US Open 2015 men's draw announced: Djokovic could face Nadal in QF, Federer-Murray SF on the cards
The men’s draw was announced today for the 2015 US Open, and it has thrown up some interesting possibilities. Here are the details:
First-round matches
Top seed Novak Djokovic is drawn against 89th-ranked Joao Souza of Brazil. The pair have faced off twice before – at the 2014 French Open and the 2013 US Open. On both occasions, Djokovic emerged victorious in straight sets.
The World No. 1 could face David Goffin in the 4th round, and his conqueror from last year – Kei Nishikori – in the semis.
Third-seeded Andy Murray will play Australia’s Nick Kyrgios for their fourth meeting. The Scot has beaten the Australian in each of their previous matches in straight sets, with two of these victories coming in 2015 at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, while the pair’s first match was at the 2014 Canadian Masters.
The Australian has been in the news for his verbal actions on court rather than his serve lately, and paid a hefty fine following his behaviour against Swiss ace Stan Wawrinka at the recently concluded Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Second seed Roger Federer will play Argentinian Leonardo Mayer first up. The two have only met on one prior occasion – the 2014 Shanghai Masters, which Federer won 7-5 3-6 7-6(7). Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, will play 18-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia. The youngster beat Nadal 6-2 7-6(4) in their only previous meeting, at the ATP Basel.
Japan’s Nishikori, who finished as the runner-up last year, will play Frenchman Benoit Paire, whom he has played twice previously. The last of these occasions was the 2013 French Open, which Nishikori won 6-3 6-7 6-4 6-1. He beat Paire in their other meeting as well – the 2012 Paris Masters.
John Isner, who is the highest-ranked American at the U.S. Open, will likely meet second seed Roger Federer in the round of 16 at the tournament.
Marin Cilic, who is the defending men's champion at the tournament, will meet a qualifier in round 1, and has been slotted in the same quarter as Nishikori.
Likely match-ups for the men’s quarterfinals:
Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal
Andy Murray vs Stan Wawrinka
Kei Nishikori vs David Ferrer
Likely semifinals:
Federer vs Murray
Djokovic vs Nishikori
For information about the women’s draw, click here.