US Open - The Previews!

So the time has come. Andre Agassi is about to enter the final tournament of his career when the ATP & WTA’s best hit New York for the last Grand Slam event of the season. Will the 36-year-old be able to end his career on a high, or was retiring after last year’s edition perhaps the better move after all? Well, for the Las Vegas Kid the draw could have looked a lot better. With a first round opener against Andrei Pavel, the Romanian veteran, things could be over in a hurry. If Agassi manages to pull out a win, the second round will arguably be the end of an illustruous career, when he faces Marcos Baghdatis.

After his win against Andre, I expect the Bagman to go out to the Cincinnatti master, Andy Roddick. Under guidance of Jimbo Connors, Roddick regained his confidence over the past weeks and plays with the dominance he displayed during his prime. If he can build on his Cincy performance then look for a strong display by the 2004 champion. I even predict a run to the final if he manages to get through the first rounds. Meeting Fernando Verdasco in the second round could signal an early exit, or it could be a firm step in the direction of a succesful tournament.

What about King Roger? Will he recover from his loss against Gilbert’s new protégé? Well, let’s not be overly impressed by Murray’s win back in Cincinnatti. Federer does not like to play 2 consecutive tournaments and even admitted himself that he didn’t come to Cincinnatti from a winning performance in Toronto to pick up another title, just to survive a couple of rounds. In other words, Fed tanked. Count on a well-prepared number 1 seed, and another Grand Slam title while you’re at it.

Then there’s Rafa. Not having shown great form during the two Masters Series events but probably still good enough for a run to the semis, unless the Scud rises to the occassion in the first round.

So you’re probably interested in my expectations. Well, even if you’re not, here they are anyway.

Quarter Finals

Federer – Berdych
Haas – Gonzalez
Roddick – Djokovic
Robredo – Nadal

Semi Finals

Federer – Gonzalez
Roddick – Nadal

Final

Federer – Roddick

Winner

The Fed man

What?! No Nalbandian? Ljubicic? Blake?

Sorry, but no. David losing 6-1 6-2 to Sanguinetti and 6-4 6-2 to Wawrinka during the two MS tourneys doesn’t say enough for ya?

Ivan will take on Richard Gasquet in the third round and judging recent performances, the young Frenchman has the edge.

As for Blake, the pressure from being America’s No.1 player seems to have gotten to him. If he manages to reach the last 16, Berdych will take him out.

So there you have it. Roddick and Federer will meet for the 12th time, with the Swiss making it 11-1 head-to-head of which 3-0 in Slam finals.

LADIES

Moving over to the women’s side. Let’s get straight to it, Russian-American (or is it the other way around) Maria Sharapova is my favorite for the title beating Justine Henin, who will make it 4 out of 4 Grand Slam finals in 2006.

Ana Ivanovic has been playing some great tennis over the summer picking up the Tier I title in Montreal and I predict no less than a semi final for the fast-rising youngster. That’s right, I think Ana will have what it takes to eliminate Mauresmo in the 4th round.

Good old Lindsay Davenport posted a succesful comeback run in New Haven last week and the three-time Grand Slam champion could definitely advance to the last eight if she stays fit.

So let’s see the draw breakdown.

Quarter Finals

Ivanovic – Hingis
Sharapova – Myskina
Kuznetsova – Dementieva
Davenport – Henin

Semi Finals

Ivanovic – Sharapova
Dementieva – Henin

Final

Sharapova – Henin

Winner

Masha

And that’s that. Enjoy the show folks!