US Open draw teases Alcaraz-Sinner rematch

by Les Roopanarine

Those who enjoy a repeat of an old classic could be in for a treat at this year’s US Open.

Among the many intriguing possibilities thrown up by the draw for the season’s final grand slam, few promise more than a potential quarter-final rematch between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Twelve months ago, the pair contested an electrifying five-set duel in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz surviving a match point before finally prevailing shortly before 3am, the latest finish in the tournament’s history. 

The Spanish world No 1 can ill-afford a repeat of last year’s five-hour marathon if he is to retain the title he won last year against Norway’s Casper Ruud. With Daniil Medvedev, the third seed and champion of two years ago, possibly awaiting in the last four, energy promises to be at a premium for Alcaraz, particularly in advance of a slated reunion with Novak Djokovic, to whom the 20-year-old lost the longest three-set final in ATP Tour history last week in Cincinnati.

While the eyes of the tennis world will already be gazing ahead to a fourth meeting of the summer between Alcaraz and Djokovic, Sinner will be hoping to continue on the trajectory that carried him to a first Masters 1000 title earlier this month in Toronto. The sixth-seeded Italian, who opens against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, will not be the only young gun hoping to rewrite the script. Holger Rune, the Danish world No 4, will also be eager to ensure that Djokovic and Alcaraz do not meet at a third major in a row. Seeded fourth, Rune is projected to face the Serb in the last four – a prospect he would no doubt relish after winning the two most recent of their three meetings, last November in Paris and earlier this year in Rome.

The women’s draw promises a blockbuster quarter-final collision of its own, with Iga Swiatek, the world No 1 and defending champion, projected to face Coco Gauff, the American sixth seed. Gauff, who will not lack support at her home slam, claimed a landmark first win over Swiatek last week in Cincinnati, defeating the Pole for the first time in eight meetings, and went on to clinch the biggest title of her career against Karolina Muchova in the final. 

Should Swiatek get past Gauff, she is seeded to face Elena Rybakina, the fourth seed and former Wimbledon champion, in the last four. Rybakina, who is undefeated in three meetings this season with Swiatek, faces a brutal opener against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, the world No 27. 

The sense of anticipation surrounding a pair of eye-catching potential quarter-finals will be heightened by an intriguing subplot involving the No 1 ranking. 

Alcaraz, who opens his title defence against Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, currently holds an advantage of just 20 points over Djokovic at the top of the rankings. An opening-round victory over Germany’s Dominik Koepfer would therefore mean a return to the summit for the Serb, who has no points to defend in New York after missing last year’s event due to a since-lifted ban on travellers unvaccinated against Covid entering the US. It would mark the seventh time this season that the top ranking has passed between Alcaraz and Djokovic.

Swiatek, meanwhile, who begins her campaign against Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, will need to go deeper into the fortnight than Aryna Sabakenka if she is extend her tenure at No 1. Currently 1,209 points behind the Pole, Sabalenka has been on her rival’s tail since winning her first major at the Australian Open in January. After painful semi-final defeats at Roland Garros, where she held a match point against Muchova, and Wimbledon, where she was beaten by Ons Jabeur (whom she could face a round earlier in New York), Sabalenka will be eager to live up to her billing as second seed. 

To achieve that, the Belarusian may first need to get past Jessica Pegula, another American basking in the glow of beating Swiatek en route to a WTA 1000 title following her recent triumph in Montreal. Pegula’s latest attempt to advance beyond the last eight of a slam for the first time, which begins with a tricky opener against Italy’s Camila Giorgi, could entail facing the winner of a fourth-round showdown between Caroline Garcia, the WTA Finals champion, and Marketa Vondrousova, the Wimbledon champion.

Andy Murray, one of several former US Open champions in the draw, will face Corentin Moutet of France. Grigor Dimitrov, the 19th seed, could await Murray in round two, ahead of a meeting with Alexander Zverev, the 2020 finalist. Dominic Thiem, Zverev’s conqueror in that final, opens against Alexander Bublik, the 25th seed, while Stan Warinka, the champion in 2016, will play Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan.

Among the women, two-time champion Venus Williams will start against Paula Badosa, the Spanish former world No 2, while Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 winner, faces Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 champion, will play Beatriz Haddad Maia, the Brazilian 19th seed, who was a semi-finalist at the French Open earlier this summer.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the seventh seed, opens against former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, while John Isner will play Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta in what could be the final match of his career. The 38-year-old American, a former world No 8 and one of the greatest servers in the sport’s history, will retire after the tournament. 

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