They will be happening again, when in Beijing, the No. 1 Jannik Sinner was darn close to win it, but in the third tiebreaker, the Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz rose up so high. He won it 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3). He was down 0-3, and then he decided to try to put it away, when he had a chance to nail it. He sure did.

“I never lost hope,” said Alcaraz. “Honestly I knew that [when I started it] that every tiebreak Jannik plays is almost to his side. I thought that in the third set, I’m not going to lie, 3-love down, two mini breaks for him. So I didn’t lose hope, but I thought, ‘Okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close.’  I played great points just to make 3-all and after that I just thought to go for it. If I lost it, at least I went for it. So that’s all I thought in that moment.” 

There rivalries is tremendous now, as both of them have won the Grand Slams, and also, in the ATP 1000’s. In 2024, Sinner has won the Australian Open and the US Open, and Alcaraz won Roland Garros and Wimbledon. 

That know each other very well, so on the court, they can go for it, early, or to be patient.  On Wednesday, in the tiebreaker, he pushed himself, and mixed it up, close to the lines. Now it is in the fall, they can play  each other again, but it is hard to know. Or perhaps they can turn it around and show some amazing shots. 

Before that, in the semis this week,  Sinner beat Bu Yunchaokete 6-3 7-6(3), a pretty tough match, but the Italian cracked his forehand and his backhand in the tiebreaker, and he pushed him down. However, Yunchaokete is a coup, beating Andrey Rublev, Lorenzo Musetti , and Karen Khachanov, the top 15 players. He is young, and he is also very consistent.

Sinner recently won the 2024 US Open, and he is much more real, set after set. But he still wants to show that he is incredible, with his massive first serve, and his better return. Yet the No. 2 Alcaraz is also playing tremendous, also winning three Grand Slams. He is super smart, in the court. On Tuesday, in the semis, Alcaraz beat the former US Open  Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-3 — again. The Russian can play amazing, on the baselines, but he can also back up. Maybe Medvedev is lost, thinking about what he has to do, and recover.

Also in Beijing, there was a lot of the fans who wanted to see with Coco Gauff versus Naomi Osaka. Both of them have some terrific finals, and they can mash the ball, especially with there hard backhand. Yet they split, but then, Gauff won  the second set, 3-6, 6-4. The third set could be wonderful.However,  Osaka retired, as she felt sick. See you later. Ouch, although,  Osaka looked pretty good this week, but she has had a tough year.

 “I wasn’t sure if it was her hip or back, I just knew that towards the end she could barely jump on her serve,” Gauff said, “so I knew that it was something that, in the moment, was probably bad but hopefully it’s something that’s not a long-term thing.”

Gauff needs to win a title during the fall, as she hasn’t won a tournament since January. She really wants, too.

NOTES

That was an odd match, when Paula Badosa beat Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-0. The American must have been out of it…

In Tokyo, the Frenchman Arthur Fils won it all, beating Ugo Humbert in three long sets, and he was so in to it, and soon enough, next year, he will reach into the top 10. He is already No. 21, so he will move up the change…

The No.7 Zheng Qinwen keeps on chucking, still winning a lot. She just beat Amanda Anisimova in three sets, as she can rally for a while, and then when she gets a chance to smash the ball, she will. She will face against Badosa, which should be a few, wild points.

It is in the fall, with the players generally resting, as they have attended various events for over eight months. Those who win a lot and will go deep, their bodies can get sore, especially in the summer. It has happened for many, many years.

Right now, even if they pull out, they will be thrilled. Not forever, but darn close.

Next week, they will play at the Beijing, China Open, a big event. It is not a Grand Slam, but it is important, as many top players will go.

Last year, Iga Swiatek won Beijing, but the current No. 1 pulled out a couple of days ago. She could be hurt physically, or perhaps she wants to re-set it. At the US Open, she lost against Jessica Pegula.

The pullouts can be staggering. Beyond Swiatek, another four are hurt in China, including Maria Sakkari, Danielle Collins, Bianca Andreescu and Ons Jabeur.

The good news is that the 2024 US champion Aryna Sabalenka will play in Beijing, along with Jessica Pegula, when Sabalenka beat the American in the final two weeks ago. They could face off again. Or maybe Coco Gauff will win it, as she hasn’t won an event since January. She has to improve her up-and-down forehand. 

Right now in the Laver Cup, there are a lot of very good male players in Berlin. Will it survive year after year? It is hard to tell, but at least they are very enthusiastic. Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are playing from the Americans, with some excellent players like Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Francisco Cerundolo, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and others. Fritz did reach the final at the US Open, and he looked very good, but will he finish in the top 5? A huge challenge. 

They must play the Laver Cup as there is a massive amount of money. Gigantic.

After that, they can fly to the China Open and try to win it with the No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev. Sinner is way up with the ranking, but he could skid and not end in the year the top dog. He hopes.

In a sense, is that the players who reached the finals at the Grand Slams were satisfied. Or, if they lose, then they can be seriously disappointed?  Both Americans, Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula lost at the 2024 US Open finals when he went down versus Jannik Sinner in three sets,  and she lost against Aryna Sabalenka in two sets. It was somewhat close, but not close enough. 

Perhaps in 2025, the Americans will win a Slam for the first time, but you never know. They are not that young, and for sure, they have improved a lot, but each month, the players globally push themselves, and they improve a lot, such as the Italian Sinner and the Belarussian Sabalenka.

The 23-year-old Sinner has won two Grand Slams, and Sabalenka has won three. That is very impressive, on the top of the baseline, crushing it from their massive forehand and backhand. Right now, they are better players than Fritz and Pegula. 

In the third set, Fritz broke him, and he did have a chance to win the set, but Sinner attacked him again, very deep, and broke him. See ya. He won it 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Hello.

“I’d say he’s improved a little since I beat him in straight sets at Indian Wells in 2021. The biggest improvement by far is his serve,” Fritz said.

“I played last year in Indian Wells, and he had already improved his serve. I think he was very, very good at that point, and he had just been injured and pulled out of many tournaments when he was already deep into it. He was very close to improving now with confidence and winning, but I think he was very close to the level at that point; he had yet to show all the results. If I want to go to, like, the 2021 Indian Wells, yeah, the serve and the movement, massive improvements. Then it was also much easier to hurt him from the ground. So he’s much faster and a lot better out of the corners. His serve is really good now.”

It took Sinner a while, but as he said, gradually, he grew up on the court. He was much more solid, and also, a few years ago, he would get angry when he couldn’t put the balls in. Yet this year, he calmed down, and he tried again. 

Can Fritz finally win a Slam in 2025?  If he does, the last time the  American men won it at a Slam was in 2003, when Andy Roddick grabbed it.  That was a long time ago. It could be the No. 7 Fritz or someone else. But although he lost at the 2024 US Open, he feels good.

“I think that’s just extremely reassuring to me that I could get to this point, just playing solid tennis. I know there’s still much room for improvement,” Fritz said. “And something I’ve said throughout my entire career, whether it’s when I won my first ATP point or I won my first challenger, or I made my first round of 16 or whatever it is, I’ve always said once I do something once, I just feel a lot more confident in being able to do it again.  That’s something that’s always stuck with me. Sometimes, it’s taken me some time to get to a certain achievement, but I’ve always felt like once I’ve done something, I gain a lot of confidence that I can do it again.  So it is a great feeling to have gotten to this point, knowing that I’m playing well, but I’m playing very within myself, and I feel like it’s repeatable.”

How about the No. 3 Pegula, who is 30 years old?  She played terrific over the past six weeks, winning Toronto, reaching the final in Cincinnati against Sabalenka, and then,  another final at the US Open. However, Sabalenka beat her again. She is a better player. Not that much, but more.

However, Pegula could continue to hit the ball harder and serve better, too. Her second serve is so-so, but she has advanced at the net and to put it away.

“My movement and my serve has gotten a little bit better. So I think certain parts may be a little more consistent than they used to be,” Pegula said. “I’m sure there’s other days where maybe I’ve served better. But as far as a baseline, it’s not as much up and down throughout the weeks and through matches. I would say the same for my movement.  Not quite, but I think with those other things, maybe that’s why it may seem like I’m playing my best tennis.”

She is, but is it good enough? She did stun the No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and she also beat Karolina Muchova in the semis. Those were two terrific wins. Yet in the final at the US Open, Sabalenka hit some amazing winners at the end, mashing the ball. Pegula could beat her during the fall, or next year, or maybe with the other American, Coco Gauff will start to rise again. Maybe not soon, but soon enough.  Pegula is awake.

“I think maybe I handled the moment a little bit better this year, with just having maybe a different perspective of I had a rough start to the year, and I didn’t expect to be doing this well in the hard court swing, and I was able to kind of flip that script,” she said. “So I think when I came here, it was almost less pressure because I was just happy I was in another quarterfinal. My slam record this year was not great. So I think maybe that perspective helped me through that moment, and then I was able to have a great match in the semi, come from behind, and put myself in a chance to win a Grand Slam. I will take a lot of confidence from this.”

 Aryna Sabalenka over Emma Navarro

The rising American Navarro has had a fantastic tournament, and when she gets on the court, she may be calm and locked in. Yet Navarro has never played in the semis at the Grand Slam, and while she has gone deep this year, this is a new day.

However, the Belarus Sabalenka who won the  2024 Aussie Open, should be much more composed. She can crush her forehand and her backhand, and she can attack early and often.  Her serve has improved over the 12 months, and she can jump in the returns.

The former NCAA champion for the University of Virginia, Navarro, can also try to attack and control it. When she sees the ball in the middle, she puts it into the corners, from the left and the right. She is intense and earnest.  Navarro thinks that she can knock her down in the third set when they are playing, but Sabalenka understands what she will do. At Roland Garros, Sabalenka beat her 6-2, 6-3. She will do it again, this time on the hardcourts, to kick her down,  6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Jessica Pegula over Karolina Muchova

Finally, the 30-year-old Pegula reached the semis for the first time.  She has been working for so many years, and in the quarters, she couldn’t do it all four Grand Slams, but on Wednesday, she took down Iga Swiatek 6-2,6-4. That was massive because Swiatek messed up so many errors, and Pegular hit some terrific shots deep, crosscourt, and on the line.

The Czech Muchova has also had a terrific event, shutting them down. She has so much talent with her strokes and reads it daily. Yes, she can become exhausted when she can’t find the lines, but she can be steady if she wants to. Muchova is on the role again; now, her body is 100 percent. She can hit in all directions and also spin it flat, too. She has gone deep in the Slams, so she will be controlled on the court and go up into the net. When she does, she usually puts it away.

Pegula won’t push her around, and she will mix it up heavily. Over the past five weeks, Pegula began to find out where to go and bring it back. She truly knows where she can go and drive. Pegula finally made it into the semis, so now, she can reach the final. That would be almost stunning. Yet first, she has to play spectacularly. Why not? Pegular will win 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Alexander Zverev over  Taylor Fritz

They have played each other nine times, which is a lot, and the German has won it five times, and he lost four titles. Even? I would say, yet. This year, Zverev beat him in Rome, on the clay, and then at Wimbledon, Fritz took him down in five, exhausted, sets. They have been playing a lot time, in the matches, and they first went each other, over eight years ago. So for sure, they know each other well. 

Both can like to rally and try to split with their forehand and backhands, crosscourt, or down the line. They can strike on the return in the second serve. They can also run to the net, bend, and touch it. It is a toss-up, and while Zverev almost won the 2020 US Open, he slipped up in the fifth set in the tiebreaker against Dominic Thiem. Zverev must think he can go away, but he has to prove it. However, he will edge against Fritz and take it in four, extended sets.

Emma Navarro over Paula Badosa

The former NCAA champion Navarro stood up, and in the third set, she nailed it very deep. She beat the 2023 Grand Slam winner, Coco Gauff, and her shivers went away. She can nail the ball with both sides, and while she still has more work to do this year, she has been much more consistent.

Badosa has also been much more consistent, and she also likes to rally. Yes, there are times when she doesn’t hit it deep, yet she can also go for it with her strong backhand. 

These have played together once, and Badosa took it in Rome in three difficult sets. The Spaniard can hustle and change it up, but this time, Navarro will out-hit her on the hardcourts, and she can drive it, forehand versus forehand. The American might be super nervous, but this time, early in the day, she will breathe and win it in three feral sets.

Qinwen Zheng over Aryna Sabalenka

Somehow, Zheng won it on Sunday/Monday, at beyond 2 am, which was a record. But still, her forehand, her backhand and her first serve are so flat, hard, and gigantic. Yes, the Chinese player can go off, but in reality, after she hits a bad shot, she can still walk over and start again. She did win the Olympics a month ago, so she is flying high. 

However, to beat the 2024 Aussie champion Sabalenka will be very difficult. Belarus is finally playing terrifically, as last month, her body was so-so, so she wasn’t playing wonderfully. But now, she is locked in, and the No. 2 won Cincinnati a few weeks ago. She is one of her biggest hitters, out there. Both of these two will go for it early, and try to put it away. To win the match, they have to use their first serves and crush it when she returns. Zheng is still pretty young, but she is moving up words. Zheng will win it, in two tiebreakers. 

Frances Tiafoe over Grigor Dimitrov

The Bulgarian Dimitrov can look great, and then he can look slow on the court. Yes, when he is on, he can do almost everything, but the reason why he has not won a Slam was because his one-handed backhand is phenomenal, but it can also be too short. 

The American Tiafoe can also look terrific, but the same thing because, in 2024, he lost a lot all over the place. Now he is playing much better, but how he got there again is hard to tell. 

Dimitrov beat Tiafoe three times and only once. He is older and has more experience, yet Tiafoe loves playing in front of the crowds in New York, and he will try to be super consistent. There will be some tremendous rallies, side to side, and very deep at night. Tiafoe will seize it in five sets.

Coco Gauff  over Emma Navarro

She has not played spectacular this, but Gauff keeps trying to figure it out. Her forehand  may not be amazing yet, like her terrific backhand, but she keeps to make an effort, hitting it harder.   Navarro has also improved a lot over the past year, with her interesting strokes. She can fall down, yet now she will get up and try to stay there. 

Both of them are intense, especially at the Grand Slams, and while Navarro believes that she can chop down almost anyone, yet Gauff has played a lot in the matches at the big events. She will do it again when Gauff takes it, 6-4 in the delicious three sets.

Taylor Fritz over Casper Ruud

The American, Fritz, has had an impressive tournament, so far. But he has not a great year so far, so if he wants to rise up into the sky, he has to beat Ruud. They have played each other twice, and Ruud edged him at the 2022 ATP Final 7-6 in the third. This year, Ruud out hit him 6-4 in the third at Roland Garros. He knows, it.  Right now, between the both, the Norway is slightly better. Yet this is the US Open, and there will be a tremendous crowds to cheer Fritz. However, to do it, he is going to serve  and return harder and deeper. They will have a lot of rallies, and different strokes, with spin, and flat. Ruud believes that he can mix it up, more, and out-think, him. But in the fifth set, Fritz will find on the corners, with a bunch of winners, and he will take it 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4. 

Frances Tiafoe over Alexei Popyrin

Two days ago, they put together some amazing shots, with Tiafoe beat  Ben Shelton in five sets, and Popyrin stunned Novak Djokovic in four wonderful sets. 

Tiafoe  has been into the semis at the 2022 US Open, but Popyrin had never came slows. Now, the Aussie had, finally slamming the balls, side to side, and winning Montreal. But will Popyrin  tune it up again? Maybe for a while, but he has to prove it, day after day. He is having a fine event, but the American Tiafoe is gaining ground, fast, again. The strong Tiafoe will win it in four, whacky sets.   

Qinwen Zheng over Donna Vekic

At the Olympics games, Zheng won it all, in Paris. She was rising, but who knew that soon, her forehand and her backhand became marvelous. She is very good, and when she is happy on the court, she can explode. However, when her forehand and her return is mediocre, then she can be very unfulfilled. 

The Croatian Vekic has also had a tremendous summer, believe it or not, as they played against each in the final at the Olympics. Zheng beat her 6-2, 6-3, but it was on the clay. On Sunday, it is the faster, hardcourts. The 28-year-old Vekic is more mature, as she can lose and become very sad. However, if you look at it in the summer,   she went deep in Germany and Wimbledon. Vekic really likes to attack, soon, and she will try to fool the Chinese Zheng, but she won’t in the third set. Zheng will win it, 5-7,  7-5, 6-2. 

Madison Keys over Elise Mertens

The veteran, Mertens,  did start in the beginning in January, and she reached into the final in Hobart. She lost, but at least she was aggressive and the Belgian was darn consistent. But after that, Mertens stopped way back, and then she lost a ton of matches. Yes, Mertens can be very interesting, but she has yet to go super deep into the final at the Slams. Maybe she will, this time.

Keys has reaching the final in the US Open, and many more. Now, she still can get hurt, physically, and then she will have to retire. But when she is feeling good, the Keys can step it on the gas, and take off. There will be some interesting rallies, but in reality, the American will jump on the lines. Keys  will win it 6-3, 7-5. 

Alexander Zverev over Tomas Martin Etcheverry

The German all most won the US Open, but in the fifth set against Dominic Thiem , he back off. In a sense, Zverev can mix it up a lot, and he is just fine to rally, until he can where the opponent down. Each week, when Zverev is playing pretty good, then he can go deep. But other times, he can get very angry.

The Argentine, Etcheverry, has had a so-so year. In 2023, he did have a few very good tournaments, such as Santiago and Houston. However, he can be pretty consistent, but he is not more powerful. There for, Zverev  will take it in three, simple sets. 

Novak Djokovic over Alexei Popyrin

The multiple Grand Slam winner, Djokovic, is almost always being controlling, on the courts. His backhand is phenomenal, his first serve is amazing, and his return is mind-blowing. However, there are times when Djokovic cannot wake up when he is dreaming, and then, the errors will come in.

The 25-year-old Popyrin has put together some terrific wins, especially when he won in Montreal, beating all five players from the top 20. That was a shocker, but he did changed some new tactics. Yet in reality, he played against Djokovic two times this year, and the Serbian beat the Australian Popyrin at the Aussie Open, and Wimbledon. There were some fine points, but  Djokovic knows how to unearth him, and for the third time, he will take it in four, fun sets. 

Aryna Sabalenka over Ekaterina Alexandrova

This should be very close, as they have tied at 3-3, the last time at it was Wimbledon.  Sabalenka has won a Slam, at the 2024 Aussie Open, but Alexandrova has yet to do into the quarters at all. Yes, the Russian has gone very deep at times, and she has won four titles, but at the Slams, it can be very uptight. Apparently, she has.

The No. 2 Sabalenka hits a giant forehand and her backhand, and she can scream when she puts a inspiring shots. She can miss it up, and send it in some odd error, but she can throw it back in. This will be another three setter, and while Alexandrova will play rather than being so uptight, but at 5-5, she will fail again, and Sabalenka will breath, happily.

Casper Ruud over Gael Monfils

The Norway, Ruud, had a fine event at the Olympics, as he reached the semis, but he could not beat Alexander Zverev, although it was close. He is ranked No. 8, which is solid, but he wants to win a Grand Slam, whenever he can. He must prove it, though, as he has been very close but can fall off.

Monfils has had some crazy, fantastic matches. The Frenchman is now 37 years old, and it looks like he is still pretty fast when running, but once again, he is aging. That doesn’t mean that he can beat some good players, but to upset the top 10 men will be tough with Monfils. Of course, he will try to do it, as he has been able to play for many hours over the years. He is fun to watch when he plays fantastic, yet Ruud will hit it backhand to backhand, as that has always been Monfis’ weakness.  Ruud will take it in four long sets at night.

Coco Gauff over Tatjana Maria 

Will the 21-year-old Gauff finally gain her ground? Last year, at the US Open, she played phenomenally, and she won the event. However, in 2024, she only won the event at the beginning of January. She can look terrific, but her forehand is still up and down, and while she is excellent at the net, she can mess it up here and there. Still, she is young, so she will continue to improve.

Amazingly, the 37-year-old Maria is still playing in the singles. Yes, most people can continue to go for it, but the older you get, you are not as fast when they run. Maria won more than a few matches long ago, bashing the ball, but now, she is going down. That’s why Gauff will win it in two simple sets.

Victoria Azarenka over Clara Burel

The former two-time Grand Slam champion Azarenka is another player who is getting older, and while she does play a lot, the 35-year-old rarely goes into the finals anymore. Yes, she can, occasionally, this year and next year, but she will start to fade. The great thing is that Azarenka reached the final at the US Open three times, and while she could not do it, it was respectable. Azarenka is a huge hitter, but she is a little bit slow, and against Burel, she will have to be patient. The Frenchwoman had a terrific win over Sloane Stephens and hit some fine shots. She is certainly getting better, and her backhand is excellent. However, Azarenka wants to enter the second week, and while she can get hurt physically, she will still try to find the lines. Azarenka will win it in three tough sets.

Taylor Fritz over Matteo Berrettini

The American Fritz has beaten the Italian all three times, so clearly, he is better than he is. However, Berrettini can explode when he feels good, and his forehand is super hard. He can get frustrated when he does not hit the ball correctly. However, over the past five months, Berrettini started to play much better. But can the Italian finally beat Fritz? Maybe, yet the San Diego native knows what to do when thinking he can smack the ball, whenever and where, against Berrettini. He will be pretty patient and mix it up. too. Fritz will win it for the fourth time, at night, in Flushing Meadows, in five extended sets.

No. 13 Ben Shelton vs. Dominic Thiem 

The Austrian Thiem won the US Open in 2020, edging Alexander Zverev in the final in a tiebreaker in the fifth set. That was dramatic. He also reached into the final at Roland Garros and the Australian Open over the years, but he could not win it. However, that was very good, as he had some amazing shots with a lot of variety. Unfortunately, Thiem suffered a wrist injury a few years ago, and then he could beat the top players again. Now, he will retire at the end of the year, but he will try to reach out and have a fine show. However, Shelton has had a good year, not all of the time, but the young man can look terrific. He can celebrate a lot, and he can nail it into the corners. The American wants to go into the second week, and the No. 13 will push himself hard. In the Ashe Stadium, in the first match on Monday, Shelton will take it in four, fun sets. 

No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti vs. Reilly Opelka

The players never know when they will get hurt badly, but here and there, they might be gone for a long time due to an injury. Opelka was out for eight months last year, as he could not play, but last month, he returned, so now he has to be very careful. He is a huge hitter, but he is not that fast when he is running, so he has to try to attack it. 

Maybe he can, but the Italian Musetti just won a bronze at the Olympics, so he must be totally exuberant. Plus, at Wimbledon, he reached into the semis, taking down Taylor Fritz before he lost against Novak Djokovic. Musetti is getting better all the time. Opelka will be excited about the match in New York, but Musetti will grind him down slowly, and he will win it in three long sets.

No. 9 Qinwen Zheng vs. Amanda Anisimova 

The wonderful Zheng won the Olympics in Paris, and she is rising very fast. She can sprint with any direction, and she can also be very patient. Yes, she can get upset when her forehand drops down, but gradually, Zheng can re-adjust it. 

When she is happy, the American Amanda Anisimova can shatter the ball. She is intense when feeling good, but when she cannot hit it in the right way, she can collapse. Fortunately, Anisimova made it into the final in Toronto, beating four very good players, so now, she is much more mature, on the court. This is a very tough one, as they can be very nervous, but this time, the Chinese Zheng will battle it in three sets and she will snag it in a crazy tiebreaker.  

No. 21  Madison Keys vs. Katerina Siniakova

Keys got hurt recently, but somehow she decided to play in Flushing Meadows. Hopefully, when she is playing, she won’t twist her knee. She wants to go deep again, crushing the ball if she is healthy.  She is a gigantic hitter, with her forehand and her backhand, but currently, she is a little bit slow, when she runs. However, she has gone deep at the Slams, so the second week will be right there if she can lock it in.

Siniakova is a great doubles player, and she has won nine titles in the Grand Slams. But in the singles, the Czech has yet to reach into the quarters in the majors, so from the backcourt, she is still looking to find the solution. Keys has made it into the final at the 2017 US Open, so then she is pretty confident. She will take in two sets.

The American men have not won it since 2003, when Andy Roddick grabbed it. Eventually, someone can finally do it again, but here, to win it in September would be surprising, given that none of the U.S. guys are not in the top 10. Maybe someone will go it, but whoever will, he must be totally locked in for two weeks. 

Both of them top 3 men, the non-Americans, with Jannik Sinner, Novak, Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are favored, so to beat them, they have to really mix it up and put it away. Here the U.S. men:

No. 12: Taylor Fritz

It is very hard to say whether he can grind it with some big shots or he can miss a few crazy shots. He can explode when he is on fire, but he can also trip up. Fritz has had some terrific tournaments, but he also lost, early. If he gets hot, he could go deep in Flushing Meadows on the court. But he is going to have to prove it.

No. 13: Ben Shelton

The young player has had an interesting year, as he has changed some of his tactics and has also been more thoughtful. His forehand is now stronger, and his first serve is also very close on the lines. He does to rally, and he likes to celebrate, but also, day after day, he can make some medicare decisions. However, in New York, he will jump up and down. Yet, going very deep in will be surprising.

No. 14 Tommy Paul

Over the past two years, the 27-year-old has had a tremendous year, but can he go much further? He is so consistent, and he does like some really long rallies, so when he is feeling good, he can drive and nail it with a winner. Yes if you look at it, week after week, he can beat many players, but this season, he hasn’t beat anyone in the top 8. This time, he will have to earn it.

No. 16: Sebastian Korda

The Floridian was struggling for months due to his injury, but last month, he finally rose, winning Washington for the first time. He is a gigantic hitter when he is set up, and then he can hit it all around.  However, he does push the ball, and he does get upset when he isn’t playing well. Yet when he is more thoughtful, then he can out-hit with the ball, just like when he reached into the semis at Montreal recently. He wants to show with the fans that he is darn good. Maybe he will, but he will have to leap over the wall and snare it.

No. 20: Frances Tiafoe

Up until two weeks ago, he wasn’t doing much at all, but then, he turned it around, reaching the final in Montreal. In the semis, he out-lasted against Holger Rune in a third tiebreak, and then the next day, Tiafoe went down versus the No. 1 Sinner. Oh well, at least he was trying, so when he is ready to play on the hardcourts, he will remember that in 2022, he reached the semis at the U.S. Open. He really wants to do it again. Yes, he is very fast and running, and he can play very consistently, but there are times when he isn’t sure what to do. This time,  he can relax and be more patient. If he does, he certainly can go deep again as he said: “Insanely happy for the effort I had all week. Tennis is a funny sport, man. It’s been a really tough year,” Tiafoe said. “Since post—US Open, honestly, since I made the quarters there last year, I’ve struggled to put matches together, taking the game for granted and not having much gratitude. I am in a great situation now.”