Novak Djokovic faces tough route at US Open as Stefanos Tsitsipas opens against Andy Murray
In-form Wimbledon winner Ashleigh Barty faces Vera Zvonareva
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Novak Djokovic will launch his bid to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam at the U.S. Open against a qualifier, but his path gets much tougher with potential clashes against Matteo Berrettini and Alexander Zverev.
French Open runner-up and third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on former champion Andy Murray in the pick of the first round matches. Murray is now ranked 114th in the world as he has struggled to regain full fitness after undergoing hip re-surfacing surgery in 2019.
In the women’s draw held on Thursday in New York, top seed Ash Barty opens her campaign against Russian Vera Zvonareva while defending U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka will face Marie Bouzkova.
Second seed Daniil Medvedev will launch his bid to win his first major title against veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Zverev, who could be Djokovic’s semi-final opponent, has been the form player coming into Flushing Meadows, having upset the Serb on way to the singles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and then rolling to victory at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.
Last year Zverev was denied a maiden major at the U.S. Open after being beaten in the final by Dominic Thiem, who is unable to defend his title due to a wrist injury.
Main draw action at the U.S. Open starts on Monday, with the tournament being held with fans this year after taking place in a secure bubble last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s tournament has already witnessed several high-profile withdrawals, with Thiem being joined on the sidelines by Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments