2016 U.S. Open Day Five Preview: Ex-Champs Take the Courts in Flushing
The last three U.S. Open champions will be in third-round action Friday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, as the top-seeded Novak Djokovic, winner in both 2011 and 2015); the number four-seeded Rafael Nadal, winner in 2010 and 2013; and the seventh-seeded Marin Cilic, winner in 2014 will all take the court.
Storms on Thursday which caused delays throughout the day will give way to temps in the mid-70s and clear skies as Djokovic is looking to reach the fourth round in Flushing Meadows for the 10th consecutive year when he faces Russian Mikhail Youzhny in afternoon action at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Djokovic holds a 6-3 lifetime record against the Russian who is appearing in the third round at Flushing Meadows for first time since 2013 where he lost to Djokovic.
Kicking things off under the lights at Ashe Friday evening, Nadal too draws a Russian opponent in world number 47 Andrey Kuznetsov. Nadal is looking to reach the fourth round in a Grand Slam for first time since 2015 when he reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and at the U.S. Open since winning the title in 2013 when he defeated Djokovic. Kuznetsov is appearing in the third round in Flushing Meadows for second time in three years and is winless in three career meetings with Nadal.
The seventh seed and 2014 U.S. Open champ Marin Cilic draws the 26th-seeded American Jack Sock on Friday in afternoon action at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Sock holds one career win against Cilic, earlier this year in a Davis Cup qualifier, as he is trying to reach round four of a Grand Slam for the second time in his career, having advanced to that stage at the 2015 French Open. Cilic enters Friday on an eight-match winning streak since his last loss, a third round defeat at the hands of France’s Monfils at last month’s Rio Olympics.
Speaking of Monfils, the always entertaining Frenchman, currently ranked 10th in the world, is in third round action Friday as well when he faces world number 48 Nicolas Almagro of Spain on the Grandstand. Almagro leads 3-2 Monfils in five career meetings, but the Frenchman is 16-2 since Wimbledon, with all 18 matches coming on hard courts, riding a 14-match winning streak against players ranked below him.
Appearing in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund will look to continue his Cinderella run in Flushing Meadows Friday when he faces American John Isner at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Isner is trying to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the third time this season, and holds a 3-5 record in U.S. Open round three matches. Edmund has not dropped a set in posting the biggest win of his career Monday when he ousted world number 15 Richard Gasquet in opening round action. Isner holds a 1-0 lifetime advantage over Edmund, earning the win earlier this year in the Round of 64 at the French Open.
On the women’s side of the draw, American CiCi Bellis, ranked 158th in the world, looks to continue to make waves in Flushing Meadows when she faces the second seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany under the Friday night lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium. At just 17-years-old, Bellis is bidding to become the lowest ranked player to reach the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open since the 176th-ranked Pascale Paradis-Mangon did so in 1983. In her ninth main draw appearance at U.S. Open, Kerber is within reach of the world number one spot held for 300-plus consecutive weeks by Serena Williams and comes into Flushing having earned a Silver Medal in Women’s Singles at last month’s Rio Olympics. Friday’s meeting marks the first ever matchup between the two.
World number nine American Madison Keys faces Japan’s Naomi Osaka Friday afternoon at Ashe. Keys is the only player in current WTA Women’s Singles Top 10 who has yet to contest in a Grand Slam final as she looks to move into the fourth round in Flushing. The 2016 U.S. Open is just the third Grand Slam main draw appearance for the 18-year-old Osaka, having made her debut at 2016 Australian Open as a qualifier where she lost to Victoria Azarenka in round three and at the 2016 French Open where she fell to Simona Halep also in the third round.
Caroline Wozniacki looks to continue her solid U.S. Open run on Friday as she faces Romanian Monica Niculescu at 11:00 a.m. at Ashe. Wozniacki leads the head-to-head 6-0 over Niculescu in her 10th consecutive main draw appearance at the U.S. Open. Wozniacki is a two-time runner-up in Flushing Meadows, losing the title match in 2009 to Kim Clijsters and again in 2014 to Serena. Niculescu is through to round three of a Grand Slam for the sixth time in her career, with a 2-3 record in round three matches at Grand Slams.
Click here to view the full schedule of action for Day Five of the 2016 U.S. Open.
