US Open 2021: Tough draw for the Czechs, Tsitsipas-Murray match in the 1st round

The last Grand Slam of the season is coming up, in just a few days the US Open will start. On Thursday, the draw took place and the tournament schedule was unveiled. The highlight of the first round will be the duel between Tsitsipas and Murray. What opponents can the biggest favourites look forward to? Who will the Czech tennis hopefuls face?

Among men, the number 1 favourite is Novak Djokovic, the king of this season, winner of all this year’s Grand Slams. And he can succeed in New York. His chances of winning the title are even better with Nadal’s absence. He’ll face a qualifier in the first round. A tougher opponent awaits him in the 3rd round (Nishikori/Goffin). The Serb should have no problem advancing to the second week.

Medvedev will be the next big favourite. The Russian has been performing very well on the hard surface. He even dominated the recent tournament in Toronto. In the opening match, he will face the veteran Gasquet, a former world number seven. The experienced Frenchman has been on a solid run of form in recent months and the favourite will not have an easy time of it.

Alexander Zverev rounds out the three big favourites. The German is in great form. He won gold at the Olympic tournament and dominated the last tournament in Cincinnati. The lot hasn’t been too kind to him either. In the first round, he will face American Sam Querrey. It’s going to be a tough one, Zverev must not underestimate this duel.

The 1st round match will be a showdown between Tsitsipas and Murray. The favourite here is clear and that will be Tsitsipas. Murray’s performance has been very mediocre, he’s been dropping out of tournaments in the opening rounds. He’s struggling to beat even top 50 players. It may not be a clear-cut affair, but the Greek should still advance with ease.

The only Czech representative will probably be Jiri Vesely. Kevin Anderson will be waiting for him at the start. The Czech will be an outsider, he can only surprise. Anderson is a very dangerous player on the hard surface. Veselý needs a great performance to advance. Vesely may be joined in the main event by Lehecka. But he has to make it through the last match of the qualification.

In the women’s section, Ashleigh Barty will be the favorite . The world number one is having a great year. She won Wimbledon and last time she dominated the tournament in Cincinnati. She’s up against the experienced Zvonareva, a former world number two. An unpredictable draw. But few can challenge the Australian, and the favourite’s progress should be a mere formality.

The defending champion will be Naomi Osaka. But the Japanese is not as good as she was a year ago. She’s not in the ideal playing condition at the moment. Unexpected losses to Vondrousova and Teichmann are clear evidence of that. She will play Bouzkova in the 1st round, which she should be able to do, but who knows. Her current performance is terribly unpredictable.

We have to count Aryna Sabalenka among the big favorites. The Belarusian is one of the best tennis players at the moment, she reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon. Playing on a hard surface is ideal for her aggressive tennis. She will face Stojanovic in the first round, which is a very favourable draw. She’ll be up against playable opponents in the other rounds as well. Sabalenka is not to be underestimated.

Karolina Pliskova is also performing well . Wimbledon final, Montreal final, Cincinnati semi-final. She’s in the perfect game and she’ll want to confirm that at the US Open. She’ll play Mcnally in the opening round, which is the perfect opponent to start with.

Bára Krejcikova will also have big ambitions. She is having the season of her life and is almost unbeatable at the moment. In fact, only Barty has beaten her twice since her triumph in Strasbourg. She’ll face a qualifier in the first round, so a good draw to start. She will have a fairly playable draw in the later rounds as well, which is great news.

The big question mark hangs over Petra Kvitova. The Czech Grand Slam champion is not having a good season at all. She is not doing well at the Grand Slams, not ideal even at normal tournaments. Recently, she has also had some health problems. Kvitova has never been very good at the US Open, she can only surprise. In her opening match she will face Hercog, which is not an easy draw at all. It won’t be a walk in the park in the next rounds either.

Health problems are also plaguing Karolina Muchova. She has been plagued by an injured abdominal muscle for practically the whole season, which she still hasn’t been able to heal. Because of this problem she had to withdraw from the last tournament in Cincinnati. It is a question of how she is physically and how she will be able to perform at her best. Moreover, she has a very difficult round ahead of her. She will play Sorribes-Torne, who will not give her any free ball. Mucha’s progress would be a rather pleasant surprise.

Tereza Martincova also has a very difficult draw. The Czech is enjoying the most successful period of her career. She is currently at her ranking peak (60th). In the 1st round she will face an attractive duel with Azarenka. The Belarusian is a multiple Grand Slam winner. However, she is not in super form either. She cannot be expected to defend her last year’s final. Martincova will be the underdog. However, with a certain constellation of stars, her advancement might not be unrealistic.

The US Open draw was not at all favourable for the Czech tennis players. If at least half of them advance, it will be a success. Let’s see if the Czechs can confirm their position as tennis superpowers at the US Open. They did it at the previous 3 Grand Slams, will they do it now?

Interesting matches of the 1st round::

Tsitsipas-Murray

Zverev-Querrey

Ruud-Tsonga

Medvedev-Gasquet

Barty-Zvonareva

Halep-Giorgi

Czech matches:

Pliskova-McNally

Krejcikova-qualifying opponent

Kvitova-Hercoq

Muchova-Sorribes Tornová

Vondrousova-qualifying opponent

Siniakova-Sevastova

Martincova-Azarenka

Bouzkova-Osaka

Source: Twitter