Lob and Smash
Fansided

US Open 2018: Men’s Draw Analysis

By Toby Oliver

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 29: (Editors Note: Digital filters were used)Roger Federer of Switzerland poses with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after winning the 2018 Australian Open Men's Singles Final, at Government House on January 29, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 29: (Editors Note: Digital filters were used)Roger Federer of Switzerland poses with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after winning the 2018 Australian Open Men's Singles Final, at Government House on January 29, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 2
Next
US Open
TORONTO, ON – AUGUST 10: Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a shot against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during a quarter final match on Day 5 of the Rogers Cup at Aviva Centre on August 10, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

US Open Underdogs – The best of the rest starts with fourth seed Alexander Zverev. On paper, he should easily get through his section of the draw, however his inconsistency in grand slams mean anything can happen.

In the fourth round, he should face either Diego Schwartzman or former finalist Kei Nishikori. He could play a quarter-final with Marin Cilic which is a mouth-watering prospect. Interestingly, Zverev leads their head-to-head, 5-1. Although they haven’t met at the grand slam. Cilic himself has a potentially tricky fourth round against David Goffin.

The player who will be having nightmares about his first round match is Grigor Dimitrov. He will face Stan Wawrinka in the first round for the second grand slam in a row, with the Swiss star winning at Wimbledon. Although Dimitrov currently leads the head-to-head 4-3, Wawrinka will fancy his chances having been in decent form in the last few weeks. Whoever wins this match will most likely face John Isner in the fourth round and either Del Potro, Murray or Tsitsipas in the quarter-final.

More from Lob and Smash

Young Guns and Old Timers

One of the most exciting clashes in the first round will see young Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime face off. While Shapovalov is by far the most well know, Auger-Aliassime is one year his junior and has three challengers to his name already.

This year, he became the youngest player ever to retain a challenger title. The two friends have played once before on the challenger tour, in Canada with Shapovalov winning. This will be a rivalry that will last for the next ten years at least, so it’s fitting they should play there first professional tour match at the US Open.

Shapovalov should have the experience to win this one, with either Sam Querrey or Andreas Seppi waiting in the next round.

Young Korean star Hyeon Chung has the potential to have a good tournament. He is scheduled to face Fabio Fognini in the third round which should be a good match. If he wins that, he will have to opportunity to face Federer.

Trending. Must Watch WTA Stars. light

Andy Murray has a kind first round against James Duckworth of Australia. However, in the second round he will face either Fernando Verdasco or Feliciano Lopez. Both will provide a stern test for Murray who is lacking match sharpness, although he has demonstrated great fight in the past few weeks to win some long matches. The draw for this year’s US Open is fantastic, with opportunities for the favourites to succeed and young players to emerge. Hold on tight people.

Home/US Open