US Open Day 2 Preview: Four Must-See Matches

Tuesday in Flushing Meadows, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will make their 2017 US Open debuts, but neither have been in top form leading into the final major of the year.

Let’s take a closer look at Federer and Nadal’s prospects, as well as some of the other most intriguing matches on Tuesday’s Order of Play.

Elina Svitolina vs. Katerina Siniakova

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This Louis Armstrong Stadium opener may be the best bet to start off the day. Svitolina leads the WTA with five titles in 2017, but has yet to replicate those results at a Grand Slam event. She’s a lifetime 5-5 at the US Open, and has never advanced past the third round. But she arrives in New York this year with a lot of momentum, as she defeated four top 10 players during her title run in Toronto just a few weeks ago. Her opponent on Tuesday is also on the rise, winning the first two titles of her career earlier this year. Siniakova started off 2017 by defeating Simona Halep and Johanna Konta on her way to the title in Shenzhen. Her hard court results have dipped though since that achievement, and she’s lost her last three matches on the North American hard courts. Still the 42nd-ranked 21-year-old is a tough first round draw, and there’s no history to draw upon as the two have never faced each other. This could be a tricky opener for Svitolina, who is on the long list of players with a chance to leave the US Open as the number one player in the world.

Angelique Kerber vs. Naomi Osaka

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The defending champion has suffered a severe drop in form following last year’s Hall of Fame season. Kerber is just 25-17 on the year, and has not won a title since last year’s US Open. Osaka is an up-and-coming 19-year-old who let a 5-1 lead slip out of her hands last year in New York against Madison Keys. While that match showed she still has some maturing to do, it also showed her ability to play at a high level against top competition. Just a few weeks ago in Toronto, Osaka took world number one Karolina Pliskova to a third set before having to retire due to injury. Naomi has not played since that match, but if she’s healthy she may be a dangerous opponent for the slumping Kerber in their first head-to-head matchup.

Rafael Nadal vs. Dusan Lajovic

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The 15-time major champion and new world number one will open up his 2017 US Open campaign against the 85-ranked player who only won four games in their only previous meeting. This is a mismatch for sure, but it will be worth observing Nadal’s form as he tries to win his first hard court tournament in almost four years. Rafa went just a combined 3-2 in Montreal and Cincinnati, and hasn’t been past the fourth round in Flushing Meadows since he last won the title in 2013. Nadal may not be feeling 100%, evidenced by a video of a practice session that surfaced online a few days ago where Nadal appeared to hurt his leg. In the absence of many of the other top ATP players, a healthy Nadal is a favorite to advance to the semifinals, where he could finally face Roger Federer at the US Open for the first time.

Roger Federer vs. Francis Tiafoe

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Following a dream run through the first six months of 2017, which saw Federer win two majors as well as three other titles, Roger may be coming back down to Earth. Federer was clearly suffering from a back injury during his loss to Alexander Zverev in Montreal, and subsequently withdrew from Cincinnati. It seems Federer has not fully recovered from the injury, so it will be interesting to see how he looks in the final match of the night session against the 19-year-old American. Tiafoe is one of the top 10 ranked ATP Next Gen players, but is yet to translate his big game into big wins. These two met in Miami earlier this year, in a straight set victory for Federer. Tiafoe however played well against the 19-time major winner, showing signs that he doesn’t shy away from the big stage. He also impressed at last year’s US Open by taking John Isner to five sets. This will be a good chance to see how Federer’s back is feeling, as well as how close Tiafoe is to being ready to take the next step in his career.

Full order of play