We’re only a few hours away from the start of the 2016 US Open and excitement is definitely building for the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. All eyes will be on Novak Djokovic as he attempts to win his second consecutive US Open title. Read on below as we break down his first-round matchup with Jerzy Janowicz, as well as the much-anticipated opening-round showdown between Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and Lukas Rosol.
While you’re at it, you can check out our top picks for the 2016 US Open Men’s and Women’s Singles tennis tournaments.
Cash In on the Best Online Sportsbook Offers Now at TopBet!
Novak Djokovic (-10,000) vs. Jerzy Janowicz (+3,500)
There are plenty of question marks surrounding Novak Djokovic heading into the final Grand Slam of the year. The reigning US Open champion has struggled mightily of late, losing in the third round of Wimbledon to unheralded Sam Querrey before suffering a shock first-round exit in the Rio Olympics at the hands of Juan Martin del Potro. It was the first time since January 2009 that the world No. 1 absorbed an opening-round defeat.
Djokovic has now admitted that private issues were to blame for his recent struggles. We’ll find out this coming Monday if Djokovic has gotten over those personal issues when he takes on unseeded Jerzy Janowicz in the first round. This will be the first meeting between Djokovic and Janowicz in the ATP Tour. Janowicz is just 4-6 in his last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction: Djokovic (–10,000) makes short work of Janowicz to reach the second round.
If there’s one player in the field who can stop Djokovic here in New York, it’s got to be Andy Murray. The world no. 2 has been playing some excellent tennis of late, winning 22 of his last 23 matches. After suffering a gut-wrenching French Open finals defeat to Djokovic, Murray went on a hot streak, capturing not only the Queens and Wimbledon titles but also his second consecutive Olympic gold medal.
He will begin his quest for a second US Open crown this coming Tuesday when he takes on Lukas Rosol. Murray will fancy his chances in this first-round clash as he has fared extremely well against Rosol in the past. Murray is 2-0 in his career against Rosol. The Czech star will take comfort in the fact, however, that he has taken the opening set against Murray in each of those two matches.
Writer’s Prediction: Murray (-8,000) destroys Rosol in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal will head to the US Open with momentum on his side after his spectacular showing in the Rio Olympics. Nadal and Spanish teammate Marc Lopez captured the gold medal in the Men’s Doubles tournament, beating Romania in an epic three-setter in the final. It was a morale-boosting result for Nadal who was out for around two months because of a left wrist injury. The Spaniard will open his 12th US Open against Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin, who reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows in 2012 but is just 7-20 this season. Nadal leads their head-to-head matchup, 4-0.
Writer’s Prediction: Nadal (-1,000) preserves his unbeaten record against Istomin with a comfortable straight-sets win.
Complete Listing of 2016 US Open Men’s Singles First Round Matchups
Matchup
Pick
Novak Djokovic (-10,000) vs. Jerzy Janowicz (+3,500)
Djokovic
Rafael Nadal (-1,000) vs. Denis Istomin (+600)
Nadal
Andy Murray (-8,000) vs. Lukas Rosol (+3,000)
Murray
Jiri Vesely (-320) vs. Saketh Myneni (+240)
Vesely
Bjorn Fratangelo (-140) vs. Guido Pella (+110)
Fratangelo
Mikhail Youzhny (+115) vs. Martin Klizan (-145)
Youzhny
John Isner (-1,200) vs. Frances Tiafoe (+700)
Isner
Jordan Thompson (+180) vs. Steve Darcis (-240)
Darcis
Lukáš Lacko (-135) vs. Ernesto Escobedo (+105)
Lacko
Kyle Edmund (+300) vs. Richard Gasquet (-400)
Gasquet
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (-2,000) vs. Guido Andreozzi (+1,000)
Tsonga
James Duckworth (-105) vs. Robin Haase (-125)
Haase
Vasek Pospisil (-160) vs. Jozef Kovalík (+130)
Pospisil
Yoshihito Nishioka (+300) vs. Kevin Anderson (-400)
Anderson
Jack Sock (-320) vs. Taylor Fritz (+240)
Sock
Mischa Zverev (-125) vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (-105)
Herbert
Sergiy Stakhovsky (-150) vs. Gastão Elias (+120)
Stakhovsky
Rogério Dutra Silva (+2,000) vs. Marin Cilic (-5,000)
Cilic
Stéphane Robert (+160) vs. Andreas Seppi (-200)
Seppi
Thomaz Bellucci (+120) vs. Andrey Kuznetsov (-150)
Bellucci
Julien Benneteau (+115) vs. Albert Ramos-Viñolas (-145)
Benneteau
Lucas Pouille (-400) vs. Mikhail Kukushkin (+300)
Pouille
Guilherme Clezar (-110) vs. Marco Chiudinelli (-120)
Clezar
Brian Baker (EVEN) vs. Federico Delbonis (-130)
Baker
Guillermo García-López (+400) vs. Roberto Bautista Agut (-600)
Bautista Agut
Gael Monfils (-400) vs. Gilles Müller (+300)
Monfils
Jan Šátral (-165) vs. Mackenzie McDonald (+135)
McDonald
Márton Fucsovics (+165) vs. Nicolás Almagro (-210)
Almagro
Dudi Sela (+290) vs. Pablo Cuevas (-380)
Cuevas
Benoît Paire (-210) vs. Dušan Lajović (+165)
Lajovic
Marcos Baghdatis (-2,000) vs. Facundo Bagnis (+1,000)
Baghdatis
Adrian Mannarino (+135) vs. Ryan Harrison (-165)
Harrison
Dustin Brown (+1,200) vs. Milos Raonic (-2,500)
Raonic
Dominic Thiem (-400) vs. John Millman (+300)
Thiem
Ričardas Berankis (+220) vs. Malek Jaziri (-300)
Jaziri
Janko Tipsarević (+350) vs. Sam Querrey (-500)
Querrey
Steve Johnson (-700) vs. Evgeny Donskoy (+450)
Johnson
Juan Martin Del Potro (-1,200) vs. Diego Schwartzman (+700)
Del Potro
Teymuraz Gabashvili (+240) vs. Fabio Fognini (-320)
Fognini
Alexandr Dolgopolov (+240) vs. David Ferrer (-320)
Ferrer
Nick Kyrgios (-1,400) vs. Aljaž Bedene (+750)
Kyrgios
Horacio Zeballos (+200) vs. Florian Mayer (-260)
Mayer
Ivan Dodig (EVEN) vs. Illya Marchenko (-130)
Marchenko
Damir Džumhur (+650) vs. Bernard Tomic (-1,100)
Tomic
Alexander Zverev (-600) vs. Daniel Brands (+400)
Zverev
Daniel Evans (-200) vs. Rajeev Ram (+160)
Evans
Denis Kudla (-200) vs. Alessandro Giannessi (+160)
Kudla
Fernando Verdasco (+240) vs. Stan Wawrinka (-320)
Wawrinka
Kei Nishikori (-5,000) vs. Benjamin Becker (+2,000)
Nishikori
Karen Khachanov (-240) vs. Thomas Fabbiano (+180)
Fabbiano
Christian Harrison (+240) vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu (-320)
Harrison
Nicolas Mahut (+130) vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber (-160)
Mahut
Ivo Karlovic (-200) vs. Yen-hsun Lu (+160)
Karlovic
Donald Young (-260) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff (+200)
Young
Viktor Troicki (-500) vs. Radu Albot (+350)
Troicki
Jared Donaldson (+450) vs. David Goffin (-700)
Goffin
Feliciano López (-155) vs. Borna Ćorić (+125)
Lopez
Víctor Estrella Burgos (+220) vs. Joao Sousa (-300)
Sousa
Michael Mmoh (+700) vs. Jeremy Chardy (-1,200)
Chardy
Íñigo Cervantes (+800) vs. Grigor Dimitrov (-1,500)
