US Open 2024 Draw Preview: Males’s and Ladies’s Evaluation
The US Open 2024 draw preview units up a blistering fortnight of chance, together with Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on reverse sides. Beleaguered Jannik Sinner attracts Alcaraz in his half.
My total impressions glancing on the US Open 2024 males’s draw: It units up a bevy of fraught rematches. For instance, my bracket has top-ranked American Taylor Fritz doubtlessly assembly 4th-seeded Alexander Zverev in a rematch of their terse Wimbledon conflict. And naturally, the US Open 2024 draw preview offers us one other potential ultimate between Djokovic and Alcaraz, arguably the 2 present finest gamers on the planet.
Earlier than I break down the sections of this US Open 2024 draw preview, a notice about upset specials and first-round matches to catch. Tommy Paul and Lorenzo Sonego are two lithe movers in Rd 1. This may even be a very good indication of how Tommy is feeling at his dwelling Slam this 12 months. Jack Draper vs. Zhizhen Zhang is a first-round battle of two high quality gamers, and we’ll see how Draper is coping with the Cincy dustup. American tall dude Reilly Opelka continues his comeback try towards 2024 hotshot Lorenzo Musetti. Good distinction of kinds. My potential upset particular: Thanasi Kokkinakis over new-coach-seeking Stefanos Tsitsipas.
US Open 2024 Draw Preview: Sinner Quarter
Sinner has been fully cleared of doping allegations, however the story doesn’t finish there. Although not his fault, Sinner’s case has uncovered large inequities in the best way drug instances are dealt with in skilled tennis. Notably Simona Halep and Tara Moore misplaced months of enjoying time and presumably tens of millions of {dollars} in earnings. This has to weigh on Sinner to some extent. Add the truth that, whereas his chemical publicity was purely unintended, the Italian celebrity had to surrender prize cash and rankings factors. He admitted the method was a drain on him. Plus Sinner has battled a recurring hip damage. I can’t decide Sinner to come back by means of on the US Open 2024. The margins are too tight.
Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and rising American Tommy Paul lurk on this part of the lads’s draw. My bracket has Sinner’s run ending with Paul, who would doubtlessly meet Meddy within the quarterfinals. That is one more intriguing rivalry on repeat. Medvedev and Paul met within the semis of Indian Wells this 12 months in a captivating distinction of kinds. It was a cliffhanger till Paul twisted his ankle. Of their subsequent assembly on clay in Rome, Paul beat Meddy soundly. That is only a actually enjoyable sort of contest on a tough courtroom. I’d decide Paul to come back by means of solely by advantage of the group, but it surely may very well be dramatic.
Carlos Alcaraz Quarter
Roland Garros and Wimbledon 2024 Champion Carlos Alcaraz has a straightforward draw. The very best seed close to him is lefty Brit Jack Draper, who carries the albatross of his sportsmanship being known as into query after a controversial match level with Felix Auger Aliassime in Cincinnati. Straightforward pickings for Carlitos.
Different notables on this part embrace: American Sebastian Korda, Aussie Alex De Minaur, younger Italian Matteo Arnaldi and large server Hubert Hurkacz. Alcaraz has favorable data towards all these guys, with solely a single victory between them (Korda). It stuns perception how dominant Alcaraz has change into in such a brief time period.
US Open 2024 Draw Preview: Zverev Quarter
One beneficiary of all of the controversy surrounding different males in tennis proper now is perhaps a man who’s lastly not a part of it: Alexander Zverev. The German has loved deep runs aplenty this 12 months. He’s ready for his Grand Slam breakthrough. His razor skinny loss to Dominic Thiem in 2020 nonetheless haunts him, however Thiem is retiring early. Rafael Nadal will quickly comply with. Perhaps in some cosmic manner, this exorcizes a couple of ghosts.
As talked about above, I’ve Fritz assembly Zverev within the quarterfinals. Alex leads their H2H 5-4. Regardless that Fritz has been enjoying brilliantly in 2024 and is only a sliver away from the ATP Prime 10, Zverev might use his expertise towards this opponent to out-serve him. Neither man involves the online a lot, however Zverev is a little bit higher at it.
Novak Djokovic Quarter
4-time US Open Champion Novak Djokovic additionally has a reasonably easy draw, although issues might get a bit extra difficult down the stretch.
Novak has the wind at his again proper now. And it’s a tremendous, recent and completely happy breeze. He’s received 24 Grand Slams, essentially the most for a person. He simply realized a dream of successful an Olympic Gold Medal by beating each the King of Clay Nadal and younger gun Alcaraz at Roland Garros. Life is good. Some will argue that he’ll lack the motivation required to slog by means of New York. I see it extra as a weight lifted.
Djokovic might doubtlessly meet feisty and flashy Ben Shelton once more right here within the Spherical of 16. All of us do not forget that match from final 12 months when a cheeky Djokovic hung up the telephone on Shelton. My bracket has a darkish horse in Czech Jiri Lehecka beating Andrey Rublev on the prime of this quarter. Lehecka was harm in Madrid this 12 months however is an thrilling younger clean-ball-hitter who seems to be rebounding if Cincinnati is any indication. So I’ve Djokovic and Lehecka within the quarterfinals with the GOAT coming by means of.
My gamers to look at:
QF: Paul, Alcaraz, Zverev, Djokovic
SF: Alcaraz, Djokovic
F: Alcaraz
US Open 2024 Draw Preview: Ladies
The ladies’s facet is loaded with intriguing potential matchups and gifted powerhouse gamers striving to ascertain their maintain on the sport.
Initially, a notice. It doesn’t appear 4th-seeded Elena Rybakina is wholesome, as a result of she misplaced within the first spherical of Cincinnati and he or she’s been skipping her US Open apply classes. So pencil her out early. Feisty Italian Jasmine Paolini anchors the opposite finish of that quarter, however exhausting courtroom isn’t her speciality. That is the place another person might emerge, and I like the facility baseline sport of Anna Kalinskaya. She may need to take care of Jelena Ostapenko, however Penko can undoubtedly be caught on a spray-n-wash evening.
World primary Iga Swiatek has some sticky wickets in her part together with Mirra Andreeva, Danielle Collins, Diana Shnaider and Jessica Pegula. All gamers who might doubtlessly take down the 2022 US Open champ. Snaider is unquestionably a participant to look at for me. Pegula simply beat her roundly in Canada, however the Russian NC State product has many high quality wins this 12 months. I’m going to take JPeg over Diana in 3 units this time, however watch the Russian enhance. Iga’s hardest take a look at will seemingly be Andreeva on her solution to the ultimate.
2023 US Open Champion Coco Gauff has had an uneven 2024, and there’s loads of strain to defend in New York. Due to this, I see her being upset on this talent-filled part of the draw. I like Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejikova to come back by means of merely due to her all-court sport and unflappability on beak factors.
The ultimate part of the ladies’s draw is pretty easy for me. The very best-quality gamers, because it stands proper now, are Qinwen Zheng and Aryna Sabalenka. Clearly wholesome and together with her serve in full throttle, I see “Sabs Prepare” with the trophy in hand this 12 months.
My gamers to look at:
QF: Swiatek, Kalinskaya, Krejikova, Sabalenka
SF: Swiatek, Sabalenka
F: Sabalenka
