As the final Najor of the year gets underway on Monday in New York, LWOT will take you through some must-see matches in the early stages of the 2018 US Open.
Rafael Nadal vs David Ferrer
It’s a shame that David Ferrer draws Rafael Nadal in what could be his final match at a Grand Slam. I don’t know how competitive this match will be, but any time you get a rematch of a Grand Slam final in the first round you have to mention it at least.
Kevin Anderson vs Ryan Harrison
This match has upset alert written all over it. Ryan Harrison recorded one of the biggest wins of his career at the US Open against Milos Raonic in 2016. This match feels like it could play out similarly. While Anderson is having the best season of his career right now after reaching the finals at Wimbledon, this isn’t an ideal first round match for the big-serving South African.
Stan Wawrinka vs Grigor Dimitrov
These two are facing each other for the second straight time in the first round of a grand slam. At Wimbledon, Wawrinka defeated Dimitrov in four sets before falling to Thomas Fabbiano in the second round. At that time, Wawrinka wasn’t playing anywhere near his best tennis and still managed to get the win which should give him some confidence coming into the match. Dimitrov has had a decent summer so far reaching the quarterfinals at the Rogers Cup in Toronto but will have the up his level if he wants to get past the 2016 US Open champion.
Venus Williams vs Stevlana Kuznetsova
2018 hasn’t exactly gone to plan for Venus. She hasn’t been able to find much form and has recently been battling a knee injury which caused her to miss Cincinnati. Her draw isn’t doing her any favors as she’ll face Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round. The two have played each other ten times dating all the way back to 2003. It won’t get any easier for whoever gets through with potential matches against Serena Williams and Simona Halep in the 3rd, and 4th round.
Caroline Garcia vs Johanna Konta
Johanna Konta hasn’t been able to replicate what she did in 2017, but she’s still playing at a high level at the moment. She recently withdrew in New Haven with a viral illness which might cause some concern, but she’s not someone Caroline Garcia wanted to see her name next to in the first round. Earlier this summer Konta handed Serena Williams the worst loss of her career in San Jose. If Konta can find a way to play like that again, she can potentially make a run in New York.
Caroline Wozniacki vs Samantha Stosur
Sam Stosur isn’t the same player now that won the US Open in 2011, but coming back to a tournament where you’ve had such good memories can do wonders for a player’s game. Wozniacki recently retired in Cincinnati after losing the first set to Kiki Bertens. Stosur can be a tricky opponent to play against when she’s on, and she should be able to play freely without any expectations. Nothing Stosur’s done recently would lead you to believe she can actually win this, but Wozniacki is definitely on upset alert.
