Fedal clash imminent; Djokovic vs Murray and Nadal vs Ferrer likely at the 2013 US Open

The US Open 2013 draws were made today. The tournament top seed is Novak Djokovic, who will meet 6th-seeded Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals if the matches proceed as per the seedings.

His semifinal opponent will likely be Andy Murray who would have to get past his conqueror from Cincinatti – Tomas Berdych – in the quarterfinals. Murray is the defending champion and has to defend 2000 points. He has already been pushed down by a spot to No. 3 after Nadal won both the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters titles.

The bottom half is led by the second seed Rafael Nadal. He is slated to meet Roger Federer in the quarterfinals who is seeded a mere 7th. Federer has not been seeded this low since the 2002 US Open, where he was the 13th seed.

The two legendary rivals had earlier squared off at the Cincinnati Masters at the same stage. Nadal won the match in three tight sets. If the match was anything to go by, Federer seems to be regaining some of his old form.

The third quarter finds French Open finalist David Ferrer leading the pack. He is ranked No. 4 in the world and is seeded likewise. He could meet Frenchman Richard Gasquet, seeded eighth, in the quarterfinals. Ferrer has not been in his best form since Wimbledon, but this is a very good opportunity for him to at least defend his semifinal points from the last year’s tournament if not do better.

Potential quarterfinal matches

Novak Djokovic (1) vs Juan Martin del Porto (6)

Andy Murray (3) vs Tomas Berdych (5)

Richard Gasquet (8) vs David Ferrer (4)

Roger Federer (7) vs Rafael Nadal (2)