Roger Federer and Gael Monfils will be kicking off their 2014 U.S. Open campaigns when they take the court on Tuesday. They are set for respective openers against Marinko Matosevic and Jared Donaldson.
Marinko Matosevic vs. (2) Roger Federer
Federer and Matosevic will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they square off in the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday night. Their only previous encounter came earlier this season on the hard courts of Brisbane, where Federer served up a 6-1, 6-1 double-breadstick. The 33-year-old Swiss has remained in consistently impressive form this season, showcasing far different tennis than what was on display in 2013. Federer, a five-time champion in Flushing Meadows, is coming off a runner-up finish in Toronto and a title in Cincinnati.
Matosevic had been historically futile in Grand Slams prior the French Open–and his record, of course, is still terrible. The 76th-ranked Australian lost his first 12 main-draw matches at the major level before beating Dustin Brown at Roland Garros. He also advanced one round at Wimbledon, so he is 2-14 lifetime in slams. Although Matosevic has played relatively well on American hard courts this summer, there is no reason to think the aforementioned record will be 3-14 by the end of play on Day 2.
Pick: Federer in 3 losing 8-10 games
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(20) Gael Monfils vs. (WC) Jared Donaldson
In part due to injury, Donaldson failed to win the boys 18s nationals in Kalamazoo. Still, the 17-year-old American got a wild card into the tournament because his talent is undeniable and he is already up to No. 303 in the world. Donaldson just played his first ATP-level, main-draw match in Washington, D.C. after successfully navigating his way through to qualifying rounds. He ended up losing to countryman Rajeev Ram 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-5.
This, of course, will be an even tougher first-round proposition for the youngster. Not only will he be on a much bigger stage, but Monfils constitutes an extremely difficult draw. The 24th-ranked Frenchman may not at his best right now, but he reached the French Open quarterfinals this spring and he advanced two rounds in Cincinnati before pushing Federer to three sets. This match will be right up Monfils’ alley. The atmosphere should be electric in the evening on Grandstand and Monfils should be comfortably ahead from start to finish, allowing him to display some his usual extracurricular antics. As such, Donaldson will likely win more games than he really should–but probably not a set.
Pick: Monfils in 3 losing 8-10 games
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