US Open Tennis 2012: Early Lessons from Flushing Meadows

The first few days at the 2012 U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. have been telling to say the least. 

Aside from No. 8 Caroline Wozniacki, most of—if not all of—the tournament favorites are still alive in Queens.

Overall, despite the somewhat predictable start to this year's U.S. Open, fans and viewers have definitely come away with some early lessons.

Here are some of the things we have learned at the year's final Grand Slam thus far.

Novak Djokovic Is on a Mission

The No. 2-seeded star on the men's side made absolute mincemeat of Italian challenger Paolo Lorenzi in the first round on Tuesday in Queens.

Djokovic is the defending champion at the U.S. Open, and is now playing on his favorite surface: hard court.

As evidenced by his 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Lorenzi in the first round, The Djoker will be incredibly difficult to beat on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows. Especially after coming up short at the year's last two Grand Slam and at the London Olympic Games. 

For right now, Djokovic looks to be a man on a mission to win his second consecutive U.S. Open title, and sixth career Grand Slam tournament. 

Victoria Azarenka Is a Worthy Top Seed

Reigning Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka is off to a scorching-hot start in New York this summer. The 23-year-old has won her first two matches in straight sets.

Azarenka blew through Alexandra Panova in the first round on Monday and cruised past Kirsten Flipkens in the second round on Wednesday. 

Bring on the next. 

The Belarus native could potentially face No. 3 seed Maria Sharapova in the semifinals, but beat her the last time the two squared off in a major at the Aussie Open final back in January. 

So far, Azarenka looks like the No. 1 women's player in the world, and that's all fans can ask for. 

Andy Roddick Isn't Finished Yet

No. 20 seed Andy Roddick took down fellow American Rhyne Williams in straight sets in the first round at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.

The 2003 U.S. Open champion made it all the way to the quarterfinals last year before losing to Rafael Nadal. The good news for Roddick, though, is that he was seeded even lower (No. 21) when he made his deep run in 2011.

The American tennis star will turn 30 this week, making a potentially strong finish at the 2012 U.S. Open that much more impressive.

He still has a ways to go before he bursts onto the radar as an overachieving dark horse, but for now we can safely say that Roddick isn't finished just yet. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter for more reaction and analysis on the 2012 U.S. Open.