US Open Overview

The draw is now out for the US open.  Here are some noteworthy findings:

The men:

Favorites

1) Andy Murray

2) Novak Djokovic

3) Milos Raonic

4) Marin Cilic

At the moment I’d put Andy Murray just a little bit ahead of Novak as the favorite for this tournament.  Not only is he playing the best tennis in the world right now, but the only man to beat him recently, Marin Cilic, must beat Djokovic to get to Andy.  Djokovic, still the best player in the world, has had some ups and downs recently, but overall he must be high on the list of favorites.  Raonic has been dominated by Murray lately, but he’s always learning, always reaches the late rounds of tournaments, and is not in Murray’s half of the draw.  He’s had little success against Djokovic either, though, so his chances are so-so if Novak faces and beats Marin Cilic.  Cilic plays really well at this time of year, he beat Murray in Cincinnati, and he’s won this tournament before.  He’ll have to get past Novak and probably Raonic to reach the final.

They have a chance:

1) Stan Wawrinka

2) Rafael Nadal

3) Kei Nishikori

2) Dominic Thiem

4) Gael Monfils

5) Nick Kyrgios

Stan Wawrinka, while up and down psychologically, is still a 2-time slam winner and a very powerful player.  I’m not yet ready to dismiss Nadal, he’s such a great player.  He hasn’t looked all that good lately, though.  Kei Nishikori has made the final before, and is a truly great player.  Will he hold up physically is the question.  Dominic Thiem had a fabulous early part of 2016 but has flagged a bit lately.  He’s a real professional with a world of talent, however, so he has a chance.  Gael Monfils has the ability to win but hasn’t played his top tennis for seven straight matches at any previous time in his career.  He’s a much more serious player than he used to be, so I give him a shot.  Kyrgios is a long shot but has wonderful tools.  He’s gotten a bit more serious about his tennis over the past several months, so who knows?  Another player who’s gotten more serious is Kyrgios’ countryman, Bernie Tomic.  Those two might face off in the third round, which would be interesting.

Players to keep an eye on:

1) David Goffin          Murray’s half

2) Stevie Johnson                  Murray’s half

3) Alexander Zverev             Murray’s half

4) Grigor Dimitrov                Murray’s half

5) John Isner                         Djokovic’s half

6) Jack Sock                           Djokovic’s half

Interesting first round matches:

1) Wawrinka vs. Verdasco.  If Verdasco plays his best, could be a tough one for Stan.

2) Nadal vs Istomin.  Nadal should win comfortably, but this will be a chance to check out how he’s playing.

3) Dustin Brown vs. Milos Raonic.  Expect Raonic to win, but Brown is a ton of fun to watch!

4) Jack Sock Vs. Taylor Fritz.  Two terrific young Americans going at it.