By Tony Fairbairn
- Serena Williams [PR] v Danka Kovinic
- Nick Kyrgios [23] v Thanasi Kokkinakis
- Pablo Carreno Busta [12] v Dominic Thiem [PR]
NEW YORK, USA – Farewells, friendships and former champions are themes of the opening day of the last grand slam of the year at the US Open.
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Serena Williams [PR] v Danka Kovinic H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Serena Williams [PR] v Danka Kovinic | H2H: First Meeting |
| US Open 2022 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $80,000 |
| Third on Arthur Ashe Stadium (Midnight BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
So here it is, Serena Williams’ potential final match of her career of what has been an iconic and legendary 25 years of brilliance, seeing her win 23 grand slam singles titles. Although 24 is very unlikely in the final grand slam of her career, there is hope among many that she can at least get one more win in front of her home fans in New York. The question is will her body allow her to do that under the New York City lights?
Williams’ opening round opponent is a favourable one in the form of Danka Kovinic who hasn’t won a match since Roland Garros. Furthermore, Kovinic hasn’t won a hard court match since Indian Wells with the Montenegrin failing to hit the ground running in the second half of the season. However victories over Emma Raducanu and Karolina Pliskova as well as testing Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros, show that Kovinic shouldn’t be underestimated.
Williams will need her serve to be on form to have a chance in this match as Kovinic has proven that she can return well and construct points effectively. As mentioned the big doubt is over Williams’ fitness but if she is fit and ready to engage in her powerful baseline shots then she should win this match against an out of sorts Kovinic.
Prediction: Williams in straight sets.
Nick Kyrgios [23] v Thanasi Kokkinakis H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Nick Kyrgios [23] v Thanasi Kokkinakis | H2H: First Meeting |
| US Open 2022 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $80,000 |
| Fourth on Arthur Ashe Stadium (01:30 Tuesday Morning BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Since returning to the tour Nick Kyrgios has been on some form as he has produced some confident serving as well as a baseline game that has found opponent’s questioning their own tactics. A run to the Wimbledon final as well as a singles and doubles title in Washington has seen Kyrgios enter one of the best stages of his career as he looks to continue his climb up the world rankings.
A familiar foe awaits in his first match though in the form of doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis. Kokkinakis has also enjoyed a successful return to the tour having won a title in Adelaide at the start of the year as well as winning the doubles title at the Australian Open with Kyrgios. Kokkinakis’ match with Jannik Sinner in Cincinnati showed why he is one of the more dangerous unseeded players in the draw and the Australian will look to prove that again in New York.
Both players will know each other’s games well and if Kokkinakis can produce the tennis that saw him test Sinner then Kyrgios could have a problem. However the 23rd seed has been in great form recently and although this match could go the distance, Kyrgios’ self-belief and serve should get him through this match.
Prediction: Kyrgios in five sets.
Pablo Carreno Busta [12] v Dominic Thiem [PR] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Pablo Carreno Busta [12] v Dominic Thiem [PR] | H2H: Thiem leads 7-0 |
| US Open 2022 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $80,000 |
| Third on Court 17 (20:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
After an underwhelming season, Pablo Carreno Busta has recently proved why he is one of the more dangerous players to face on a hard court. The Spaniard recently won his first Masters 1000 title in Montreal beating the likes of Matteo Berrettini, Jannik Sinner and Hubert Hurkacz and will believe that he can make another deep run in New York this year.
First up for Carreno Busta is a massive obstacle as he takes on 2020 champion Dominic Thiem, an opponent the Spaniard has lost to on seven occasions. Thiem wasn’t able to defend his title last year so this will be a nice moment for the Austrian to try and come back and regain his crown. Thiem’s form has been inconsistent with the Austrian struggling to get some of the power that saw him win the title two years ago. Now the Austrian will look to produce one of the biggest wins since coming back to the tour.
This will be a tough test for both players with Carreno Busta looking to overcome the psychological hurdle of finally beating the Austrian. While Thiem will need to rediscover his old form to get over the line here. The best of five set format could favour Thiem as he will have time to rediscover his form but in the end Carreno Busta’s recent form and consistency should be too much for the former champion.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in four sets.
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