The draw for the qualifying tournament at the US Open was announced on Monday with a series of intriguing matches set to kick-start the tournament.
A total of 128 players in both the men’s and women’s draw will play for one of the 16 qualifying sports available in the main draw of the grand slam. For the first time in history, there will be more than $3 million in prize money in the qualifying tournament. Players who reach the main draw will be guaranteed at least $54,000 in prize money.
The men’s section will be headlined by Slovakia’s Jozef Kovalik. A player yet to win a main draw match at a grand slam. He faces a potentially tricky start against Ernesto Escobedo. Jurgen Zoopp and Ilya Ivanska complete the top three.
One of the most interesting seeded players is Hugo Dellien from Bolivia. The 25-year-old fourth seed broke into the world’s top 100 earlier this year, despite never playing in the main draw of an ATP World Tour event. Instead Dellien plays mainly on the Challenger tour, winning three titles on clay this year. Other notable seeds include Felix Auger-Aliassime (9), Ernests Gulbis (18) and Ivo Karlovic (22).
An all-Australian clash awaits in the first round between Thanasi Kokkinakis and Bernard Tomic. Both men currently find themselves ranked outside of the world’s top 150 due to a combination of injury issues and disappointing results on the tour. In their head-to-head, Tomic leads 2-1. However, it will be the first meeting between the two on the tour since 2015.
There are only two British players in the men’s section this year and they will face each other in the first round. Jay Clarke will lock horns with Liam Broady. Clarke recently won his maiden Challenger title in Binghamton, USA and is currently at a ranking high of 174th in the world. Meanwhile, 24-year-old Broady is seeking a boost after what has been a roller coaster past few months. The British world No.239 hasn’t won three consecutive matches on the tour since reaching the second round of the Miami Open as a qualifier in March.
Other first round matches to watch out for include Elias Ymer (18) against Carlos Berlocq, Karlovic against Illya Marchenko, Jurgen Melzer against Kenny de Schepper and Auger-Aliassime against Tallon Griekspoor.
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Teenagers aim to shine in the women’s draw
China’s SaiSai Zheng is hoping to continue her recent surge in form as the top seed in the women’s draw. Going into New York, the 24-year-old reached the final of the Nanchang Open followed by the semifinals in Washington. It was at the US Open where she made her grand slam debut back in 2014 and hasn’t missed playing in the main draw every year since.
Katie Boulter has never played in the main draw of a major outside of Wimbledon. She will hoping to end that run this week as the second seed. Boulter, who has won two ITF titles this season, opens up against compatriot Naomi Broady. Also lurking in her section is teenage sensation Marta Kostyuk, who reached the third round of the Australian Open at the age of 15.
Top five seeds
1. Zheng Saisai
2. Katie Boulter
3. Madison Brengle
4. Viktorija Golubic
5. Vitalia Diatchenko
Kostyuk belongs to a group of teenagers bidding to shine in the draw. 14-year-old Cori Gauff will take on tenth seed Heather Watson in what will be her first taste in playing in a professional grand slam. Gauff won the 2017 Girls US Open title. Olga Danilović, who is 17, is seeded sixth in the draw and is seeking to reach the main draw of a major for the first time. Russia’s Anastasia Potapova, who is the same age as Danilović, is seeded 25th.
At the other end of the spectrum is 39-year-old Patty Schnyder. The former world No.7 is attempting to play in a grand slam main draw for the first time since the 2011 French Open. Meanwhile, home favourite Bethanie Mattek-Sands is targeting her 16th appeared in the main draw at the US Open.
Notable first round matches in the women’s draw include Eugenie Bouchard (16) against compatriot Carol Zhao, Mona Barthel (8) against Lucie Hradecka and Madison Brengle (3) against Gabriella Taylor.
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