The 2019 US Open kicks off with a blockbuster bill of tennis’ top talents taking to the courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, each looking to take a first step toward tennis’ toughest title. The spectacular Day One lineup includes eight former US Open champions, including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Samantha Stosur, and Angelique Kerber. The fact that two of those former champs will square off on Flushing’s first day only serves to raise the temperature on an already-sizzling slate. Add in French Open champ Ashleigh Barty, women’s No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova, 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys, former men’s Flushing finalist Kei Nishikori, and rocketing Russian star Daniil Medvedev, and you’ve got a lineup that suggests one thing: You should probably get familiar with the edge of your seat.
There was a palpable gasp from the crowd on hand watching the draw ceremony last Thursday when the names Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova popped up one atop the other, indicating a first-ever, first-round meeting between the two. Only three times in their 21 career meetings have the two gone head-to-head earlier than the quarterfinals of a tournament—and those three exceptions were all fourth-round encounters. Incredibly, the two have never faced off in Flushing, and this first meeting between tennis royalty in Queens figures to generate enough electricity to send a serious surge through the evening atmosphere in Ashe.
Williams, the No. 8 seed, comes to New York still in pursuit of that elusive 24th Grand Slam singles title, which would tie the all-time mark held by Aussie Margaret Court. Three time since winning No. 23 at the 2017 Australian Open, the six-time US Open champ has been halted in a major final, the latest detour happening at the hands of Simona Halep in this year’s Wimbledon title match. Post-Wimbledon, Williams has played just one tournament, reaching the final of the US Open Series event in Toronto before being forced to retire with back spasms, which also forced her to pull out of the Cincinnati tournament the following week.
Sharapova, who won the second of her five career Grand Slam singles titles here in 2006, has likewise been hampered by injuries for the better part of 2019. The 32-year-old Russian has played just six tournaments this year, her best result a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open. She retired in her first-round match at Wimbledon, then lost in the first round of Toronto, and her ranking has slipped to No. 87.
Though clearly two of the most popular players in the history of the women’s game, it’d be tough to call their long history on court a “rivalry,” as Williams owns a lopsided 19-2 advantage over Sharapova in career meetings. In fact, Sharapova’s last win over the American was at the season-ending WTA Championships in 2004—the same year she beat Williams in the Wimbledon final. Since then, Williams has rattled off 18 in a row. They’ve not gone head-to-head since the 2016 Australian Open.
This figures to be a fun one; a matchup that might best be called a “first-day final.” But given the history being pursued by Williams, and the history she has with her opponent, it’s Sharapova who figures to be history after the handshake. In an entertaining two, Williams moves on.
Men’s top seed and defending champion Djokovic has this year won three titles, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon, bringing his major title total to 16, placing him third all-time behind only Federer and Rafael Nadal. The 32-year-old Serb has held the No. 1 ranking in the men’s game throughout this season, racking up a 38-7 record coming in to this year’s Open. His epic win over Federer in this year’s Wimbledon final was an instant classic; the first in the history of the All-England Championships to be decided in a fifth-set tiebreak. But since Wimbledon, Djokovic has played just one hard-court event, losing to Medvedev in the Cincinnati semis.
The three-time US Open champ figures to have a much easier time in his opener against Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena. The 26-year-old is playing in just his second US Open main draw, reaching the second round in his debut here last year. Carballes Baena has reached four quarterfinals this year, but all of those were on clay—his favorite surface. This is the first career meeting between the Spaniard and the Serb; it doesn’t figure to be a lengthy one. In a swift three, the defending champ advances.
Medvedev, the No. 5 seed, has been one of this season’s most riveting and remarkable stories. At 23, the Russian figures as one of the faces of the future of the men’s game—a future that is fast approaching. Medvedev owns the most wins (44) and most hard-court wins (31) on the ATP Tour this year, bettering the men’s Big Three in both categories. He’s won two titles—including this month’s US Open Series event in Cincinnati—and he’s reached four more finals, three of those on hard courts. No one has had a more scorching summer than the Russian, who reached the final in each of the three US Open Series events in which he competed, raising his ranking along the way to a career-high No. 5. All that said, Medvedev has never before been as far as the quarterfinals of a Slam—a run to the fourth round of the Aussie Open in January is his best career major showing.
He’ll look to get a leg up on a deeper run today against India’s Prajnesh Gunneswaran, 29, who this year broke into the Top 100 for the first time in his young career. Now ranked No. 89, Gunneswaran is the top-ranked player from his country, and scored his best career showing in March of this year at the hard-court event in Indian Wells, reaching the third round. He’s 0-for-3 at the Slams this season; a mark that doesn’t figure to improve here against a guy who figures as one of the favorites to finish first. In straight sets, Medvedev is on to round two.
Barty, the women’s second seed, captured her first career Slam singles crown earlier this year at Roland Garros, one of three titles the 23-year-old Aussie has taken in 2019. That trio of titles came on three different surfaces; in addition to winning on the Paris clay, Barty also finished first on hard courts in Miami and on grass at the Wmbledon warm-up event in Birmingham. Post-Paris, Barty ascended to the women’s game’s No. 1 ranking for six weeks before being overtaken by Naomi Osaka earlier this month. But even at No. 2, Barty figures as one to watch here in Flushing, where she’s looking to better her best career US Open showing—a run to the fourth round last year.
She’ll begin that quest today against Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas, whose best showing this season was a run to the quarterfinals of Washington, D.C. The 25-year-old has twice reached the fourth round at Wimbledon; a third-round showing in 2014 is her best-ever US Open showing. The two have met just once, with Barty taking a second-round encounter at the Kuala Lumpur event in 2013. Today’s a slightly bigger occasion, and Barty, a much larger talent. With Barty eyeing a deep drive here this year, expect her to be focused on making short work of Diyas in round one. In an easy two, Barty moves on.
