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.”

Jannik Sinner was ready to become ticked off, as he wasn’t playing great, but soon enough, he started to nail the ball. The Italian won Cincinnati, beating Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4), 6-2 in the final. It was close in the tiebreaker, but after that, he took off, as he controlled on the lines, into the corners, and deep, too.

He has yet to win the US Open, but clearly, the No. 1 will have a legitimate shot to grab it. Yes, before that, when he decided not to play at the Olympics, as he was physically hurt,  but when he plays, he can beat anyone, with his hard strokes.

 This season, he has won Cincinnati, the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Miami and Halle. Here, in the semis, he edged against Alexander Zverev  7-6(9), 5-7, 7-6(4), in a massive show. 

“It has been a tough week, some ups and downs, which is normal to have,” Sinner said. “But how I handled the very important moments in each match, I’m very happy.” 

Yes, when he is on, he looks terrific, but when he starts to use some odd errors, he can back off, like he did at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. But now he is on the hardcourts, which he really likes it. His confident is rising. However, last year at the 2023 U.S. Open,  he lost versus Zverev in five sets. Can they go against each other one more time? Possibly, yes.

Tiafoe had a very good week, the best during this season, as he did not go deep at all until in Cincy. His thoughts came back, slowly, but when he is locked in, then he can be much more patient. A few years ago, he reached the semis at the US Open, so now, if he can hang in there, then the No. 20 can continue to beat a number of very good people.

“I’ve been struggling for a really long time so to have a week like this really means a lot,” Tiafoe said. “You guys know how tough it’s been for me for a while, so to have a week like this is great… Let’s stay with it.”

(3) A. Sabalenka def. (6) J Pegula 6-3 7-5

Aryna Sabalenka also won the 2024 Australian Open this year, but this time in the United States, she won it, too, beating Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-5 in the final at Cincinnati. Perhaps the most important was that in the semis she knocked down the No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semis, who has beat her eight times, but on Sunday, Sabalenka played tremendous, and she beat her 6-3, 6-3, now the third time. She didn’t lose a set, and her  power was phenomenal. She certainly can over hit, and force herself, but when she really thinks, then she can raise the game. 

The American Pegula had two wonderful weeks, winning Toronto and then she reached into the final in Cincy. She can be so CONSISTENT, and she will attack more, but finally, on Monday, she looked tired. On Sunday in the semis, she out hit  Paula Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, but it was very long, side by side. When she gets into the US Open, then she will feel refreshed, but Pegula has yet to reach into the semis at the Slams, so perhaps she gets pretty nervous. This time, she can breath.

Sabalenka can be up and down, month after month, but she plays a lot, so the No. 2 can be angry. However, she is trying to be much more patient. PA

Maybe she can win it in Flushing Meadows. 

“I would say that I’m really playing great tennis,” Sabalenka said, “probably not like the best tennis I can play, but I’m definitely getting there.

And with every match I play, I feel better, better and better and hopefully at the US Open, I can keep building the level, I can reach maybe even higher level than I used to play.

I think I was really emotional in Washington and Toronto coming back after after injury. I was overreacting, and I just stepped back and realized that I played my great tennis when I was calm and confident, that no matter what’s going on the court, I’ll be able to keep fighting.

When she walks on the court, Jessica Pegula can be a new day. She could play mediocre, depending on the week, but when she finally starts to play terrific, then she can beat just about anyone. In Toronto, the 30-year-old took it, winning against Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. In the third set, she decided to be more aggressive early, too, and she also out-stroked her. She can back off, but she also snap it, hard.

“I think I always kind of have maybe a little bit of an underdog mentality, no matter who I’m playing, if it’s a high-ranked or low-ranked player, maybe that helps me just not get caught by surprise on some matches.  I take any match lightly,” Pegula. “I think the depth right now is really  good, so I know that every day, no matter how well you’re playing or what the ranking is, that someone can beat you on any given day.” 

Yes, she did, and she has fought for years, into the third sets. Sometimes she loses, but over the past two years, she finally understood that she needed to attack when she has to. That is why she is ranked No. 6.

Against the other American, Anisimova, when it was close, Pegula needed to punch harder.

“The third [set], I was just, like, I just need to pick up my energy here, and I need to come and start off the third and get on her really quickly,” she said. “Especially someone that can have such big ball-striking ability and hit winners and kind of boss you around the court, you know, you want a good lead from someone like that in the third.”

Pegula will have a chance to go deep at the U.S. Open, as she never have into the semis, at all. It will be another chance.

That was a fine tournament by Anisimova, who is so strong, and she can crush the ball with her powerful forehand and her backhand. She is not that fast when she runs, but now, she can be intense. However, the 22- year-old stopped playing for four months because she didn’t like to play tennis, and she decided to do something else. Now, though, at least this week, the Floridian can be darn good, but it is hard to say whether she will play well over the next four months, or in the fall again. In Toronto, she beat a few very good players, such as Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Navarro.

She was pleased, though.

“I really just want to give it my all, and hopefully in the years to come I’ll be able to achieve that. 

Yeah, just knowing that if I try my best and just keep playing that hopefully that will come one day,” Anisimova said. “All I can really do is just work really hard every day and just do my best, and hopefully that will happen, and if it doesn’t, at least at the end of the day I knew that I did all I could…I think that deep down I’ve always had that mental toughness to push through pain or a challenge.”

It is odd that the various players can rise up, quickly, and then whoever it is, he is playing out of this world. That is true with  

Alexei Popyrin, who won, beating Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 at Montreal, and the ATP 1000. 

That was his first title, and the Aussie is 25 years old, in the middle of the road. In the final, though, he sliced a lot, with his backhand, and also, he went for the lines with his hard forehand, down the line. He was on fire, and pumping with his fist. Earlier, against Grigor Dimitrov,he faced three match points, and he managed to bring it back. Eventually, he won the match, and then, he was sailing.  

He also beat Hubert Hurkacz and Sebastian Korda. Plus, even though Rublev played much better this week, but in the final, he was pretty sloppy. 

With Popyrin, it was almost wild that he won the event, as this year, except in Montreal, he didn’t go deep at all. But he must have chanced. He is now currently ranked No. 23, and he has never gone into the second week at the Slams. He has to try even better.  “It means the world, for all the hard work I’ve put in over the years, all the sacrifices I have made,” said Popyrin. “It’s probably the best week of my career so far. I think it’s just the quality of opponents that I’ve beat I think is the reason why. Not just that I’m in the final of a Masters, but just the quality of opponents and the way I’ve been playing I think it’s just showing that all my hard work is paying off…I pride myself on my fighting spirit. I never give up anywhere.