US OPENPlace: Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
Date: Aug. 25-Sept. 7, 2008
Singles Draw Size: 128
Doubles Draw Size: 64
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $7,050,000 (singles champion: $1,500,000, doubles winners: $420, 000)
2007 Singles Final: Roger Federer def. Novak Djokovic
2007 Doubles Champions: Simon Aspelin and Julian Knowle
Top story lines:
1. Does new No. 1 Rafael Nadal have what it takes to win his first hard-court Grand Slam?
2. Can Roger Federer put his recent struggles behind and win his fifth straight US Open?
3. How far will Juan Martin Del Potro’s 19-match win streak be extended in New York?
4. How will No. 8 seed and 2003 US Open champ Andy Roddick fare after posting just a 3-2 record in 2008 Grand Slam events and only a 7-4 record this summer?
5. Can Novak Djokovic make it back to the finals for a second straight year, despite possible quarterfinal and semifinal showdowns with Roddick and Federer?
2. Can Roger Federer put his recent struggles behind and win his fifth straight US Open?
3. How far will Juan Martin Del Potro’s 19-match win streak be extended in New York?
4. How will No. 8 seed and 2003 US Open champ Andy Roddick fare after posting just a 3-2 record in 2008 Grand Slam events and only a 7-4 record this summer?
5. Can Novak Djokovic make it back to the finals for a second straight year, despite possible quarterfinal and semifinal showdowns with Roddick and Federer?
Justin’s notable first round match-ups:
1. No. 8 Andy Roddick vs. Fabrice Santoro (Roddick leads 2-1 all-time with 1-0 edge on hard courts; Roddick is a 2008 winner in San Jose and Dubai, while 60th ranked Santoro defended his title in Newport)
2. No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. Arnaud Clement (Series tied 1-1, Djokovic won on clay in 2004 but Clement won on grass in 2007; both have 12 losses on the season but Djokovic has 40 more wins)
3. No. 12 Richard Gasquet vs. Tommy Haas (Series tied 1-1, both on hard courts; Gasquet has never made it past the fourth round)
4. No. 17 Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Guillermo Canas (Del Potro leads 1-0 after a 6-2, 6-2 win in Cincinnati last summer; neither Argentine has gone past the third round in New York)
5. No. 22 Tomas Berdych vs. Sam Querrey (Berdych leads 1-0, winning 6-1, 6-2 in Miami this season; Berdych has made it to the fourth round the last two years)
6. No. 9 James Blake vs. Donald Young (First meeting; two-time quarterfinalist Blake just finished fourth in Beijing, while Young has only eight wins this season but advanced to the third round at last year’s Open)
2. No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. Arnaud Clement (Series tied 1-1, Djokovic won on clay in 2004 but Clement won on grass in 2007; both have 12 losses on the season but Djokovic has 40 more wins)
3. No. 12 Richard Gasquet vs. Tommy Haas (Series tied 1-1, both on hard courts; Gasquet has never made it past the fourth round)
4. No. 17 Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Guillermo Canas (Del Potro leads 1-0 after a 6-2, 6-2 win in Cincinnati last summer; neither Argentine has gone past the third round in New York)
5. No. 22 Tomas Berdych vs. Sam Querrey (Berdych leads 1-0, winning 6-1, 6-2 in Miami this season; Berdych has made it to the fourth round the last two years)
6. No. 9 James Blake vs. Donald Young (First meeting; two-time quarterfinalist Blake just finished fourth in Beijing, while Young has only eight wins this season but advanced to the third round at last year’s Open)
Potential notable late round matches:
No. 2 Roger Federer vs. No. 28 Radek Stepanek, Third Round
· Federer leads series 4-2, with Federer winning the only hard court meeting
· Stepanek beat Federer 7-6(4), 7-6(7) on the clay in Rome this past May
· Federer leads series 4-2, with Federer winning the only hard court meeting
· Stepanek beat Federer 7-6(4), 7-6(7) on the clay in Rome this past May
No. 1 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 7 David Nalbandian, Quarterfinals
· Nalbandian leads 2-0, both on hard courts in 2007
· Nadal has 70 wins to date compared to Nalbandian’s 26
No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 8 Andy Roddick, Quarterfinals
· Series tied 1-1, both matches on hard courts
· Roddick defeated Djokovic 7-6(5), 6-3 earlier this year in Dubai
· Nalbandian leads 2-0, both on hard courts in 2007
· Nadal has 70 wins to date compared to Nalbandian’s 26
No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 8 Andy Roddick, Quarterfinals
· Series tied 1-1, both matches on hard courts
· Roddick defeated Djokovic 7-6(5), 6-3 earlier this year in Dubai
Watch out for…
1. No. 6 Andy Murray (Winner at Masters Series Cincinnati, Doha (Qatar) and Marseille (France); currently ranked at a career high No. 6; beat Novak Djokovic twice in July; generous draw that has Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and top Americans Blake and Roddick in other quarters of the draw)
2. No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez (Winner at Vina del Mar (Chile) and Munich; Silver medalist at Beijing Olympics; currently ranked No. 11 in the world, but has been ranked as high as seventh this season)
2. No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez (Winner at Vina del Mar (Chile) and Munich; Silver medalist at Beijing Olympics; currently ranked No. 11 in the world, but has been ranked as high as seventh this season)
Champion prediction:
Justin: No. 2 Roger Federer over No. 1 Rafael Nadal
Jordan: No. 3 Novak Djokovic over No. 1 Rafael Nadal
Justin: No. 2 Roger Federer over No. 1 Rafael Nadal
Jordan: No. 3 Novak Djokovic over No. 1 Rafael Nadal
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