US Open Overview

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

The women:

Favorites

1) Serena Williams

2) Angelique Kerber

3) Garbine Muguruza

4) Aggie Radwanska

Serena is the obvious favorite, despite an apparent shoulder problem that kept her out of the Cincinnati tournament.  Don’t expect her shoulder to hamper her in this tournament.  She has a tricky first round match with Ekaterina Makarova, a seasoned veteran who knows how to play in big tournaments and who defeated Williams in the Australian Open in 2012.  If she gets through that one, Serena probably face Halep in the quarterfinals.  Halep is playing good tennis right now and also claims some significant wins over Serena in the past.  Angie Kerber, the #2 seed, has a bit of an easier draw.  If all goes according to script, she would play Muguruza in the semis, but has a fairly smooth ride before that.   Muguruza obviously has the ability to go all the way, though she sometimes appears a bit too comfortable with losses.  She has Madison Keys in her quarter, so that could be a tough match and a good match.  I pick Radwanska above Halep because Halep is in Serena’s quarter.

They have a chance:

1) Simona Halep

2) Madison Keys

3) Petra Kvitova

4) Karolina Pliskova

Halep is a great player and is playing quite well this summer.  She probably would have to beat Serena Williams to go all the way, but she’s done it before.  Madison Keys has an awesome power game that has really rounded into form this year.  She still has a way to go to reach her full potential, but is a very dangerous player.  Both Kvitova and Pliskova are long shots but have a chance.  The enigmatic Kvitova, who looked awesome in her two Wimbledon wins, is quite erratic and frankly, disappointing.  Pliskova has a great serve that gets her a lot of free points, and powerful groundies as well.  She is not a great mover and has succumbed to pressure in the past, but her win over Kerber in Cincinnati indicates that she might be putting it all together. 

Players to keep an eye on:

1) Laura Robson, Radwanska’s quarter, top half.  Has she finally overcome her injuries?

2) Eugenie Bouchard, Radwanska’s quarter, top half.  Has she finally exorcised her demons?  A great talent but…

3) Venus Williams, Radwanska’s quarter.  She is seeded 6^th.  It will be interesting to see what kind of tennis she can produce at this late stage of her career.

4) Svetlana Kuznetsova, Muguruza’s quarter, bottom half.  She’s won a couple of slams and has had a pretty good year.  She could be a spoiler.

5) Monica Puig, Muguruza’s quarter.  She won Olympic gold.  Is that a springboard to greatness for her?

6) Ceci Bellis, Kerber’s quarter, bottom half.  Haven’t heard much from the young phenom in awhile.  Let’s see where she’s at.

7) Elina Svitolina, Kerber’s quarter.  Beat Serena in the Olympics and almost won the New Haven warmup, though she tweaked her right ankle in the final.  Looking good these days with Justine Henin’s tutelage. 

Interesting first round matches:

1) Gavrilova vs Safarova, top half.  The feisty Gavrilova plays Safarova, a terrific player when healthy and match tough.  Could be a good one.

2) Giorgi vs Stosur, top half.  It’s all or nothing at all with Camila Giorgi, who faces a former champ.  Will Giorgi’s dad be giving her signals from the player’s box?

3) Townsend vs Wozniaki,  Muguruza’s quarter.  Townsend can really hit the ball and moves a lot better than you would think from her physical appearance.  Wozniaki, a former world #1, is really vulnerable these days.  Could be interesting.

4) Ostapenko vs Kvitova, Kerber’s quarter.  Ostapenko is very talented a motivated.  If Kvitova doesn’t show up this could be a big upset.

 Can’t help missing Maria Sharapova just a little!