2013 U.S. Open Preview: Day Four
After a day in which rain impacted the schedule, the courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center are awash in talent on Day Four of the 2013 U.S. Open, as former men’s champs Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, women’s defending champ Serena Williams, leading U.S. males John Isner and Sam Querrey, women’s number two seed Victoria Azarenka and giant-killer Victoria Duval headline a day that figures to be saturated in excitement.
American Victoria Duval, the 17-year-old fan favorite to date at the Open, will be in action at what will be a packed Court 11 in second round action against Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova. Duval knocked off 2011 champion Samantha Stosur on Tuesday night under the lights at Ashe and has been a whirlwind media tour ever since.
Two active Grand Slam singles champions lead the way on Thursday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as world number two Nadal and number seven Federer are in action. Nadal faces qualifier Rogerio Dutra Silva from Brazil under the lights tonight at Ashe. Nadal enters the second round with a career-best 16-match hard court winning streak and has a perfect 10-0 career record versus Brazilians. He has career 30-4 record in Grand Slam second round matches, with his last loss coming last year at Wimbledon to then world number 100-ranked Lukas Rosol in five sets. Federer takes the court on Ashe in the afternoon against Argentine Carlos Berlocq. Federer has won the only career matchup between the two, a 6-3, 6-4 win in Rome. Federer has a career 49-1 record in second round Grand Slam matches, his only loss came at Wimbledon this year, when he lost to world number 116 Sergiy Stakhovsky, Federer’s earliest defeat at a Slam since losing in the first round of the 2003 French Open.
Also on Ashe, world number one and top-seeded Serena Williams will look to take another step closer to defending her U.S. Open title as she faces Galina Voskoboeva, who is 8-11 to date in 2013 competing in her eighth U.S. Open. Serena returns to the court later in the day as she teams with her sister Venus at Louis Armstrong Stadium in women’s doubles action against the all-Spanish team of Silvia Soler-Espinosa & Carla Suarez Navarro.
Also at Louis Armstrong Stadium, world number two Victoria Azarenka faces Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak in round two of women’s singles action. In the final match on Armstrong, American John Isner and former world number seven Gael Monfils meet for the seventh time, with the series tied at three victories apiece. Monfils has won the last two meetings, but Isner won their only Grand Slam meeting at the 2010 Australian Open.
On Grandstand, American Querrey will play Frenchman Adrian Mannarino for the first time, while the 10th-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada looks to reach the third round at the U.S. Open for the second straight year as he faces Spaniard Pablo Andujar. In career Grand Slams, Querrey has a 28-26 record, with his best results being fourth round appearances at Wimbledon in 2010 and the U.S. Open both in 2008 and again in 2010. Raonic has a 4-2 overall U.S. Open record, playing in Flushing Meadows for third time in four years, missing the 2011 Open with right hip injury.
On Court 7, the top-seeded doubles team of Bob & Mike Bryan begin their quest for a calendar Men’s Doubles Grand Slam as they face the Argentine duo of Federico Delbonis & Leonardo Mayer. The Bryans have won a “Bryan Grand Slam,” capturing the gold medal at the London Olympics last summer and the last four Grand Slam titles dating back to 2012 U.S. Open.
Of local note, on Court 8, Merrick, N.Y.’s Scott Lipsky will team with his partner Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico as the number 11-seeded men’s doubles team against the Israel team of Jonathan Erlich & Andy Ram.
