Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final of the 2022 US Open, New York
Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final of the 2022 US Open, New York | (Photo by Eduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEWpress)

Tennis | US Open 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz and Jessica Pegula look to overcome tough obstacles on day two

By Tony Fairbairn

  • Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Dominik Koepfer
  • Jessica Pegula [3] v Camila Giorgi
  • Andrey Rublev [8] v Emil Ruusuvuori
NEW YORK, USA – Carlos Alcaraz and Jessica Pegula look to overcome tough opening round obstacles on day two of the US Open.

 

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Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Dominik Koepfer H2H & Match Fundamentals

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Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Dominik Koepfer H2H: First Meeting
US Open 2023 New York, USA
Hard (O) Prize Money: $81,500
Fourth on Arthur Ashe Stadium (01:30 BST) Sky/Now TV Subscription Required

Carlos Alcaraz is ready for his first Grand Slam title defence after claiming his second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. However the Spaniard’s win at SW19 has sparked more motivation in his nearest rival, Novak Djokovic, as the world number one lost a three set epic in the Cincinnati final. Now with a tough road to the final, Alcaraz is looking to prove why he is the defending champion as he looks to set up a dream final with Djokovic to prove who really is the best in the world.

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Before thinking about the final, Alcaraz will have to overcome dangerous German Dominik Koepfer who has rediscovered his form this season. Koepfer has been a dangerous threat on all surfaces and started his road back to the world’s top 100 on the Challenger circuit earlier this year. The German has since gone from strength-to-strength as he reached the quarter-finals in Atlanta and semi-finals in Los Cabos as he is now into the top 80 in the world. Now Koepfer will look to take his confidence and cause the biggest shock of the season so far.

Alcaraz will look to use his variety to neutralise Koepfer’s aggression from the baseline as he looks to set up effective winners on the court. Meanwhile the German will look to serve consistently well and put pressure on Alcaraz by using depth and spin with his forehand. There’s no doubt the Spaniard will be nervous at the start of his title defence but Alcaraz’s overall quality and tactical variety should prove too much for Koepfer.

Prediction: Alcaraz in four sets.

 

Jessica Pegula [3] v Camila Giorgi  H2H & Match Fundamentals

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Jessica Pegula [3] v Camila Giorgi H2H: Pegula leads 8-2
US Open 2023 New York, USA
Hard (O) Prize Money: $81,500
Second on Arthur Ashe Stadium (19:30 BST) Sky/Now TV Subscription Required

Jessica Pegula will believe that the US Open is her time to finally win a Grand Slam title having won her second career WTA 1000 title of her career in Montreal. However Pegula’s quarter-final curse has been a stumbling block for the American in the past in her bid for Grand Slam success. Now with her rivals looking fatigued or weaker than ever before, Pegula will look to capitalise and claim the biggest title of her career so far.

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In the first round, a fierce rival awaits in the form of Italian Camila Giorgi as the two will meet for an eleventh time. Giorgi is capable of outhitting any player on the tour and has a big serve to back up her fiery personality. However the Italian has struggled to stay fit in recent weeks with Giorgi struggling to remain consistent with her form. Now the 31 year-old will look to rediscover her form with a stunning opening round victory.

Pegula will look to use depth and consistency to force Giorgi into going for powerful and aggressive patterns of play. While Giorgi will look to dictate play from her serve and use her forehand to make the American move around the court. This will be a tough early test for Pegula but the third seed’s consistent quality should prove too much.

Prediction: Pegula in three sets.

 

 

Andrey Rublev [8] v Emil Ruusuvuori H2H & Match Fundamentals

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Andrey Rublev [8] v Emil Ruusuvuori H2H: Rublev leads 2-1
US Open 2023 New York, USA
Hard (O) Prize Money: $81,500
Third on Court Five (20:00 BST) Sky/Now TV Subscription Required

After another solid Grand Slam campaign at Wimbledon, followed by winning the title in Bastad, Andrey Rublev has had a disappointing run of form since then as the eighth seed has struggled to maintain consistency in North America. However Rublev is more than capable of picking up his form on the biggest stages and Rublev will be looking to do that once again at this year’s US Open.

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However a tough obstacle awaits Rublev in the opening round in the form of Emil Ruusuvuori. Ruusuvuori will be full of confidence heading into this match having beaten Rublev in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago as the 24 year-old continues to knock on the door of the world’s top 50. Having had inconsistent form this season, Ruusuvuori’s recent confidence will be a big boost as he looks to translate his recent form onto the Grand Slam stage.

Rublev will look to use his forehand to force tactical errors from Ruusuvuori as he looks to dictate the baseline exchanges. Meanwhile Ruusuvuori will look to use depth to neutralise Rublev’s attacking options as the world number 56 looks to keep his consistency throughout the contest. This will be a tough match for Rublev one that he will edge in what should be a five set thriller.

Prediction: Rublev in five sets.

 

 

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