SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER!
 
 
Facebook Social Button Twitter Social Button Follow Us on InstagramYouTube Social Button
NewsScoresRankingsLucky Letcord PodcastShopPro GearPickleballGear Sale


By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday August 31, 2021


Day 2 of the US Open gets the top half of the singles draws in the mix, and that means that Novak Djokovic’s quest for the calendar year Grand Slam kicks off against Norway’s Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune. The World No.1, who holds a 75-12 lifetime record at the US Open with three titles, has not played since the Olympics. Read on for more about Djokovic’s quest and other matches we’ll be watching on Day 2.

Tennis Express

Djokovic v Rune

Djokovic will take the court for the first time since the Bronze Medal match at the Olympics against an 18-year-old that has been rising fast. Rune, who trains at the Patrick Mouratoglou Academy, has won back-to-back challenger titles and has stretched his winning streak to 13 matches.


Of course the qualifier will be testing some pretty intimidating waters when he faces Djokovic in his first main draw match at a Slam. Djokovic, seeded No.1 in New York for the eighth time, comes in with a 21-match Grand Slam winning streak. He’s 38-5 on the year, and as good as that overall record is, he’s saved his very best tennis for the Grand Slams. We don’t expect things to be any different here in New York, where he’s the top seed, but it will still be important to keep an eye on Djokovic’s state of mind and physical health. He’ll need everything he has to get through the enormous pressure he faces at this year’s US Open, and tonight’s tilt with Rune should give good indication of where he is at.

Korda and Brooksby in Action

Brandon Nakashima took care of business on Day 1, taking down American top dog John Isner in impressive fashion to reach the second round. Now the attention turns to Sebastian Korda, 21, and Jenson Brooskby, 20, each of whom come in highly touted, along with Nakashima, as the generation next for the American men.

Korda, who has reached the round of 16 on his Roland-Garros and Wimbledon debut (he's just the third player in Open Era history and the first since 1986 to achieve that feat), faces Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili in the third match on Court No.5, while Brooksby will face Sweden’s Mikael Ymer in the fourth match on Court No.4. Korda, now ranked 45, is searching for his first US Open win. He lost to Denis Shapovalov on his US Open debut last year. Brooksby, a wild card with a ranking of 99, has turned heads this summer by reaching a final in Newport and a semifinal at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

Barty’s Back

Top-seeded Ashleigh Barty has won Roland Garros and Wimbledon since 2019, and she’s been to at least the quarterfinals in her last three appearances at the Australian Open, but her path in New York has been much trickier. Barty, 25, skipped the US Open last year due to the pandemic, but before that she had never been past the round of 16.

She’ll open her tournament on Arthur Ashe against former finalist Vera Zvonareva, in the second match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and all eyes will be watching to see how the World No.1 caps off another incredible Grand Slam season.

Other Top-Notch Tilts on Day 2

There are a lot to choose from, here are some of our top picks…

Alexander Zverev v Sam Querrey, 1st up on Ashe: The German is the Olympic Gold medalist and considered one of the top favorites on the men’s side.
Viktorija Golubic v Bianca Andreescu, last match on Ashe: The Canadian returns to the scene of her biggest triumph, two years after the fact.
Marta Kostyuk v Maria Sakkari, first match, Court 10: Kostyuk is a rising force, Sakkari is simply a force.
Belinda Bencic v Arantxa Rus, second match, Louis Armstrong: Bencic looks to parlay her Olympic Gold into Grand Slam success.

 

Latest News