What to watch at U.S. Open: Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff continue title defense

Posted by Admin August 28, 2024 Tennis

Day 3 of the U.S. Open moves the tournament on to the second round, with the bottom half of the draw returning for their next matchups.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic is looking to get closer to another Grand Slam title, while Coco Gauff resumes her own title defense.

Start time: Noon ET, 9 a.m. PT
TV: ESPN, Tennis Channel

Madison Keys (14) vs. Maya Joint (Qualifier)

Madison Keys had a resounding round-one victory, defeating doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 6-1. Keys will look to attack opponent Maya Joint with her serve and flat groundstrokes, which saw her reach the final in New York in 2017. It’s the first time Keys and Joint, who will play college tennis in Texas after this is done, are facing each other.

Alexander Shevchenko vs. Frances Tiafoe (20)

Frances Tiafoe won a tight four-setter against fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. It’s his first matchup against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, who won his first-round match in four sets over Dominik Koepfer.

Expect Tiafoe to rely on his big serve (he won 80 percent of his first serve points against Kovacevic), but he will also lean on the raucous home crowd against Shevchenko.

Tatjana Maria vs. Coco Gauff (3)

Coco Gauff began her U.S. Open title defense with a straightforward 6-2, 6-0 victory over Varvara Gracheva. Despite winning all her service games, Gauff did face a lot of break points and recorded six double faults. The American leads the head-to-head 1-0, having beaten Maria in Auckland in 2023. She will look to build on her serving from round one with another solid performance.

Laslo Djere vs. Novak Djokovic (2)

For the second straight match, Novak Djokovic is last under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium. He had a routine win over Radu Albot, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round, but the world No 2 had some uncharacteristic unforced errors as he acclimatised to the hard courts. Djokovic has a 2-0 record against his compatriot Laslo Djere, which includes coming back from two sets down at last year’s U.S. Open.

Coco Gauff showed resolve to recover from a shaky start against Varvara Gracheva (Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images)

Louis Armstrong

Start time: 11 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. PT
TV: ESPN, Tennis Channel

Taylor Townsend vs. Paula Badosa (26)

Paola Badosa started her U.S. Open off in dominant fashion, winning 6-0, 6-3 against Viktorija Golubic. Taylor Townsend also won in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 over Martina Trevisan. The two faced off at the Australian Open this year, where Badosa won in straight sets, but Townsend is resurgent and fully believing in her singles game for the first time in a while. This promises to be one of the matches of the day.

Alexandre Muller (WC) vs. Alexander Zverev (4)

Alexander Zverev won his first round in four sets over fellow German Maximilian Marterer. Like Djokovic, he admitted that his game had not been at a good level, but the No 4 seed eked out the win to keep alive his chances for a first Grand Slam title. New York is where he has come closest, losing to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 final.

Alexander Zverev has reached two Grand Slam finals, losing both (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

Lucia Bronzetti vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2)

Is there a player in women’s tennis who is more confident on the hard courts than Aryna Sabalenka? The world No 2 had a strong start to the U.S. Open with a straight-sets win over Priscilla Hon, hitting 27 winners to just 16 unforced errors. Repeat that and it will be hard for Lucia Bronzetti, who advanced after opponent Lulu Sun retired down a set, to handle that power.

Victoria Azarenka (20) vs. Clara Burel

This is a matchup of two players who had to win three-set matches in their opening rounds, with Victoria Azarenka and Clara Burel also fighting back from a set down. Burel rallied against 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, while Azarenka overcame a spirited display from Yulia Starodubtseva. Azarenka leads the matchup 1-0 after beating Burel in Brisbane this year.

Matteo Berrettini vs. Taylor Fritz (12)

This might be the match of round two in the men’s draw. Matteo Berrettini, a former Wimbledon finalist, is probably the most dangerous unseeded player in the men’s draw. He faces 12th-seed Taylor Fritz, who has won all three of their previous meetings, most recently at the 2023 United Cup.

Matteo Berrettini is returning from a series of injuries and illnesses. (Dylan Buell / Getty Images)

Grandstand

Start time: 11 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. PT
TV: ESPN, Tennis Channel

Barbora Krejcikova (8) vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Q)

Barbora Krejcikova won her opening match in straight sets against Marina Bassols Ribera and the Czech said she’s still getting her game acclimated to the hard court after the Paris Olympics, which were played on clay. While Krejcikova has a 2-0 record against Ruse, the Romanian served better and converted more break point chances in her first-round match. Krejcikova will at least be happy to be on a show court, after being less than impressed with her Court 5 berth against Bassols Ribera.

Zheng Qinwen (7) vs. Erika Andreeva

Zheng Qinwen, the Olympic gold medalist, had a tough first-round match against American Amanda Anisimova. As the match went on, Zheng’s serve picked up, winning 73 percent of her first serve points overall. Andreeva meanwhile upset world No 37 Yuan Yue, and will be hoping for a repeat against Zheng.

Zheng Qinwen’s Olympic gold was China’s first ever in tennis. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

Ben Shelton (13) vs. Roberto Bautista Agut

Ben Shelton, last year’s U.S. Open semifinalist, got this year’s tournament started with an impressively smooth win over 2020 U.S. Open champion Thiem. Now he faces another veteran of the ATP Tour in Roberto Bautista Agut. Shelton beat Bautista Agut earlier this year at the Australian Open, and if he can serve like he did against Thiem (91 percent first serve points won) the American will likely advance.

Casper Ruud (8) vs. Gael Monfils

Casper Ruud and Gael Monfils have a 1-1 career head-to-head. Ruud beat Monfils at Indian Wells in a thrilling three-set match. Monfils will look to have a better start against Ruud than he did against Diego Schwartzman, where he lost the first set. Expect this to be a close match.

Casper Ruud is a three-time Grand Slam finalist, losing all three — including the 2022 U.S. Open (Mike Stobe / Getty Images)

Around the grounds

Start time: 11 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. PT
TV: ESPN, Tennis Channel

Francisco Cerundolo (29) vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry

First on Court 12, Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry are playing an all-Argentine affair. Etcheverry leads the head-to-head 1-0 but these players haven’t played on hard courts before.

Ekaterina Alexandrova (29) vs. Iva Jovic (WC)

Second on Court 12, 16-year-old Iva Jovic pulled off the biggest upset in the women’s draw so far by beating Magda Linette in the first round. Jovic became the youngest American to win a main-draw match at the U.S. Open in the process.

It will be tough for Jovic to follow up the win against the No 29 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. But if there is one bright spot, Jovic had a higher winning percentage on the first-serve return than Alexandrova (60 percent to 53 percent). If she can hold her own against the Alexandrova serve, the American teen has a chance.

Daria Kasatkina (12) vs. Peyton Stearns

Fourth on Court 5, Peyton Stearns won her first-round match in straight sets over Lesia Tsurenko. So did the No 12 seed Daria Kasatkina, over Jaqueline Cristian. This is their fifth match against each other, with Kasatkina leading the career head-to-head 3-1. Their last match on hard courts was at the Australian Open, with Kastakina winning in three sets. Expect another close encounter here.

Miomir Kecmanovic vs. Lorenzo Musetti (18)

Third on Court 5 is Lorenzo Musetti, the Olympic bronze medallist, who won in four sets over Reilly Opelka in his first-round match. He’s in form and does well against players with a big serve, chipping and slicing returns to their feet. Musetti has a 2-1 record against Kecmanovic and won the last time they squared off on hard court at the 2023 Davis Cup. This should be close.