US Open 2012: Berdych Versus Querrey - Preview

Tomas Berdych and Sam Querrey clash in the third round on Saturday, the 1^st September. Berdych defeated Querrey in the Winston-Salem Open a week ago. He has 2-1 head-to-head record against Querrey.

Both of them are tall, but Querrey does not move as fast. However, he fares better against players who play from the baseline and do not use much variety on ground strokes. Berdych plays mostly from the baseline and scores through heavy hitting. Both have similar style of game, though Querrey comes to the net more often. They are almost equal in the serve department, with Querrey being better on the first serve and Berdych on the second serve. Berdych has better return of serve and can stay longer in the rallies. Querrey has the ability to turn defensive when needed, whereas Berdych keeps on hitting through the ball. Both of them keep emotions within, but can succumb to nerves. The crowd will be firmly behind own countryman.

Having recently defeated Querrey, Berdych will come to this encounter with greater confidence. However, Querrey would have greater motivation to rectify the mistakes he made against Berdych last week. Whosoever is the victor, it is unlikely to be an easy victory.

US Open 2012: Dolgopolov Versus Baghdatis - Preview

Alexandr Dolgopolov takes on Marcos Baghdatis in the second round on Friday, the 31^st August. Dolgopolov has defeated Baghdatis three times in four meetings, all on hard courts. The last two matches went full distance, with Dolgopolov emerging the victor in both. Both of them took five sets to overcome their opponents in the first round.

Dolgopolov has tortured his fans time and again by failing where he was destined to succeed. He produces miraculous shots followed by silly shots so often that critics have tended to label him inconsistent. His journey from sublime to ridiculous is instantaneous. Percentage play is anathema to him to the extent that he appears careless than carefree on important points. He comes to innovate on the court and victory is not more important than the dictate of impulse. Baghdatis used to have a good balance of risk taking and percentage play, but of late, tends to become very defensive. He could never regain the magic of 2006 when he reached the finals of the Australian Open, especially after he suffered injury in 2008. It has been a steady decline for him and for some, he has joined the ranks of under-achievers.

Dolgopolov, having a lean body, is fast on the court and quick in action, but jerky. He takes time away from the opponent by a very quick service motion. However, it is his first serve percentage that sometimes lets him down. He is able to get a decent number of aces in every match, but the second serve is a liability. He slices on both flanks to disturb the rhythm of his opponent. Having played him four times already, Baghdatis will expect the unexpected in every rally. He will match Dolgopolov stroke to stroke; have fair share in the number of aces; and a fair share in the number of supporters in the stands.

The advantage lies with Dolgopolov unless he self-destructs himself. Baghdatis has limited chances if Dolgopolov is in sublime mode.

US Open 2012: Roddick Versus Tomic - Preview

Andy Roddick and Bernard Tomic clash for the first time in the second round on Friday, the 31^st August. Roddick is the 2003 champion and the 2006 runner up. Tomic is playing in the main draw for the second time. It would be a battle between experience and youth.

Roddick has generally performed well in the U.S Open. His game plan will remain unchanged from the first round - put in more than 70% first serves in and fire at least one ace per service game. He will serve wide to draw Tomic out and try to execute one - two combination on the other side of the court. Tomic is neither the best returner nor the quickest mover. If Roddick succeeds in keeping his serve intact as he did in the first round, he will put pressure on Tomic’s serve. If he is not able to break Tomic’s serve, he will strive to take the set to the tie breaker where he will have a distinct advantage.

Tomic has limitations on serve, but since Roddick is not a renowned returner, he will get quite a few unreturned serves. He would try to keep more balls to the backhand of Roddick which is the weaker flank. Tomic’s winners on ground strokes would exceed errors. He would try to elongate the match and take advantage of ten year gap in age.

Both the players play similar type of counter punching game. Barring serve, their assets are well matched. Perhaps it is the serve that would tilt the balance in Roddick’s favour.

US Open 2012: Ferrer Versus Anderson - Preview

David Ferrer and Kevin Anderson meet in the first round on Wednesday, 29^th August for the first time in their career. Ferrer is the fourth seed and is in good form having won five titles on all surfaces this year. Anderson defeated John Isner and Andy Roddick at Delray Beach International Championship on way to the title on the hard court. He is almost one foot taller and about one foot slower than Ferrer.

Ferrer is a running machine who keeps on retrieving balls till the opponent loses patience. Anderson is known to go for the trigger first in a rally. He will be forced to pull the trigger many times in a single rally and end the point from his racquet with either a winner or an error. Anderson might prefer an opponent who too has an attacking style, but in Ferrer, he has somebody who has the patience to counter attack only at the opportune moment. Until then, he will keep the ball in play from corner to corner. His ground strokes are mostly deep but there is not much of variety in them. However, only the best movers can keep pace with him. In recent years, he has improved power on his ground strokes, especially on the forehand. He does not make silly errors and keeps winners in the excess.

Anderson is a big server which one might expect of a 6 ft.8 in. player. He gets many free points on his first serve and puts a decent percentage of first serves in. Serve is the weaker aspect of Ferrer’s game, but he tries to avoid the necessity of second serve. He is a good returner of serve and would deny a few aces to Anderson.

Try hard as he may, Anderson will not be able to escape rallies and in the rallies, Ferrer will be the boss. His tenacity, determination and never-say-die spirit translates into his game visibly. But Ferrer is fallible, just as he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati earlier this month.