Djokovic and Alcaraz – Tennis’ fourth and last Grand Slam tournament of the year kicks off on Monday with the 143rd edition of the United States Open and this early, experts that focus on sports picks and parlays in every event expect the men’s singles title to be a two-way race between comebacking 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Both men are projected to meet in the final if they ace their assignments in the tournament.
Djokovic and Alcaraz split their four matches this year, including the finals of Wimbledon and Cincinnati Open and the French Open semifinals. The 36-year-old Serbian star will make a return to the US Open this year after he was unable to gain entry in Flushing Meadows as he refused to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease. On the other hand, Alcaraz will defend the title as he looks to secure his third career Grand Slam title. In the women’s side, a wide-open battle is seen in the next two weeks as tennis pundits see the singles’ tournament as tough to predict due to the competitive balance of the players taking part in the event.
Djokovic and Alcaraz: Alcaraz Poised for a Tough Journey in the US Open Final
Alcaraz and Djokovic are poised for another final clash if both players win their assignments along the way. Second-ranked Djokovic will open his quest on Monday against Alexandre Muller on Monday at the Arthur Ashe main arena. If the Serbian great wins his first round match, he will dislodge Alcaraz as the World No1 men’s singles player when the new rankings are unveiled after the US Open tournament.
Djokovic is set to face Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune and Casper Ruud along the way before meeting the Spaniard in the final. Alcaraz, meanwhile, opens his title-retention bid against German Dominik Koepfer. If he moves past Koepfer, the young netter will still be on a collision course with high-ranked netters 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Italian Jannik Sinner before meeting Djokovic. There is also a remote chance of an unheralded player making a surprise run in the tournament as the hardcourt event is known for big-time shocks and upsets.
Tight Matchup Seen in Women’s Singles
In the women’s tournament, the in-form Coco Gauff will be favored to win her first Grand Slam tournament despite the presence of defending US Open champion and World No1 Iga Swiatek and Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka and high-ranked stars Jessica Pegula and Ons Jabeur. Gauff is the in-form star going into the fourth Grand Slam of the year. She had an eventful August by winning the Washington Open and the Cincinnati Open, which was her first WTA 1000 title. The sixth-ranked teenager will be one of tennis stars to watch in the two-week event as the women’s singles’ event is competitive and unpredictable. Other high-ranked stars such as Marketa Vondrousova and Elena Rybakina are also competing in the event to secure the last Grand Slam title of the year.
Andreescu, Badosa Out of US Open
Former world number two Paula Badosa and 2019 US Open women’s singles champion Bianca Andreescu withdrew in this year’s US Open due to separate injuries. Tournament organizers announced that Andreescu will miss the event as she was diagnosed with a “small stress fracture” in her back. The Canadian previously withdrew from last week’s tournament in Cincinnati, the final major tuneup for the US Open that begins on Monday. Meanwhile, Badosa withdrew from the US Open with a back injury. The Spaniard has not played since Wimbledon and missed the hard court series buildup to the US Open due to the ailment.
US Open 2023
Badosa announced in social media that due to this, her 2023 season is over. She was scheduled to face former two-time US Open champion Venus Williams but her withdrawal meant that the American will meet Belgian Greet Minnen in the first round. Minnen is the organizers replacement for Badosa. Andreescu, on the other hand, said that she first felt the pain at the Washington Open. She tried play through pain at Montreal the following but the Canadian struggled against Camila Giorgi of Italy and lost her first round match. Andreescu was scheduled to meet 2018 US Open quarterfinalist Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine in the first round. She will be replaced by French qualifier Elsa Jacquemot in the opening round.
This year’s US Open will feature the best tennis stars in the world in their quest to win the last Grand Slam tournament this year. The men’s side will be a two-way battle between Djokovic and Alcaraz but be wary of surprises in the hardcourt competition especially in the early rounds as high-ranked stars are prone to upsets. US Open odds are high on Djokovic and Alcaraz to clash in the finals.
However, bettors should have an alternative choice in case the two stars will be kicked out early. In the women’s side, unpredictability surrounds the tournament as no one is a clear favorite. The netter that has a hot streak ongoing is Gauff but she could fell into a trap and lose in the early stages of the event. Swiatek is another consistent tennis player that could go all the way and win another Grand Slam but there are other competitors that could catch fire and eventually go all the way.
