By Chris Oddo | Saturday August 25, 2018
At some majors fans are forced to wait a few days before the popcorn matches begin—not at the U.S. Open in 2018. There is a vast array of delectable first-rounders that we’ll be keeping our eye on once action begins at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Monday.
More US Open: Full Day 1 Order of Play
Here’s a look at five of them:
Stan Wawrinka v Grigor Dimitrov
For the second consecutive major an unseeded Stan Wawrinka will square off with Grigor Dimitrov in the first round. What were the odds? At Wimbledon things went the way of the Swiss with Wawrinka winning in four. Now that the Stanimal is in much better form and on the cusp of the Top 100 (he was 224 at Wimbledon), pundits are pretty much expecting the same result. But Dimitrov is a talented player that has the potential to pull a rabbit out of a hat. The Bulgarian is 8-7 lifetime at New York with trips to the round of 16 in 2014 and 2016.
Wawrinka, who has surged to form this summer on hardcourts (he won three matches in succession for the first time all season at Cincinnati before falling to Roger Federer in three sets), is 38-11 lifetime at New York with a title in 2016. He takes a seven-match U.S. Open winning streak into this match.
Svetlana Kuznetsova v Venus Williams
Two former U.S. Open champions and winners of multiple majors will meet for the 11th time and the first time at the U.S. Open on Monday on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Svetlana Kuznetsova comes in with slightly better form, having won the title at the Citi Open earlier this summer, but Venus Williams is always good in NYC. The American, a two-time champion, owns a 76-16 lifetime record in Queens and is defending semifinal points.
Denis Shapovalov v Felix Auger-Aliassime
Forget popcorn, get your poutine for this one: A battle of rising Canadians pits two of the youngest players in this year’s men’s singles draw against one another in the first round. Denis Shapovalov, who became the youngest player to reach the second week in New York since Michael Chang in 1989 last year, will face qualifier Felix Auger-Aliassime, a former Boys Singles winner in New York who is tabbed as a future star.
The pair met last year for the first time on the professional tour at the Drummondville Challenger last year and Shapovalov won in straights.
Rafael Nadal v David Ferrer
David Ferrer got a tough draw for his 16th and final U.S. Open main draw. The Spaniard draws friend, rival and compatriot Rafael Nadal, a player that he once knocked off in the round of 16 at the Flushing Meadows (Nadal leads the H2H 24-6). But Ferrer’s four-set victory over then No.2-ranked Nadal was 11 years ago. This year Nadal is in top form and gunning for a title defense, while Ferrer is toting a four-match losing streak and close to the end of his career.
That said, this will be a must-watch contest, if only for the emotional content and the chance to pay tribute to the indefatigable Ferrer, who is an inspiration and a legend of the sport in so many ways.
Maria Sharapova v Patty Schnyder
Hard to say if Patty Schnyder is really capable of making waves in the main draw of a major at the age of 39, but the Swiss is poised to make her first appearance at a Slam main draw since 2010, so we’ll soon find out when she faces Maria Sharapova in round one action. Schnyder became the oldest player to ever qualify for the main draw of a major when she defeated Jessica Pegula in the final round of qualies.
Sharapova is one of the few WTA players in the field that has a long history with Schnyder. The Russian has won seven of eight and their last meeting was contested in 2008 in Rome—over a decade ago! Sharapova has won the pair’s last six meetings but the Swiss did force a third set in four of those encounters (another exciting twist: Neither player has ever lost a first-round match at the U.S. Open).
Have to think that Sharapova and her power game are heavily favored in this one but it will be quite the spectacle just to see what Schnyder is capable of at this stage of her career. Set to turn 40 in December the Swiss, now a mother, has done a remarkable job to make it back to the Grand Slam stage.
More Popcorn:
Those are just five of about 20 great first-rounders on tap for Monday and Tuesday in New Yorki, and we'd be remiss if we didn't mention a few more.
So... here goes...
Caroline Wozniacki vs. Samantha Stosur has the potential to be a great opening-round affair. Stosur is not having a good year and has gone just 3-9 on hard this season, but whenever you pit a former champion against a World No.2 and a two-time finalist there's bound to be some excitement... Johanna Konta v Caroline Garcia promises to be a great matchup in the softer lower half of the women's draw. Konta's form has been improving of late and Garcia may have the potential to go on a run in New York--if she passes her first big test... Mikhail Youzny v Marcos Baghdatis is a battle of old-school warriors and it will be compelling because this will be Youzhny's last Grand Slam appearance. Does he have a few more wins in that 36-year-old body of his?... Stefanos Tsitsipas v Tommy Robredo pits a Greek sensation making his U.S. Open debut with a Spanish stalwart who will be making his 15th main draw appearance at Flushing meadows. Robredo could be a tough out as he's had three qualifying matches to find his form and Tsitsipas is seeded 15 after a very special hardcourt summer that saw him reach his first Masters 1000 final in Toronto... Last but not least how about top-seeded Simona Halep v Kaia Kanepi? Kanepi is a two-time U.S. Open quarterfinalist that owns an 18-12 lifetime record in New York. Should be manageable for Halep, but not an ideal opener by any means.