The USTA has announced its 32 seeds for the U.S. Open, so we now know certain matchups that could potentially take place along the way. “Potentially,” of course, is the key word here. After all, who knows how many seeded players could be bounced out of Flushing Meadows before they are even scheduled to go up against a fellow seed? Juan Martin Del Potro, for example, is unseeded and will be slated to face a seeded adversary in either the first or second round (just as he did against Novak Djokovic in round one of the Rio Olympics).
But for this piece’s sake, we’ll assume all of the seeds successfully make their way through the bracket.
If the seeds reach the third round, 1-8 would meet 25-32.
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Andy Murray
3. Stan Wawrinka
4. Rafael Nadal
5. Milos Raonic
6. Kei Nishikori
7. Marin Cilic
8. Dominic Thiem
vs.
25. Philipp Kohlschreiber
26. Jack Sock
27. Alexander Zverev
28. Martin Klizan
29. Sam Querrey
30. Gilles Simon
31. Albert Ramos-Vinolas
32. Benoit Paire
Thus there is a possibility of a rematch between Djokovic and Sam Querrey, who collided in the last 32 at Wimbledon. In that rain-interrupted showdown, Querrey shocked the world No. 1 on his way to the quarterfinals and ultimately opened the door for Andy Murray to win his second title at the All-England Club. Kei Nishikori, meanwhile, could face Benoit Paire in the third round in New York. They squared off in the opening round last summer, when the Frenchman pulled off a five-set upset after fighting off two match points. Good friends Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev may be forced to go head-to-head in the third round, just as they did at Roland Garros (Thiem won in four sets on his way to the semis).
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9-16 would meet 17-24.
9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
10. Gael Monfils
11. David Ferrer
12. David Goffin
13. Richard Gasquet
14. Nick Kyrgios
15. Roberto Bautista Agut
16. Feliciano Lopez
vs.
17. Bernard Tomic
18. Pablo Cuevas
19. Steve Johnson
20. John Isner
21. Ivo Karlovic
22. Grigor Dimitrov
23. Kevin Anderson
24. Lucas Pouille
Good news for John Isner: he cannot run into Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round. The 6’10” American succumbed to Kohlschreiber in three straight U.S. Opens–each time in the third round (2012, 2013, and 2014). But Isner could be in line for another date with Monfils, and good things generally happen when those two share the same court. The head-to-head series is tied 4-4 and almost every one of their eight battles has been entertaining (including a U.S. Open second-round thriller in 2013, won by Isner in a fourth-set ‘breaker). An all-Aussie affair between Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic could also be a possibility.
If the seeds hold to form into the fourth round, 1-4 would meet 13-16.
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Andy Murray
3. Stan Wawrinka
4. Rafael Nadal
vs.
13. Richard Gasquet
14. Nick Kyrgios
15. Roberto Bautista Agut
16. Feliciano Lopez
Kyrgios vs. Stan Wawrinka would be the headliner, for obvious reasons. That said, the 21-year-old Autralian also has a history against Murray and Rafael Nadal. Kyrgios is a disastrous 0-5 lifetime against Murray and he has fallen to the second-ranked Scot in a whopping four of the last seven majors. Nadal is 1-1 against Kyrgios with a 2014 Wimbledon loss and a three-set win earlier this season on the red clay of Rome. A Wawrinka vs. Richard Gasquet contest would also be of note. Each of their two previous Grand Slam showdowns (2013 French Open, 2015 Wimbledon) went deep into fifth sets (8-6 to Wawrinka and 11-9 in Gasquet’s favor).
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5-8 would meet 9-12.
5. Milos Raonic
6. Kei Nishikori
7. Marin Cilic
8. Dominic Thiem
vs.
9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
10. Gael Monfils
11. David Ferrer
12. David Goffin
The chances of these matchups coming to fruition are slim. Thiem seems to have run out of gas late in the season, Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are always physical question marks, David Ferrer is mired in a slump, and David Goffin has cooled off since a torrid spring. Tsonga vs. Marin Cilic, would be a rematch of a contentious five-setter in the quarterfinals of last year’s U.S. Open. Cilic, the 2014 champion, got the job done 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(3), 6-4. Thiem and Goffin, who are occasional doubles partners, met in the Roland Garros quarterfinals a few months ago–with the Austrian triumphing in four sets.
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And in the quarterfinals, 1-4 would meet 5-8.
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Andy Murray
3. Stan Wawrinka
4. Rafael Nadal
vs.
5. Milos Raonic
6. Kei Nishikori
7. Marin Cilic
8. Dominic Thiem
Raonic came within one victory of stealing the No. 4 seed from Nadal, but the huge-serving Canadian fell to Murray in the Cincinnati semifinals and thus had to settle for No. 5. As such, he could run up against either Djokovic, Murray, Wawrinka, or Nadal in the U.S. Open quarterfinals instead of possibly battling Nadal, Nishikori, Cilic, or Thiem. A Murray-Raonic tilt would mark their sixth of the year. Murray has won their previous five 2016 matches and now leads the head-to-head series 8-3 after once trailing it 3-1.
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