The US Open begins on Monday. Who will win on Day 1? We here at LWOT will share our thoughts on the matches. In this strangest of Grand Slam tournaments due to COVID-19, anything can happen. Each set of predictions looks at four matches. In addition to this set, we have five others for you to look at. One features Karolina Pliskova vs Anhelina Kalinina, another looks at Danielle Collins vs Anett Kontaveit, the next headlines Angelique Kerber vs Ajla-Tomljanovic, another headlines Naomi Osaka vs Misaki Doi, and the last features Coco Gauff vs Anastasija Sevastova. Predicting this set of matches are Tracey Essex, Ewan West, and Andrew Watson.
US Open Women’s Day 1 Predictions
Anna Blinkova vs Jennifer Brady
Tracey:
Jen Brady has had an exceptional 2020. Taking the title in Lexington shows that the big hitting game of the American is title-worthy. Brady continues to improve both her game and her fitness level. I see Brady making a deep run in Flushing Meadows.
Prediction: Brady in 2
Ewan:
After winning Lexington without dropping a set, Brady’s opening round Cincinnati loss to Jessica Pegula was a surprise. Blinkova won the pair’s only previous meeting in the New Haven Challanger last year. Despite this, the American’s 2020 record is still very impressive, and she should come through against the young Russian.
Prediction: Brady in 2
Andrew:
Blinkova has yet to reach the second round at the US Open. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story as she took a set off Naomi Osaka in last year’s first round. The Russian isn’t in great form having only won four matches in 2020.
Brady was in the best form of her career until the Western & Southern Open. She had just won her first WTA title at Lexington and looked excellent in doing so. This backed up her excellent pre-break tennis when she reached the semifinals in Dubai.
Their previous meeting was a really one sided affair as Blinkova lost only three games in the New Haven quarterfinals. This really muddies the waters because everything else suggests a Brady win here. Brady is still the pick though, her serve should zip off this quick surface and cause Blinkova too many problems.
Prediction: Brady in 2
Francesca Di Lorenzo vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Tracey:
Both players are sitting just outside the Top 100–and they will both feel like this is their match to win. The Belorussian didn’t show well in Prague, losing to Gabriela Ruse in the qualifiers. The American didn’t fare any better, losing to Badosa in qualifying rounds of the Western & Southern Open. Unfortunately for Di Lorenzo, there’s no crowd to bolster a home soil win.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 2
Ewan:
Sasnovich is 4-2 in US Open first round matches. The Belorussian is 6-2 since the restart, while Di Lorenzo is 1-3 (including qualifying). Sasnovich is better than her current ranking of #105 and should win.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 2
Andrew:
Di Lorenzo hasn’t lost a first round match at the US Open so far in her short career. However, she has only won four of her last ten matches on a hard court surface.
The Belorussian also usually does quite well at Flushing Meadows. She has won through to third round before and has a decent hard court record on tour. She has won six from her last ten on the surface.
The America’s home court advantage may be slightly declined by the lack of a home crowd. This will help Sasnovich to simply apply her game and if she does that then she should win. Expect a tight match but one that is edged by Sasnovich.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 3
Tereza Martincova vs Petra Martic
Tracey:
On paper, it looks like this should be an easy win for Martic. But consider this: Martic has some lingering injuries which may thwart her chance. Martincova is on an upswing and will benefit from the quick courts. If Martic can use her aggressive, all court game and variety, it should be a quick win for the experienced Croat.
Prediction: Martic in 2
Ewan:
Eighth-seed Martic went 4-2 in Palermo and Prague and has made the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slams. WTA #135 Martincova is yet to win a Grand Slam main draw match and is likely to be outclassed by the Croatian.
Prediction: Martic in 2
Andrew:
Martincova has failed to make it through qualifying in her two tournaments since the break. She carries a 6-3 winning record on hard courts this season, but most of those matches have been in qualifying and not against the top players.
Martic is the eighth seed in the US Open this year. She has become a fixture in the top 20 in the world and is usually very consistent in Grand Slams. She has enjoyed good runs in a number of the big tournaments in recent years.
Martic should be able to nullify the Martincova game here. The Croatian is solid off both wings and moves very well so should be able to return a lot of balls in this match. It is also unlikely that Martincova will be able to make many in-roads into the Martic serve.
Prediction: Martic in 2
Petra Kvitova vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Tracey:
The #6 seed isn’t playing at her best. No doubt, Kvitova’s second round loss to Bouzkova last week wasn’t the Czech’s plan. Kicking off her campaign against Begu should build some momentum.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Ewan:
While the US Open is the only major where Kvitova has not reached the semi-finals, she should enjoy the new quicker, lower-bouncing court surface. Begu is 3-2 since the restart (all clay). Kvitova leads the head-to-head 4-0 (2-0 on hard courts) and should once again have too much firepower for the Romanian.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Andrew:
The Czech would have been very disappointed in her performance last week. Having looked very good in winning the first set against Marie Bouzkova she let the match slip away. This must be a concern for a player aiming to win titles.
Begu, on the other hand, will be very happy with her game coming into this match. She won the Indian Wells Challenger just before the break on a quick court. The Romanian then returned to the tour at the Prague Open and reached the semifinals there, albeit on clay.
The Czech could have real problems here. Her usual strong left-handed serve hasn’t been as impenetrable as usual. Begu boasts a good serve herself and will not be intimidated by Kvitiva’s power game. Kvitova has had trouble going deep in matches recently and if Begu can take it into a third set she may have the advantage.
Prediction: Begu in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
