The last grand slam of the year is upon is as; we head to Flushing Meadows to see the best of the best duke it out for glory at the US Open in New York. With a number of high-profile unseeded players, the draw has given us a few grand slam final worthy first rounds. Let’s dive into the best matchups for the Men’s and Women’s.
Naomi Osaka (WC) vs Jelena Ostapenko (10)
H2H: 1-0
This is arguably THE biggest match up of them all; 4x Grand Slam Champion in Osaka vs Grand Slam Champion Ostapenko. Both women possess immense power in their game; expect a lot of winners and not many long rallies or running! It should be a thoroughly entertaining clash and Naomi has herself come out to express excitement about facing Jelena. Osaka’s comeback since having a child has been mixed; she has not gone deep at any tournaments this year but we have seen glimpses of an elite level that made her a multiple grand slam winner.
One of those glimpses was against World Number One Iga Swiatek, the Pole had to save a match point to grind out a tight 3 set match vs the Japanese star. The match was contested on clay at Roland Garros and the performance by Osaka was a pleasant surprise for many; she was not able to capitalise on that level moving forward but maybe a matchup with someone dangerous in Ostapenko will be the trigger to see more of that elite level.
For Ostapenko she made the quarter finals at Wimbledon, eventually falling to eventual champion Krejcikova; the Latvian though has only won one match since and goes into the US Open in jaded form. She is renowned for her high winner count but that can also be accompanied by a high unforced error count if she is not completely on her game.
Make sure to strap yourselves in as this could be the hardest hitting match you see all tournament. My prediction is former US Open champion Naomi Osaka; I think she will get the win in straight sets. The atmosphere and muscle memory may play a part for Naomi and Jelena is susceptible to an early round loss against a strong player like Osaka.
Emma Raducanu vs Sofia Kenin
H2H: 0-0
It is the 2021 US Open champion vs the 2020 Australian Open champion. Yes, you read that right! As the US Open comes around the eyeballs on Emma Raducanu increase to see if she can pull off another fairytale run in New York. Since her win 3 years ago; the Brit has battled injuries and dips in form. She is still inexperienced on the tour and seems to be learning as she goes. However, wins on the grass vs Pegula and Sakkari would have given her a mental boost going into this tournament. Sofia Kenin experienced something similar after her Australian Open win in 2020; the American has not hit those same dizzying heights due to injury, form and some off court struggles. However, wins over the likes of Sabalenka in the last 12-18 months will have boosted her confidence and thinking that she has the level to beat the very best.
These two talented women have similar styles, utilising smart angles and taking the ball early in order to disrupt and rush their opponent. Neither player has a massive serve; with their strengths laying more on their returning ability. If both women are at their best, expect some dynamic points coupled with some long competitive games and potentially several breaks of serve. This is a tough one to pick and I imagine the New York crowd will also feel the same way, who do they cheer? American Kenin or former US Open champion and crowd favourite Raducanu? My pick is Raducanu in three very entertaining sets.
Stefanos Tsitispas (11) vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
H2H: 1-0
You may wonder why I have included this match up; Kokkinakis is a potential banana skin for an under-par Tsitsipas. Stefanos has recently split with his dad as his coach and has had a turbulent season to say the least; he has not made it past the quarter final of any grand slam this year and recently lost in the opening round and round 2 of the Canada Masters and Cincinnati Masters respectively. The Greek player seems a bit overwhelmed with how the likes of Alcaraz and Sinner have creeped up the “Now-Gen” and the chance of not winning a grand slam in his career could now be a real possibility; despite making 2 grand slam finals in his career. Off the court he seems happy with fellow tennis player Paula Badosa but the same cannot be said for his demeanour on court; his level has not been up to scratch for large parts of the season and his game does not seem to be improving.
In Kokkinakis, you have an Australian who serves big and can hurt you with an explosive game; especially on the forehand. He is also no stranger to 5 set matches and seems to have great endurance when it comes to longer matches. Thanasi also came through qualifying in Canada and beat Monfils before losing to Hurkacz in a final set tie breaker. His form is there and he has the weapons to cause trouble for Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas has never made it past the 4th round of the US Open; this fact in itself is a strange one. The Australian Open is a faster hard court than the US Open yet Stefanos’ record in Australia is far superior; a strange observation given that his game seems better suited to slightly slower surfaces e.g. clay! My prediction is Tsitsipas but in five hard fought sets.
Qinwen Zheng (7) vs Amanda Anisimova
H2H: 0-0
This is the most intriguing matchup of all in my opinion. Recent Olympic Gold Medallist (albeit on clay) vs a recent resurgent Anisimova. Anisimova had taken some time away from the game for mental health issues but seems to be slowly getting back to her best as evidenced by her final run at the Canada Masters; Navarro, Sabalenka and Kasatkina some of the names she beat enroute.
The Canada courts seemed quicker than the slow/medium hard courts at the US Open and that could favour Zheng. Zheng lost to Pavlyuchenkova in the 2nd Round of Cincinnati but would have had limited time to practice on hard court after her Olympic win. She would have hoped she could have had a few easy opening rounds at the US Open to play herself into form on hard court; however, the prospect of Anisimova means she will have to find a good level right off the bat.
Both players possess potent serves and power off both wings from the baseline; this should be a big hitting contest. Zheng generally possesses better shot tolerance but Anisimova has bigger ball striking ability. There is a chance if Zheng comes out slowly or sluggish, Amanda could over power her very quickly. In my opinion it’s important for Zheng to start well; the transition from clay to hard court in such a short amount of time could be detrimental for her. My prediction is Anisimova to cause the upset on paper and win in potentially two tight sets.
These are just a few of the popcorn matches in the 1st Round, which match is your most anticipated watch?
