US Open Tennis 2013: Analysis and Predictions for Wednesday's Top Stars

Wednesday marks the third day of the 2013 U.S. Open, with some of the brightest stars in tennis in action on the renowned hard courts of Flushing Meadows in New York City.

Men's defending champion Andy Murray has had a bit of a hard-court hangover after his epic Wimbledon triumph, losing in the third round in Montreal and in the quarterfinals in the Cincinnati Masters event. He starts his quest for a second straight U.S. Open title against Frenchman Michael Llodra.

Serena Williams is looking to go back-to-back on the women's side, and is the No. 1 seed, unlike Murray, who is third. She tangles with Galina Voskoboeva in a Round 2 showdown.

Past winner Juan Martin Del Potro is the men's sixth seed and is also in action in an opening-round match, while third-seeded woman Agnieszka Radwanska looks to advance to Round 3.

What follows is analysis on each of these matches, and predictions as to how these marquee players will fare in the early going of the season's final Grand Slam tournament.

Note: Statistics and match information are courtesy of USOpen.org, ATPWorldTour.com and WTAtennis.com.

Serena Williams (1) vs. Galina Voskoboeva

This is probably the biggest mismatch among the star-powered matches of Day 3.

Voskoboeva has won four WTA doubles titles, but has never won in singles. Williams is a four-time U.S. Open champion who dropped only one game in her first match against Francesca Schiavone.

Despite only hitting 51 percent of her first serves in, the victory for Williams was never in doubt. Similar dominance should be on display again.

Some adjustments will likely be made on Voskoboeva's end to make this encounter a little bit more respectable than Schiavone was able to. It just won't be nearly enough to threaten Williams in the slightest.

Prediction: Williams wins—6-3, 6-1

Andy Murray (3) vs. Michael Llodra

With the way Murray has played lately, he should be revitalized in the atmosphere of a Grand Slam—especially since he's the champion everyone is attempting to topple.

Issues in opening matches for the world's elite are few and far between. Having said that, Murray should have his hands full with Llodra on Wednesday evening.

The Frenchman deploys an extremely bold style of tennis, consisting of crashing to the net frequently and applying pressure on the opponent. Nerves aren't likely to get to Murray too much at this early juncture, but Llodra has the game to at least make things interesting.

Murray is not taking this match lightly, as reported by Piers Newbery of BBC Sport:

"

It's a tough match. Llodra is a tricky player, serves well, one of the best doubles player in the world just now, very good hands, and he's very unpredictable. You need to be switched on all the time against him and play a solid match. You can't have too many ups and downs against him because he will capitalise on that.

"

Despite the obvious respect Murray has for his counterpart, there shouldn't be much issue here. Newbery also documents how Murray does feel different since he is defending the trophy, and that the forecast calls for thunderstorms.

Any interruption by Mother Nature won't impact the final outcome, though.

Prediction: Murray wins—7-5, 6-2, 6-3

Agnieszka Radwanska (3) vs. Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor

As stellar as Radwanska has been in recent years, the U.S. Open is the only Grand Slam event in which she hasn't advanced to the quarterfinals.

That can be partially attributed to her lack of velocity overall, but Radwanska is able to make up for it with supreme fitness, fantastic footwork and noticeable instincts, which put her in consistent position to thrive.

A first-round 6-1, 6-2 win saw Radwanska in top form despite an early break in the second set, which doesn't bode well for Torro-Flor.

The 21-year-old Spaniard will accumulate great experience against her superior counterpart, but it would take a career effort to make it truly competitive.

Prediction: Radwanska wins—6-3, 6-4

Juan Martin Del Potro (6) vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

Boasting devastating groundstrokes that rival those of anyone in modern tennis, Del Potro always has to be considered a threat, especially since he took the title at Flushing Meadows in 2009.

Tennis Now provides an historical anecdote with regard to Del Potro's seeding that perhaps bodes well for another deep run:

Wrist surgery in 2010 set Del Potro back quite a bit, and injuries to his right elbow and left knee have also plagued him. With a knee issue bothering him at Wimbledon, the Argentine was still able to partake in an epic showdown with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, only to lose in five sets.

The match was a testament to the type of grit Del Potro possesses, but it's something he hasn't been able to do often enough—whether health is a factor or not.

Sporadically erratic play in the form of unforced errors and relatively poor returning ability prevent Del Potro from being more accomplished—even in an era amongst all-time greats such as Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Garcia-Lopez is the type of pesky player who can keep points alive and frustrate Del Potro, but the hard court suits Del Potro's aggressive, power-based game the best.

Even a valiant effort from the unseeded Garcia-Lopez likely won't do more than force a tiebreaker.

Prediction: Del Potro wins—6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (5)