We take a look at the selected first and second round matches from the ATP Tour’s US Open taking place at Flushing Meadows, New York.
ATP Tour 2019 | US Open | Flushing Meadows, New York
Selected 1st and 2nd Round Matches | 27-28 August 2019
Denis Shapovalov (8/10)
vs Felix Auger Aliasemme (19/20)
This jumps out to me as a stand-out opening round fixture at this year’s US Open. With Raonic withdrawing due to injury, Canada’s chances in the men’s draw will largely hinge on these two men. Denis Shapovalov is an enigmatic talent who needs to curtail his aggression from time to time. He is an immense talent, with three Masters 1000 semi-final appearances to his name. That includes a run to the semis of this year’s Miami Open. Shapovalov also enters this event on the back of a semi-final run at Winston-Salem. But dispersed amongst all that potential this season have been nine 1st round losses. He is returning to the seat of his best Slam run: he reached the 4th round here back in 2017. Shapovalov is a hard-court specialist who should thrive in these conditions. I have always found the crazy atmosphere of Flushing Meadows quite analogous to the conditions found in the Roger’s Cup.
Even younger still, 19-year-old Felix Aguer Aliasemme has surpassed Shapovalov in the world rankings after a brilliant breakthrough season. The two are great friends, having risen through the ranks together in the Canadian tennis system. He has lost three finals this season, though none of those appearances have come on hard-courts. He is a clay-court aficionado who has nevertheless shown great proficiency on all surfaces. His semi-final run in Miami certainly highlighted a growing acumen for the rigours of hard-court tennis. His performances in the US Open Series have exactly set the world on fire. He will be the player under all the pressure this week as the 18th seed. It will be interesting to see how he responds to the typically bullish atmosphere that these New York crowds generate.
This will be the 3rd meeting between these two life-long friends – guys who know their opponent’s games as intimately as Federer and Nadal. Aliasemme won their only 2019 encounter in Madrid, which was perhaps expected on Shapovalov’s least favourite surface. But the blonde lefty got the better of his compatriot in this very event last year. I fancy Shapovalov to modulate his aggression and excel on his favourite surface.
Grigor Dimitrov (29/20)
vs Borna Coric (5/10)
This looks to be a blockbuster 2nd round encounter between two men at different ends of the form spectrum. The decline of Grigor Dimitrov over the past 18 months has been depressing to behold. ‘Baby Fed’ has well and truly disappeared, replaced by ‘vaguely competent Fed’. He seems shot of confidence in the wake of a shoulder injury earlier this season. He started the season in decent form, reaching the quarters in Brisbane prior to an encouraging 4th round run in Melbourne. But the remainder of his season has been borderline embarrassing, seeing him plummet to number 78 in the world. But an industrious victory over the plucky Andreas Seppi in the opening round will hopefully reinvigorate the confidence levels of Dimitrov. As a former ATP Finals Champion, Dimitrov has the capacity to beat anyone.
Coric was a real breakthrough performer last season, beating Roger Federer in both the Shanghai Masters semi-final and Halle Final. It really announced his evolution as a player, particularly on the backhand side. 2019 has been consistent without quite reaching the heights of Shanghai. Like Dimitrov he reached the 4th round of the Aussie Open. He followed that up with a semi-final in Dubai and solid quarterfinal runs at Miami and Monte Carlo. He even reached a semi-final on grass at the Rosmalen event. But his form has declined over the past two months leading up to this event. He reached the 4th round of last year’s US Open, actually accounting for current hard-court wunderkind Danil Medvedev in the process. He slaughtered Donskoy in the opening match and will know all too how vulnerable Dimitrov currently is.
This will actually be their first-ever meeting, though they will be rather familiar with one another, having teamed up for doubles earlier this year. Coric is the obvious favourite. But the real value in the opening salvos of Grand Slams lies in underdog stories. And I just have a feeling that the Seppi victory may galvanize the former World Number Three. His forehand looked venomous against Seppi and really is his key to victory.
Denis Shapovalov (8/10)
Written by Damien Kayat for @Hollywoodbets
