U.S Open draw is in the open and the street fight begins on Monday. There being no Americans in the list of favourites for the title, the stands will cheer for any good contest. Native players have usually played to their potential here and as such, their opponents will be wary of upsets in the first week.
One such encounter would be between Ryan Harrison and Marin Cilic. Marin Cilic has not been in the best of form of late. He was supposed to go places just a year ago and then came the slump. He lost form, confidence and easy matches. He has been susceptible to pressure and Monday will be a pressure cooker day for him when he faces American teen Ryan Harrison. Ryan Harrison is tipped to be a future hope for American tennis and the crowd would not let that get spoiled on the first day.
At least one Russian between Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko might fall in the Russian roulette on Monday. Youzhny has to contend with unpredictable Ernests Gulbis who, on his day, can trouble the very best in the world. Davydenko has to dodge Ivan Dodig, who upset Rafael Nadal in Montreal earlier this month. Davydenko has a glorious past but his current form has been patchy.
A keen contest is likely between Radek Stepanek and Philipp Kohlshreiber. Stepanek is a tactician who had a late bloom in his singles career. He has the capacity to change his game according to the needs of the day. Kohlshreiber plays a constant game in which he thrives on angles through cross court shots. Stepanek has taken a few breaks due to injuries in the last two years, but his tenacity has remained intact.
Marcos Baghdatis can give a tough challenge to John Isner. Isner is peaking at the right time whereas Baghdatis’ best years are over. He has battled through injuries since 2008 and is a shadow of the player who gave good fight to Roger Federer in the finals of the Australian Open 2006.
A quality match will be between Gael Monfils and Grigor Dimitrov. Gael Monfils has reached his best ranking this year and has displayed good form. Dimitrov was thought of as a future prospect in 2009 but has not since shown corresponding results. His single fisted backhand is likely to be a stumbling block in his ambition to become a top player.
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