By Chris Oddo | Monday August 27, 2018
Day 2 of the U.S. Open brings the lower half of both the men’s and women’s singles draws into the fray. That means Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova will all be in action on Tuesday.
Here’s what we’ll be watching…
See the Full Day 2 Order of Play Here
Federer and Djokovic on Ashe
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic back-to-back on Arthur Ashe Stadium? Don’t mind if we do. Djokovic, who defeated Federer in the Cincinnati final to become the first player to win all nine current Masters 1000 titles, will face Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in the second day match on the big stadium, while Federer will open the night session against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. Both matches are first-time meetings.
Kyrgios and Sharapova headline Armstrong night session
It will be interesting to see what type of form Australia’s Nick Kyrgios is in when he meets Moldova’s Radu Albot in first-round action on Tuesday. The Aussie has battled knee problems this summer, and he wasn’t really moving well at Cincinnati. But if he’s in good health he’s a potential stumbling block for Roger Federer—the pair are slated to meet in the third round.
Sharapova’s match with 39-year-old Patty Schnyder will be interesting because, well, Schnyder is 39 and she’s the oldest woman to ever qualify for the U.S. Open! Amazing story... The pair have met eight times previously but not since 2008 and—even more amazing—neither player has ever lost in the first round at the U.S. Open.
Konta Bidding for Upset vs. Garcia on Grandstand
No.6-seeded Caroline Garcia will face Great Britain’s Johanna Konta. The Brit owns the 3-2 edge over Garcia and has been in much better form of late after dropping way down in the rankings. Konta was seven in the world at last year’s U.S. Open but she has since dropped to her current perch at No.46. Konta fell in the first round at New York last year, while Garcia reached the third round.
Court 5 Features Bertens and Sabalenka
If you’ve been keeping tabs on the WTA Tour this summer, you know that two of the tour’s hottest players are going to be on Court 5 on Tuesday. Kiki Bertens, who has earned 10 Top 10 wins in 2018 (against just three in her entire career prior to 2018) already and is fresh off the Cincinnati title, will face Kristyna Pliskova, while Aryna Sabalenka, making her Top 20 debut today and Fresh off the New Haven title, will face American Danielle Collins.
If you have a grounds pass and a good hat to keep the sun from scorching you, head over to Court 5 early and make a day of it!
Youzhny’s Last Stand on Court 6
Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny will look to extend his career on Tuesday when he faces fellow veteran Marcos Baghdatis in first-round action.
Youzhny, a two-time semifinalist in New York, is also angling to win his 500th match—he currently has 498 career wins. The Russian has split eight career matches with the 33-year-old from Cyprus.