Predictions:
Men's Champion: (1) Novak Djokovic
Women's Champion: (1) Serena Williams
Men's Dark Horse: (19) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Women's Dark Horse: (17) Elina Svitolina and (20) Victoria Azarenka
Men's Toughest Road: (4) Kei Nishikori
Women's Toughest Road: (3) Maria Sharapova and (11) Angelique Kerber
Men and Women's Dark Horses:
If Tsonga gets past fellow countryman, (16) Gael Monfils, in the third round. He could possibly face Nishikori and (7) David Ferrer respectively in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. The good news for Tsonga is that both Nishikori and Ferrer have slight frames and don't really have the weapons to hurt him when he brings his 'A' game. The bad news is: (1) Tsonga is inconsistent, (2) Tsonga has losing records against both men (2-4 vs. Nishikori, 1-3 vs. Ferrer), and (3) Tsonga has never been past the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open.
It's not a guarantee that Sharapova will make it to the round of 16. Even if she does, Svitolina does have the game to pull off the upset. She might also need to beat (7) Ivanovic in the quarterfinals. Two wins against two top ten players and former major winners would give her confidence in her first ever major semifinal.
Azarenka is still trying to work her way back into form that won her two career major titles and two runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open (2012, 2013). If she can rediscover her game pre-2014 injuries, she will be a very tough out at the U.S. Open.
Men and Women's Toughest Roads:
Nishikori could potentially face Alexandr Dolgopolov in the third round, either Monfils or Tsonga in the round of 16, Ferrer in the quarterfinals, Djokovic in the semifinals, and (2) Roger Federer in the championship.
Sharapova could face Daria Gavrilova in the first roun,d (30) Svetlana Kuzentsova in the third round, Svitolina in the round of 16, Ivanovic in the quarterfinals, Serena Williams in the semifinals, and (2) Simona Halep in the final.
Kerber could face Azarenka in the third round, Safarova in the round of 16, Halep in the quarterfinals, (5) Petra Kvitova in the semifinals, and (1) Serena Williams in the final.
Women's 1st Round Matches to Watch:
Coco Vandeweghe vs. (29) Sloane Stephens
(3) Maria Sharapova vs. Daria Gavrilova
Kristina Mladenovic vs. (30) Svetlana Kuznetsova
(25) Eugenie Bouchard vs. Alison Riske
Dominika Cibulkova vs. (7) Ana Ivanovic
Injuries kept Cibulkova out for a few months. As a result, her ranking plummeted. This is a nightmare matchup that should be at least a round of 16 matchup. As a result, we'll see two top ten talents duke it out in the opening round. This could be the highlight of the first round.
Julia Goerges vs. (32) Anna Karolina Schmeildlova
(18) Andrea Petkovic vs. Caroline Garcia
Timea Babos vs. (22) Samantha Stosur
Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Karin Knapp
(27) Alize Cornet vs. Kurumi Nara
Men's 1st Round Matches to Watch:
Vasek Pospisil vs. Andreas Haider-Maurer
Fernando Verdasco vs. (PR) Tommy Haas
(Q) Nikolos Basilashvili vs. (18) Feliciano Lopez
This will be a rematch from Wimbledon in which Basiliashvil stunned Lopez in five sets the second round. Can lightening strike twice?
(32) Fabio Fognini vs. Steve Johnson
Fognini is one of most talented players on the ATP tour, but is too inconsistent. If "good" Fabio shows up, Johnson won't win. If "bad" Fabio who doesn't really care shows up, Johnson wins.
Borna Coric vs. (8) Rafael Nadal
Last year, Coric stunned Nadal in the quarterfinals in Basel in their lone match-up. Nadal is having the worst season of his professional career is ripe for the picking. Coric is ascending while Nadal is descending. Can Coric beat "the King of Clay" for a second time?
(4) Kei Nishikori vs. Benoit Paire
Nick Kyrgios vs. (3) Andy Murray
This is the must see matchup of all the first round matches. Kyrgios has already notched wins over Nadal and Federer in his young career. Murray has rebounded nicely after a tough 2014 season. He briefly reached the number two ranking for a week before Federer reclaimed it with his win in Cincinnati. Can Kyrgios record another win over the "Big Four"?
Denis Kudla vs. (Q) Jurgen Melzer
Thanasi Kokkinakis vs. (12) Richard Gasquet
(29) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. (Q) Alexander Zverev
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
