US Open Tennis 2015: Predictions, Live Stream for Wednesday Night's Bracket
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic will almost certainly get tested as he makes his run at another U.S. Open title, but it seems quite unlikely that he will have a difficult time when he walks on to the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium Wednesday night against Austria's Andreas Haider-Maurer.
Djokovic and Haider-Maurer will play at 9 p.m. (ET) on the U.S. Open's prime stage, and that match will be preceded by a duel between 23rd-seeded Venus Williams and unseeded Irina Falconi.
U.S. Open Day 3 Info (late matches)
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When: Wednesday, Sept. 2
Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, New York
TV: ESPN2 (6-11 p.m. ET)
Live Stream: WatchESPN (11 a.m.-11 p.m. ET)
Djokovic has been enjoying a brilliant year, winning two of the three major championships. However, since he beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in early July, he has tasted defeat against each of his primary rivals in championship matches.
"Novak Djokovic has appeared in 15 of the past 20 Grand Slam finals: http://t.co/MZxKaZuCqa pic.twitter.com/wypQ0t3thb
— Forbes (@Forbes) September 1, 2015"
Djokovic was beaten by Andy Murray at the Rogers Cup in Montreal in August, and he was beaten in straight sets by Federer at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
However, there is no reason to believe there is any kind of downturn in Djokovic's game. He has a 41-3 match record this season, and he has been victorious in five tournaments. In the loss to Murray, he was facing an opponent he had defeated in eight consecutive matches, and he got Murray's best effort.
Even with that, Djokovic extended Murray to three sets before he finally succumbed 4-6, 6-4, 3-6.
| Novak Djokovic (1) | Andreas Haider-Maurer | Arthur Ashe | 9 p.m. | Djokovic |
| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (19) | Marcel Granollers | Grandstand | 5 p.m. | Tsonga |
| Sergiy Stakhovsky | Illya Marchenko | Court 6 | 5 p.m. | Marchenko |
| Teymuraz Gabashvili | Andreas Seppi (25) | Court 13 | 5:30 p.m. | Seppi |
| Sam Groth | Tommy Robredo (26) | Court 5 | 5:30 p.m. | Groth |
| Venus Williams (23) | Irina Falconi | Arthur Ashe | 7 p.m. | Williams |
| Belinda Bencic (12) | Misaki Doi | Court 11 | 5 p.m. | Bencic |
| Elina Svitolina (17) | Kaia Kanepi | Court 7 | 5:30 p.m. | Svitolina |
| Lauren Davis | Ekaterina Makarova (13) | Court 17 | 6 p.m. | Makarova |
In the loss to Federer, Djokovic was unable to solve his 34-year-old opponent's serve. Federer went through the Cincinnati tournament without losing a game on his serve, and that was too much for Djokovic to overcome.
There were no lasting effects when Djokovic took the court in New York for his first-round match with Joao Souza. He appeared to win in effortless fashion, pounding Souza 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.
Haider-Maurer needed five sets to get by Vasek Pospisil in the first round. Haider-Maurer is the 52nd-ranked player in the world and has a 14-13 match record.
He has never won more than the $302,543 that he has earned this year, and while playing Djokovic is a great opportunity, it appears to be an assignment that is much too difficult for Haider-Maurer. Djokovic's athleticism, inventiveness and shot-making ability make him a prohibitive favorite.
In addition to his physical gifts, Djokovic refuses to make each match he plays a do-or-die mission.
“When I lose a match, it’s not the end of the world," Djokovic told Nick McCarvel of USA Today. "I have so many other things that complete me; that fulfill me. Being able to organize myself like that releases a lot of pressure from the tennis side.”
Djokovic is rated at plus-110 to win the U.S. Open by OddsShark.com, while Haider-Maurer is a ridiculous plus-200,000.
On the women's side of the bracket, Venus Williams may no longer be rated as one of the favorites in the tournament, but she proved during Wimbledon that she is still capable of raising her level of play.
She won her first three matches at All England Tennis Club before she was forced to confront Serena, and she predictably fell in straight sets to her sister.
Venus has a 24-10 match record this year and has earned more than $800,000, but she struggled to win her opening match against Monica Puig, taking three sets to record a 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 win.
"Can Williams overcome Falconi in their second round match at the US Open. Preview here: http://t.co/zOkSB0clWs pic.twitter.com/YmTIuHFqZ9
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) September 2, 2015"
She could have a challenge on her hands from the unseeded Falconi, who defeated Samantha Crawford in the first round by a 6-4, 6-2 margin. Falconi has been competitive much of the year, has a 31-22 record in 2015 and has earned more than $300,000.
While she could push Venus in this match, it appears unlikely that Williams will lose in the second round.
Belinda Bencic made a name for herself when she defeated Serena at the Rogers Cup last month in the semifinals. She is the 12th seed in the U.S. Open and will face Japan's unseeded Misaki Doi at 5 p.m. on Court 11.
"Petra Kvitova with the 1st-round win over Laura Siegemund. She's 1 of 2 players to beat Serena this calendar year (Bencic the other).
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 2, 2015"
The 18-year-old Bencic has a chance to have a long run in New York, and she rolled to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Sesil Karatantcheva in the first round. Bencic has won two tournaments this year and has a 33-18 record this year.
Doi opened up in impressive fashion and defeated Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-3 in her opening match. Still, if Bencic plays her best tennis here, she should survive this one.
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