2012 US Open draws revealed
The men's and women's draws for the 2012 US Open were revealed Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with men's No. 1 seed Roger Federer in the same half of the draw as No. 3 Andy Murray for a potential semifinal matchup before possibly facing Novak Djokovic in the final. On the women's side, top-seed Victoria Azarenka is in a difficult half, with Grand Slam champions Sam Stosur, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Na Li and Petra Kvitova all lurking in her path to the final against potentially Serena Williams.
The Men:
One of the biggest questions heading into the draw ceremony was in whose half of the draw Murray would land – Federer's or Djokovic's? It turned out to be five-time champion Federer's. The Swiss is just 8-9 in his career against Murray, and the two have traded big wins this summer, with Federer winning the Wimbledon final and Murray claiming Olympic gold over the 17-time Grand Slam champion just a few weeks later.
Losing the Wimbledon final in his native Great Britain was emotional for Murray, who then won Olympic gold at the All England Club, but he is chomping at the bit for his first career Grand Slam title and comes into the US Open after arguably the best summer of his career.
But before Federer and Murray potentially clash in the semis, Federer has American Donald Young, who just ended a 17-match losing streak, in the first round. No. 25 Fernando Verdasco could be his third-round opponent, followed by Mardy Fish in the fourth round, whom Federer defeated in the quarterfinals of Cincinnati in straight sets and holds an 8-1 career advantage against. No. 6 Tomas Berdych then awaits Federer in the quarters.
Murray opens his title bid against Russian Alex Bogomolov, Jr. , and could meet Feliciano Lopez in the third round and potentially hard-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in the round of 16. Raonic has had a solid summer on hard courts, reaching the quarterfinals of both the Rogers Cup and Cincinnati. The power players keep coming for Murray, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga a possible opponent in the quarterfinals, but Murray holds a solid 6-1 career edge over the Frenchman.
Ferrer's quarter might be the most wide open in terms of who reaches the semifinals, with the No. 4 seed never having advanced past the semifinals of the US Open, which he did once in 2007. In his quarter are multiple players who come into the tournament playing well, including veterans Tommy Haas and Richard Gasquet. John Isner could meet Janko Tipsarevic in the fourth round, as Isner, the No. 10 seed, looks to put his Grand Slam season back on track after disappointing early exits at Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Back on his preferred hard courts, Isner is very dangerous with his power serve, forehand and much-improved return game.
Defending champion Djokovic meets Paolo Lorenzi of Italy in the first round, and one of the most interesting match-ups of that quarter could be a third-round contest between Roddick and del Potro. Del Potro's troublesome wrist could be an issue coming in, and 2003 champion Roddick looks to find magic in New York once again.
It would be hard to imagine Djokovic not reaching the final from his half, and although he is not trying to look too far ahead in the draw, he says he is in good condition and ready to make another title run for his second Grand Slam of the season.
"I am feeling healthy, fit and I am motivated to perform my best here," he said. "The draw is something you can't affect. You focus on what is in your power, which is how you play. The semis are a long way away. There are 128 players who want to perform their best."
The Women:
No player has been as dominant this summer as Serena Williams, from her Wimbledon title to Olympic gold in both singles and doubles, and she will be the heavy favorite to win her fourth US Open title this year. Her most difficult opponent can be herself sometimes, but if she plays her best, there are few, if any, women in the world who can match her game.
With her draw this year, it seems very unlikely Serena will not reach the final, although few predicted she would lose last year's championship match to Stosur, either. She appears to have the easiest path of all the top seeds. She first faces hard-serving American CoCo Vandeweghe, whom she defeated to win Stanford this summer, and could meet Caroline Wozniacki or Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals, both players she has dominated in her career.
In the last quarter is No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska, who just withdrew from New Haven this week with what appears to be a shoulder injury. Radwanska, a finalist at Wimbledon this year, is looking for her first Grand Slam title. In her quarter are No. 5 Angelique Kerber and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams.
Radwanska could meet former US Open finalist Jelena Jankovic in the third round, while Kerber and Venus could meet in a difficult second-round match for both players. Kerber just defeated Venus in the round of 16 at the Olympics in two tiebreak sets. Venus first, however, has to get past American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the opening round.
One player who has been near Serena's level over the past few years has been Sharapova, the 2006 US Open champion, whom she could meet in the US Open final for the first time in her career. The Russian lost a lopsided Olympic final to Serena, 6-0, 6-1, and has not competed since. The most dangerous opponent in her quarter is likely 2011 Wimbledon champion Kvitova.
Sharapova's semifinal opponent? Azarenka, Clijsters and Stosur are all possibilities.
Being the No. 1 seed is a huge honor, but it is doing no favors for Azarenka in this draw. After Alexandra Panova in the first round, she could meet No. 18 Julia Goerges in the third round before a possible clash with the power-serving Sabine Lisicki in round four. In that same quarter, three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters, playing in her final tournament before retiring, could meet 2011 French Open champion Na Li in the third round. Li comes to New York on a huge high note after winning the title in Cincinnati last week.
In the fourth round, either could face defending champion Sam Stosur, who has had an uneven year results-wise, but she enters the tournament looking to repeat last year's title run in Flushing Meadows.
"You walk back in here, and you only have good memories," she said of returning to the US Open. "Hopefully I can have another good two weeks. I am feeling good. It has been a year of a few ups and downs, but (I feel good) being on hard courts again and at a tournament and conditions that suit my game."
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