2012 Mexican Open. On the occasion Verdasco also triumphed straight sets. The match promises to a true test for Wawrinka as he bids to reach his fourth consecutive US Open quarter-final.
Simona Halep will be looking to continue her unbeaten run against Kirsten Flipkens. The fifth seed has defeated has already defeated the Belgian on four previous occasions in straight sets. On the other hand, Flipkens has the game to be a dangerous player and has already defeated Venus Williams, Monica Puig and Johanna Konta this season. Halep does have the slight edge, but don’t expect that match to be straightforward for the Romanian.
Finally, Andy Murray will face Lukas Rosol in the final match of the day on the Arthur Ashe stadium. In their two previous meetings, the Brit has been forced to rally from a set down on both occasions to clinch the win. Murray will be the stand out favourite in the match following his successful summer, where he has won 22 out of his 23 matches on the tour.
