US OPEN WOMEN’S DRAW

Number one ranked player and seed, Serena Williams, has to get by former top ten player, Ekaterina Makarova.  She can potentially face [29] Ana Ivanovic in the third round.  She could also potentially face [16] Samantha Stosur in the round of sixteen, a player who beat her in the US Open final in 2011.  The top ten seed in her quarter is number five seed, Simona Halep.  If her shoulder is not fully healed, Williams will have a rough time getting to the quarterfinals.  [4] Agnieszka Radwanska, [6] Venus Williams, and [10] Karolina Pliskova are all in her half of the draw.  Is Serena Williams ready for this US Open?  Her two nemeses Roberta Vinci and Alize Cornet are both in the same quarter as [2] Angelique Kerber.  [8] Madison Keys will play Alison Riske in the first round, tough draw for both Americans.  Four players can potentially be ranked number one at the end of the tournament if they win the final: S. Williams; Kerber; Radwanska; and Muguruza.  Will Serena win number 23 and secure her number one ranking for another week?

US OPEN MEN’S DRAW

Number one ranked player and seed, Novak Djokovic, will play Jerzy Janowicz who has been missing from action due to injury.  If Jiri Vesely can get by his first round opponent, he can be a potential threat to Djokovic; he defeated him earlier this year at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.   There are some big servers in his quarter; however, I expect to see Djokovic in the quarterfinals.  [4] Rafael Nadal will be tested right away by Denis Istomin. There are a couple of obstacles in his quarter: Thomaz Bellucci and [15] Roberto Bautista Agut.  [10] Gael Monfils, Gilles Muller, Nicolas Almagro, [18] Pablo Cuevas and [5] Milos Raonic are also in his quarter. The third quarter is loaded with big hitters and talented players: [8] Dominic Thiem, [29] Sam Querrey, [19] Steve Johnson, Juan Martin Del Potro, Fabio Fognini, [14] Nick Kyrgios, [17] Bernard Tomic and [27] Alexander Zverev. [3] Stan Wawrinka will be tested right away by Fernando Verdasco, a player who recently defeated him.  The fourth quarter also will be challenging for the top two seeds, [6] Kei Nishikori and [2] Andy Murray.  Will Juan Martin Del Potro surprise us all and win his second US Open title?

NOTABLE ABSENTEES: Tomas Berdych is not playing due to appendicitis. Sloane Stephens is out due to right foot injury. Victoria Azarenka is pregnant.  Roger Federer is out for the rest of the year because of knee and back issues.