US Open Tennis 2011: Predicting Winners for All First-Round Action

The 2011 US Open is set to begin on Monday in New York and everyone is curious who will be going through to the second round.

The first round has thrown up some interesting match-ups for the crowds at Flushing Meadows from the fairytale meeting of a world number one and an Irish qualifier, to the evenly matched pro's coming together on the smaller courts.

With the draw split into four quarters, we take a close look at the most interesting and appealing matches in each quarter as well as giving predictions for all the matches in the first round.

Novak Djokovic (1) vs Conor Niland (Q)

The first quarter of the draw will see Novak Djokovic open up his assault in the US Open with a simple tie against Irish qualifier Conor Niland.

After qualifying for the first round at Wimbledon earlier in the year, Niland is making his second Grand Slam appearance.

The 29-year-old Irishman has very little tour experience and has never faced such an illustrious opponent, although he is likely to get a lot of support from Irish-New Yorkers.

Djokovic will be looking to minimise the work he needs to do in the early rounds and will see this as a great opportunity to take it easy on his troublesome shoulder without risking a defeat.

Djokovic to win 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Ivan Dodig (32) vs Nikolay Davydenko

Ivan Dodig would have been ecstatic when he was given the last seeded place in the US Open draw, that is until he was drawn against Davydenko.

The two meet for the first time as they pass each other in the world rankings, Dodig on the rise and Davydenko falling.

They have never met before, and both men have very similar records for the season, with one title each and a series of early round exits, making this one a tough call.

Dodig, a player on the rise, will be desperately looking to justify his seeding, whilst Davydenko, a falling great, has a vast amount of experience and has not gone out in the first round at the US Open since his tournament debut in 2001. 

This will be one of the matches of the first round, and I can see it going all the way to five sets, with Dodig just-about coming out on top.

Dodig to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5, 6-2

Pablo Andujar vs Juan Carlos Ferrero

Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero will be up against one of his lesser known compatriots Pablo Andujar.

Many could easily be fooled by Ferrero's ranking of 103, and expect the younger Andujar, ranked 46th, to come away with a simple victory, but that won't be the case.

Ferrero is a top thirty player in all but his ranking, and is only languishing outside the top 100 due to an injury plagued 2011.

The pair met earlier this year on clay in a match that Ferrero dominated (6-4, 6-0) and as a result won the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart.  Andujar is credited with victory in their only other meeting back in 2007, but the reality is Ferrero pulled out injured after just three games.

Andujar is having his best season by a long way, but he is a clay specialist and will be no match for Ferrero at the US Open.

Ferrero wins 6-4, 6-2, 6-2

Marcel Grannolers (31) vs Xavier Malisse

Xavier Malisse is trying to climb his way back up the rankings in the autumn of his career, after losing a lot of time to injury in recent years.  Vastly experienced, with almost 500 tour matches, the Belgian Malisse will have to work extremely hard to beat his younger and more agile opponent at the US Open.

Grannolers has been performing well after a poor start of the season, and has risen to a career high ranking that was just enough to earn him a place among the seeds at the US Open.

This will be one of the more interesting matches to watch in the opening round, and especially in the top quarter of the draw, as two players who are at a similar level battle it out.

The Spaniard will be fitter and filled with confidence heading into the tie, and that should be enough to see him through against Malisse, although the veteran Belgian will take a set on his way out.

Grannolers to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

Pere Riba vs Carlos Berlocq

Another interesting match between two evenly matched players both ranked in the seventies.  The pair have never met on a full tour event or Grand Slam, but have met twice in the challenger series, taking one win each.

Riba, an up and coming clay specialist from Spain, has had a successful year on challenger tour clay, and made the second round at both the French and Australian Opens.

Belrocq also favours clay, and joined Riba in the second round at Rolland Garros, and although not a greatly superior player on paper, he does have more experience, and should be able to pull through in what is likely to be a very close match on the smaller courts.

Berlocq to win 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2

The Rest of the Quarter

Remaining seeds Dolgopolov (22), Tipsarovic (20), Gasquet (13), Berdych (9) and Monfils (7) have relatively simple opening ties that don't have the appeal as the matches already mentioned.  They should all come through their opening round matches with no problems, all four of them winning comfortably in straight sets to progress.

Potito Starace, Kei Nishokiri, Fabio Fognini and Philipp Petzschner will also be heading through to the second round with straight set victories over opponents who should struggle to compete.

Ivo Karlovic and Albert Montanes will face more difficult tests in their opening games and both are likely to lose a set on their way through the first round as they face strong opposition.

Roger Federer (3) vs Santiago Giraldo

Roger Federer is the top man in the second quarter of the draw and is widely expected to meet Novak Djokovic in the semi final.

He will have no problems in his opening match against the promising 23-year-old Santiago Giraldo.

Giraldo, the Colombian number one, is ranked outside the worlds top 50 and is not going to be a threat for Federer despite the pair never meeting in the past.  Looking to prove his doubters wrong and prevent a Slam-less season for the first time since 2002, Federer will be up for the challenge at the US Open and will make a solid start in the first round.

Federer will come through in straight sets winning 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

Ryan Harrison vs Marin Cilic (27)

American teenager Ryan Harrison is making some excellent progress and looks to be on his way to becoming one of the top players in the world as he develops.

Coming up against Marin Cilic, himself only 22, Harrison will be full of confidence and will be looking to get past the Croatian and make it into the second round.

Cilic is ranked far higher and even at 22 is a steady and successful player, but has had a terrible showing at the Grand Slams in 2011.

Harrison will be looking to capitalise on this and take advantage of his home support to provide a shock in the first round, leaving Cilic as one of the first seeds to exit.

Harrison to win 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4

Radek Stepanek (23) vs Philipp Kohlschreiber

Another match where a seed could make an early exit.

Radek Stepanek has been out of form for the majority of the year, enduring a run of nine straight first round exits and struggling at all the grand slam tournaments, it looked like Stepanek was well past his best.

Since arriving in North America though, the former Czech number one has seen a resurgence in his form.

After winning in Washington and a good showing in Cincinnati, where he lost to Djokovic Stepanek seems to have warranted his seeding.

Philipp Kohlschreiber will still fancy his chances against the ageing seed, and will be a challenging opponent for Stepanek who will have to use a lot of his experience to overcome the German.

Stepanek to win in five 7-6, 5-7, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3

Rounding off the Second Quarter

Mardy Fish (8), Jo-Wilfied Tsonga (11), Michael Llodra (29), Viktor Troicki (15) and Fernando Verdasco (19) round off the seeds in a strong quarter, and they should all progress through their opening match without any real trouble and finish off their respective opponents in straight sets.

Elsewhere Bernard Tomic, Kevin Anderson, Andreas Haider-Maurer and Thiemo De Bakker all face men who have come through the qualifiers last week and should also progress in straight sets without any trouble.

One qualifier is guaranteed to make it through to the second round though, from the match up between Marsel Ilhan of Turkey and Frank Dancevic of Canada.  Both men came through the qualifying rounds last week and despite having an inferior ranking Canadian Dancevic should come through this battle of the qualifiers.

To round up this quarter Thomaz Bellucci should ease past inexperienced Isreali Dudi Sela in straight sets,and Juan Monaco should come out victorious in a slightly closer match up with Adreas Seppi.

Andy Murray (4) vs Somdev Devvarman

Indian number one Somdev Devvarman would certainly have hoped for an easier start to the competition than number four seed Andy Murray.  Although the pair have never met, Murray will be confident heading into the tie.

Devvarman has taken on both Roger Federer (twice) and Rafa Nadal earlier in 2011, but has never beaten an opponent from inside the top ten.

Currently ranked higher than he has ever been heading into a major, the Indian has provided a few shock results, beating Marcos Baghdatis, Milos Raonic and Guillmero Garcia-Lopez this season.

Sill, Devvarman, a two-time NCAA singles champion, will not have enough to pose a serious challenge and is set for another Grand Slam first round exit.

Murray to win 7-5, 6-4, 6-3

John Isner (28) vs Marcos Baghdatis

The big hitting John Isner has beaten Baghdatis in all their previous meetings, including twice during the US Open Series 2011, and the 6’9” American will take full advantage of home support to do the same again at the US Open.

Crowd favourite and all-round nice guy Baghdatis will not have enough to compete with the Americans serve and huge reach and will be unable to improve on his recent results against the marathon man Isner.

Baghdatis will fight to the end as usual, and will be an entertaining character for the crowd, in a match made all the more appealing due to the home support.

Isner to win 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

Third Quarter Round Up

Murray and Isner are joined in the third quarter of the draw by Robin Soderling (6), Juan Mortin Del Potro (18), Stanislav Wawrinka (14), Juan Ignacio Chela (24), Feliciano Lopez (25) and Giles Simon (12) as seeds.

None of them will face difficult tests and should all run through their first round matches comfortably in straight sets against lesser opponents.

Two matches are likely to go beyond three sets, with American Donald Young and Slovakian Karol Beck both coming through their respective ties in four sets.

Elsewhere Alex Bogomolov Jr of the USA and Guillmero Garcia-Lopez of Spain will both ease through games agains their fellow countrymen as Tursonov, Rosol and Haase all breeze through without trouble.

One game Americans are likely to be watching is Ronny Giperi vs Joao Souza, but Ginepri will not be making a finla fling at the US Open as Souza will see him off in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal (2) vs Andrey Golubev

Rafa Nadal will of course have no trouble coming through the first round at the US Open.

The defending champion is up against Andrey Golubev from Kazakhstan, a player he has never met before, but is well know enough to eliminate the risk of any surprises.

Golubev made a dramatic rise through the rankings in 2010, moving up 100 places to a career high 33 in the world, and ended the season ranked 36^th to earn the ATP Most Improved Player Award for 2010.

This year however, Golubev has seen a dip in his form and has gradually slipped back down the rankings, currently in danger of falling out of the top 100.  We are all aware of the ‘problems’ Rafa Nadal is having with form at the moment, but he will sail through this first round encounter against a player who is genuinely short of form.

Nadal to win 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

Denis Istomin vs Ryan Sweeting

One of the more even matches in the draw will be popular among spectators at Flushing Meadows.

Istomin is perhaps the more experienced and thanks to a brilliant 2010 season saw himself at the lofty height of 39 in the world rankings before returning back down to be ranked at 68^th heading into the US Open.

Sweeting is a player on the rise and will go into his first round match with the support of the home crowd.

Istomin has definitely had the more successful preparation, winning two tournaments in his home country of Uzbekistan, but the quality of opponents in the tournaments was not anything like the US Open Series in which Sweeting struggled.

Istomin does have experience on his side, having played a lot more tennis, but Sweeting will take a better record from 2011 into the game and with the help of the home support should come out with a victory.

Sweeting to win 7-6, 6-5, 7-6

Matthias Bachinger vs Igor Kunitsyn

Another match that will be worth a visit for fans with a grounds pass to Flushing Meadows will be Matthias Bachinger vs Igor Kunitsyn

Russian Kunitsyn will have the upper hand and has the experience and skill to come out on top, but his German opponent is likely to force the game into four sets.

Both players have done well in the challenger series but never made a successful transition into the full ATP tour.

Bachinger heads into the US Open in the better form, but the superior quality of Kunitsyn should be enough to see him through the tie.

Kunitsyn to win 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4

Finishing off the Draw

To round off the predictions in the fourth and final quarter of the draw there are again some relatively simple match ups.

David Ferrer (5), Florian Mayer (26), Nicholas Almagro (10), Jurgen Melzer (17) and Ivan Ljubicic (30) all face simple matches and should come out with straight set victories to cruise into the second round.

Mikhail Youzhny (26) and Andy Roddick (21) face slightly tougher tests as they take on Ernersts Gulbis and Michael Russell respectively.  Both should come through the tie without too much trouble, but I would expect that one, or both of the seeds will be taken to four sets.

Outside of the seeds the final quarter is rounded off with a few matches that should give one player a smooth ride through.

American James Blake should glide past qualifier Jesse Huta-Galung, but compatriots Bobby Reynolds and Jack Sock should lose out to David Nalbadian and Marc Gicguel respectively.

To finish off the draw Giles Muller and Oliver Rochus will also ease into the second round in straight sets.