By Chris Oddo | Wednesday August 26, 2015
It's time to saddle up and ride to New York. We break down this year's US Open dark horse candidates here.
Photo Source: Getty
It’s that time of year again. As Grand Slam chatter heats up 24 hours ahead of the release of the 2015 US Open draw, we’re here to take a closer look at potential dark horse candidates on both the men’s and women’s side.
More: Even Bad Boy Johnny MacNasty Thinks Kyrgios Needs to Slow His Roll
But before we start, let’s clarify what exactly what a dark horse is. Certainly a dark horse is a player that is not expected to win. But let us once again clarify that “winning” can mean many things in a Grand Slam event. The title is the ultimate goal, but to truly be considered a dark horse run a title isn’t necessary. In this case, we are going to make our cut-off at the quarterfinals. So when we ask “Who is capable of making a dark horse run at the US Open?” we actually mean “Who is capable of reaching the quarterfinals, that isn’t expected to?” That eliminates the Big Four, Serena Williams and pretty much all of the top eight seeds on both sides. Are we clear? Then let’s proceed, starting with the men:
Grigor Dimitrov: It’s been a rough campaign for Dimitrov. He’s struggled to hit his backhand with authority and make first serves. He’s lost his coach, and a whole lot of matches. But anybody who was watching his round of 16 loss to Andy Murray in Cincinnati knows that the Bulgarian had the better of the play in that match and probably should have won it if it weren’t for some nerves. The loss itself must have stung, but the fact that Dimitrov was absolutely crushing the ball from both wings against Murray means his game is coming along nicely (Murray even said so after the win in press). It’s been a blah year for Grigor, but maybe the New York energy will suit him and he’ll use the US Open to save his season.
John Isner: One thing that is working very strongly in John Isner’s favor is that he lost early in Cincinnati. That means that the big man will come into New York well rested and full of energy, rather than hobbled. When you’re a giant like Isner, and play so many long matches full of tiebreakers, you need to have a fresh reserve of energy to go on a run. Isner plays his best tennis in the U.S. and if the draw breaks his way, he could most certainly become the first U.S. player to reach a major semifinal in over a decade. In addition to being rested, Isner is also in good form. He went 11-3 on the U.S. hard courts this summer and reeled off eight consecutive wins at one point.
Borna Coric: It would be a huge shock but Borna Coric, the tour's leading teenager in terms of wins with 22, has been improving rapidly as the season progresses. He already owns two career Top-5 wins and he defeated Tommy Robredo in five sets at Roland Garros this year. The 18-year-old has already played all the Grand Slams once, compiling a 4-4 record. We admit he may be a little green to reach the last eight, but if anybody from the teenage set is ready this summer, it's Coric
Alexandr Dolgopolov: An upset of Tomas Berdych and a near-upset of Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati show that Alexandr Dolgopolov is in good form. The hot and cold Ukrainian, whose previous best US Open performance was reaching the round of 16 in 2011, can do some serious damage when he’s in full-flight. One of these days he’s going to make another deep Slam run (see 2011 Australia). Who knows, maybe now is the time.
Ivo Karlovic: The ace king has been having a tremendous year at 36, and he’s likely to be as unbreakable as ever at New York this year. Really it’s just a matter of whether he can win his share of tiebreakers to keep moving on at the Open.
And now the women:
Elina Svitolina: Svitolina is not a scout’s dream. Her serve lacks pop and she really doesn’t have a signature shot that can do damage. But she’s very solid off both wings and the Ukrainian doesn’t give opponents anything on court. Despite her lack of a jaw-dropping weapon, Svitolina’s got a very solid, grinding baseline game that will present huge problems for anybody that can’t beat her in the power department. And she’s a great mover who can hit and counterpunch from both wings on the run. She’s already racked up two semifinals on hard courts this summer and could be poised for another run in New York.
Belinda Bencic: Duh. Obviously the player that just took out Serena Williams in Toronto (and beat five other former Grand Slam finalists) is a dark horse candidate in New York. Many expect Bencic to go deep at the Open, but in truth it will be a remarkable achievement if she can replicate the success she’s been having all summer. She’ll come into New York having won 18 of 21 matches including her first two career titles. She’ll have a big target on her back and stress management will be essential. But of all the dark horse candidates, the Swiss is the most likely to get deep in the draw.
Andrea Petkovic: Petkovic told the crowd at the Bank of the West Classic this summer that she’s like a diesel. She needs time to start up and get running. After a few rocky weeks, an injury scare or two, Petko appears to be getting up to speed. Her hard-fought loss to Simona Halep in Cincinnati is a sign that she’s just about ready to ramp it up.
Sloane Stephens: Stephens nabbed her first title this year in Washington, D.C., which must be a tremendous boost to her psyche, and she’s always good at majors. With the hometown crowd in her corner, and a game that’s been starting to blossom again, it could be time for another breakthrough for the American.
Caroline Garcia: Wins over Sabine Lisicki, Petra Kvitova and Timea Bacsinszky tell us that the 21-year-old Frenchwoman could be close to a breakthrough.