Top eight seeds could be in trouble early and often at U.S. Open

August 22, 2018 Ricky Blogs 27

When it comes to any tennis tournament–from Grand Slams down to the Futures level–in general the better your seed, the better your draw.

But there may be no safe haven anywhere in the 2018 U.S. Open men’s singles bracket, perhaps not even for the top eight seeds. That’s because the unseeded contingent at this year’s event features some big names, plus the 25-32 seed group is especially daunting.

Leading the unseeded charge are three-time Grand Slam champions Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka. Also arriving in New York City without a seed are Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey, Andrey Rublev, Gael Monfils, Frances Tiafoe, Alex de Minaur, and Mischa Zverev. Those guys, of course, could face anyone–anyone–in the first round of the U.S. Open.

As for the 25-32 seeds, they will be on course to run into the 1-8 seeds during third-round action. That could spell more first-week trouble for the top players in the world.

Let’s take a look at the lowest–but not necessarily worst–seeding group, in order from most dangerous to least dangerous:

30) Nick Kyrgios – Kyrgios probably can’t stay healthy enough in his current fragile state to make a serious run at Flushing Meadows. But if he can get through two matches with little trouble, he may have enough left in the tank to challenge a top-ranked foe in the third round.

25) Milos Raonic – Like Kyrgios, Raonic can quite simply take the racket out an opponent’s hands. When the Canadian is serving well, especially on a relatively fast hard court, he can beat anyone in the world. Raonic advanced to quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Masters.

27) Karen Khachanov – Khachanov’s forehand is somewhat quirky, but it is perhaps the biggest among the sport’s up-and-coming stars. It recently carried the 22-year-old Russian to the Toronto semifinals (lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal 7-6(3), 6-4) and to the Cincinnati third round.

28) Denis Shapovalov – This is Shapovalov’s favorite time of year. He made a run to the Rogers Cup semis last summer and reached the U.S. Open fourth round as a qualifier. The 19-year-old Canadian has advanced to consecutive third rounds in Washington, D.C., Toronto, and Cincinnati.

31) Fernando Verdasco – Although there is a steep drop-off following the first four players in this group, Verdasco cannot be completely discounted at 34 years old. The Spaniard played a great match against Grigor Dimitrov in Toronto (lost 7-6 in the third) and has reached the fourth round of a major in each of the past two seasons.

26) Richard Gasquet – Gasquet’s talent is undeniable and his backhand can be one of the best in the game when it’s on, but he is past his prime at 32 years old. The Frenchman went back to clay following Wimbledon and has played only one match on hard courts this summer.

29) Adrian Mannarino – Mannarino wields an unorthodox, change-of-pace style that almost always troubles players ranked below him, but he rarely picks up big wins over top-tier opponents. The Frenchman owns four career top-10 victories (Wawrinka, Raonic, Marin Cilic, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga).

32) Filip Krajinovic – Krajinovic has no business being seeded, in part due to injuries and also because…well, just because. The 26-year-old Serb, whose ranking is inflated by a Paris runner-up last fall, has not won a single match since the Miami Masters in March.

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27 Comments on Top eight seeds could be in trouble early and often at U.S. Open

  2. FACT: There is a 14% probability that Fed won’t have one or more of Djoko, Stan or Kyrgios in his quarter if the draw is random. Roughly 1 in 7.

    Reply

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