good morning!
Today’s a great day, beccause today marks the first day of the US Open proper. Some of you tennis fans may have watched the qualifying rounds with fitzie (not phsyically, but spiritually) last week. But we didnt’ know the draws.
Now we do. So let’s do some predicting.
Men’s singles bracket:
Favourites: Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Alex Zverev
I’m putting these four as the ones to beat. It’s the top four seeds, unsurprisingly. But there are some question marks.
First is Sinner’s hip. He seems to have had some issue with it the last month. He appeared okay enough to beat Tiafoe in the Cincinnati Masters a few weeks ago, but it’s just something to keep an eye on. Plus this surface is playing a little bit slow. Not sure that suits him.
Novak Djokovic has just about an easy path the the finals as you can get. His knee brace is gone and so is the thousand-pound gorilla after winning the Olympics. Zverev I think is also getting much closer to lifting his first major trophy.
But my money is on Alcaraz. He’s #3 in the world, but I still think he’s the best. The surface suits him the best and he’s a former champ here. He had a tough loss against Gael Monfils a few weeks ago, but I think it’s a one-off.
Dark horses: Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti
Fritz has the best chance of these four to reach the semis. I think he matches up well against Casper Ruud (potential 4th round), but a quarterfinals vs Zverev is tough. He and Tommy Paul are both progessing really well this year, able to string out consecutive best-of-five matches.
Other than that, I’m looking at de Minaue and Musetti. I don’t think the Aussie can beat Alcaraz, but he can get to the quarters. Musetti could also potentially play Zverev in the R16. Zverev’s forehand is better though.
Fitzie’s predictions: Alcaraz def Zverev
Women’s singles bracket:
Favourites: Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka
We need this final. Women’s tennis deserves it. By far the two best players on the planet today. The 2022 champion and the 2023 runner-up have been the most dominant players this year. Swiatek on every surface other than grass. And no one hits the ball harder than Sabalenka. Her shoulder seems better after skipping Wimbledon. She also beat Swiatek en route to the Cincy title a few weeks ago.
Dark Horses: Jelena Ostapenko, Danielle Collins, Madison Keys, Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Azarenka
I’m really going with players who can just hit the crap out of the ball. I think all five can make a deep run here. But they all can be mercurial too.
Azarenka has the easiest draw of the bunch. Andreeva would play Swiatek in the R16, while Keys would play Sabalenka. I wouldn’t be surprised if they pull off the upsets. But it’s a tall, tall task.
Biggest question marks: Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff
We haven’t seen much of Ryabkina since she made it to the SFs of Wimbledon. And I don’t know if she’s even practiced on the USO grounds. It appears she’s ill, and she recently split up with her coach. Something seems off.
Meanwhile, Gauff has had a horrible few months. A R16 outing at the USO, an early defeat at the Paris Olympics, which she backed up with early round exits in Canada and Cincy. Her serve and forehand look awful. Not good for the defending champ.
Fitzie’s predictions: Sabalenka def. Swiatek
Fitzie’s track of the day: Like Someone In Love, by Bill Evans
And now for your links:
Dan KP: Micky Van de Ven says Tottenham are ‘more dangerous’ this season
Jay Harris ($$): Bissouma repays Postecoglou after being included in squad
In the biggest match of the week: Swansea 1-1 Cardiff City
