US Open Tennis 2015: Predicting Final Results for Tuesday's Bracket
Top-seeded Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic rolled to easy first-round victories at the U.S. Open, and now it's time for the tournament's No. 2 seeds to prove their worth.
Simona Halep and Roger Federer will both begin their respective runs in New York Tuesday in the fourth Grand Slam tournament of the year. Halep will face Marina Erakovic of New Zealand in the opening round in an 11 a.m. ET match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Later in the day at 3 p.m., Federer will take the court for his first match of the tournament against Argentina's Leonardo Mayer.
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Williams took to the court Monday night against Vitalia Diatchenko, and she told a national television audience on ESPN that she was "nervous but confident" before the match. There was no evidence of any nervousness or anxiety, as Williams dispatched Diatchenko 6-0, 2-0. Her 25-year-old Russian challenger could not compete with Serena's power, and she also had a left ankle problem that forced her to retire in the second set.
Djokovic made quick work of Joao Souza, beating him 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. Djokovic was on the court for just one hour and 11 minutes, and he won 92 percent of his successful first serves.
By the end of Tuesday's card, all first-round matches will be completed. Here's a look at Tuesday's bracket along with predictions on who will win those matches.
| Marina Erakovic vs. Simona Halep (2) | 11 a.m. | Arthur Ashe Stadium | Halep |
| Jamie Loeb vs. Caroline Wozniacki (4) | 11 a.m. | Arthur Ashe Stadium | Wozniacki |
| Roger Federer (2) vs. Leonardo Mayer | 11 a.m. | Arthur Ashe Stadium | Federer |
| Andy Murray (3) vs. Nick Kyrgios | 7 p.m. | Arthur Ashe Stadium | Murray |
| Petra Kvitova (5) vs. Laura Siegemund | 7 p.m. | Arthur Ashe Stadium | Kvitova |
| Lucie Safarova (6) vs. Lesia Tsurenko | 11 a.m. | Louis Armstrong Stadium | Safarova |
| John Isner (13) vs. Malek Jaziri | 11 a.m. | Louis Armstrong Stadium | Isner |
| Victoria Azarenka (20) vs. Lucie Hradecka | 11 a.m. | Louis Armstrong Stadium | Azarenka |
| Stan Wawrinka (5) vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas | 5 p.m. | Louis Armstrong Stadium | Wawrinka |
| Alexandra Dulgheru vs. Angelique Kerber (11) | 11 a.m. | Grandstand | Kerber |
| Tomas Berdych (6) vs. Bjorn Fratangelo | 11 a.m. | Grandstand | Berdych |
| Andrea Petkovic (18) vs. Caroline Garcia | 11 a.m. | Grandstand | Petkovic |
| Jack Sock (28) vs. Victor Estrella Burgos | 11 a.m. | Grandstand | Estrella Burgos |
| Donald Young vs. Gilles Simon (11) | 11 a.m. | Court 17 | Simon |
| Carina Witthoeft vs. Garbine Muguruza (9) | 11 a.m. | Court 17 | Muguruza |
| Sam Querrey vs. Nicholas Mahut | 11 a.m. | Court 17 | Mahut |
| Timea Babos vs. Samantha Stosur (22) | 11 a.m. | Court 17 | Stosur |
| Paul-Henri Mathieu vs. Yoshihito Nishioka | 11 a.m. | Court 13 | Nishioka |
| Kevin Anderson (15) vs. Andrey Rublev | 11 a.m. | Court 13 | Anderson |
| Sara Errani (16) vs. Mayo Hibi | 11 a.m. | Court 13 | Errani |
| Alize Cornet (27) vs. Kurumi Nara | 11 a.m. | Court 13 | Nara |
| Louisa Chirico vs. Johanna Konta | 11 a.m. | Court 11 | Konta |
| Laura Robson vs. Elena Vesnina | 11 a.m. | Court 11 | Robson |
| Aleksandr Nedovyesov vs. Lleyton Hewitt | 11 a.m. | Court 11 | Hewitt |
| Viktor Troicki (22) vs. Frances Tiafoe | 11 a.m. | Court 11 | Troicki |
| Austin Krajicek vs. Santiago Giraldo | 11 a.m. | Court 4 | Giraldo |
| Christina McHale vs. Petra Cetkovska | 11 a.m. | Court 4 | McHale |
| Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs. Sabine Lisicki | 11 a.m. | Court 4 | Lisicki |
| Rajeev Ram vs. Ryan Harrison | 11 a.m. | Court 4 | Ram |
| Varvara Lepchenko vs. Kirsten Flipkens | 11 a.m. | Court 5 | Flipkens |
| Thanasi Kokkinakis vs. Richard Gasquet | 11 a.m. | Court 5 | Gasquet |
| Francesca Schiavone vs. Yanina Wickmayer | 11 a.m. | Court 5 | Schiavone |
| Bernard Tomic (24) vs. Damir Dzumhur | 11 a.m. | Court 5 | Tomic |
| Maria Sakkari vs. Qiang Wang | 11 a.m. | Court 6 | Wang |
| Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Alexander Zverev | 11 a.m. | Court 6 | Zverev |
| Marcos Baghdatis vs. Steve Darcis | 11 a.m. | Court 6 | Baghdatis |
| Shelby Rogers vs. Sachia Vickery | 11 a.m. | Court 6 | Rogers |
| Denis Kugler vs. Jurgen Melzer | 11 a.m. | Court 7 | Kugler |
| Thomaz Bellucci vs. James Ward | 11 a.m. | Court 7 | Ward |
| Julia Goerges vs. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova | 11 a.m. | Court 7 | Goerges |
| Lourdes Dominguez Lino vs. Nicole Gibbs | 11 a.m. | Court 7 | Gibbs |
| Timea Bacsinszky (14) vs. Barbora Strycova | 11 a.m. | Court 9 | Bacsinszky |
| John-Patrick Smith vs. Mikhail Youzhny | 11 a.m. | Court 9 | Smith |
| Aleksandra Krunic vs. Danka Kovinic | 11 a.m. | Court 9 | Kovinic |
| Konstantin Kravchuk vs. Adrian Mannarino | 11 a.m. | Court 9 | Kravchuk |
| Federico Delbonis vs. Ivo Karlovic (21) | 11 a.m. | Court 10 | Karlovic |
| Tsvetana Pironkova vs. Mona Barthel | 11 a.m. | Court 10 | Barthel |
| Jared Donaldson vs. Lukas Rosol | 11 a.m. | Court 10 | Rosol |
| Flavia Pennetta (26) vs. Jarmila Gajdosova | 11 a.m. | Court 10 | Pennetta |
| Jiri Vesely (21) vs. Paolo Lorenzi | 11 a.m. | Court 12 | Vesely |
| Jelena Ostapenko vs. Annika Beck | 11 a.m. | Court 12 | Beck |
| Gilles Muller vs. Ruben Bemelmans | 11 a.m. | Court 12 | Muller |
| Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Karin Knapp | 11 a.m. | Court 14 | Knapp |
| Ernests Gulbis vs. Aljaz Bedene | 11 a.m. | Court 14 | Bedene |
| Janko Tipsarevic vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (11) | 11 a.m. | Court 14 | Garcia-Lopez |
| Evgeniya Rodina vs. Tereza Mrdeza | 11 a.m. | Court 14 | Mrdeza |
| Olga Govortsova vs. Irina-Camelia Begu (28) | 11 a.m. | Court 15 | Begu |
| Camila Giorgi vs. Johanna Larsson | 11 a.m. | Court 15 | Giorgi |
| Daniel Gimeno-Traver vs. Dominic Thiem (20) | 11 a.m. | Court 15 | Thiem |
| Hyeon Chung vs. James Duckworth | 11 a.m. | Court 15 | Chung |
| Robin Hasse vs. Dustin Brown | 11 a.m. | Court 16 | Brown |
| Yulia Putintseva vs. Kateryna Bondarenko | 11 a.m. | Court 16 | Bondarenko |
| Benjamin Becker vs. Denis Istomin | 11 a.m. | Court 16 | Becker |
| Alexandra Panova vs. Monica Niculescu | 11 a.m. | Court 16 | Panova |
Predictions for Key Matches
Federer Too Much for Argentinian Challenger
Roger Federer was at the top of his game when he won the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati in late August, and he is rolling as he begins the U.S. Open.
He defeated top rivals Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in the semifinal and final, respectively, and Federer did not lost a single game while serving throughout the tournament. Federer brings a 29-6 singles record into the U.S. Open, and it doesn't seem likely that Leonardo Mayer will provide more than a cursory test.
That's not to demean Mayer, who is the 34th-ranked player in the world and has a 17-13 record this year. The Argentinian is a tough and resourceful player, but Federer exceeds him in all areas.
Prediction: Federer 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Halep Gets Her Run Started
Simona Halep did not beat Serena Williams when they met in the Western and Southern final, but she played one of her most impressive matches against her top-ranked opponent.
Halep extended Williams in a 3-6, 6-7 (5-7) loss, and Halep's determination caused problems for Williams throughout the second set. Barring a letdown, there appears to be an excellent chance the two will meet in the U.S. Open final as well.
First things first, however. Halep has won three tournaments this year and brings a 40-11 match record when she steps onto the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium against Marina Erakovic of Croatia. The 99th-ranked player has a 17-18 season record and has not been in action since losing a first-round match at Wimbledon.
Prediction: Halep, 6-3, 6-1
Murray Opens Up Against Kyrgios
The men's draw is dominated by the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. While Djokovic is the top seed, it would not be a shock to see either Federer or the hard-serving Murray come away with the championship.
The British star has a 36-6 record this year and has won two tournaments. He has demonstrated consistent power this year, and he showed increased efficiency with his backhand in beating Djokovic last month and winning the Rogers Cup tournament in Montreal.
Nick Kyrgios of Australia is the 37th-ranked player in the world and is quite athletic. However, he is coming off a first-round defeat to Richard Gasquet in the Western and Southern Open.
Kyrgios is also the sport's latest bad boy. He flung his racket into the crowd at Wimbledon, and that incident is one of several on his record.
He will push Murray, but he won't get the job done.
Prediction: Murray, 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-0
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