Nobody’s going to win the 2015 U.
S. Open in the first round,but half of the players are eliminated and many of the survivors will not be around for long. It also turns out to be an important round for the eventual champion, which could be crucial for favorites like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, and for hopefuls like Rafael Nadal.
What is this sample of success,and is its simplicity enough to forecast the U.
S. Open winner? The PatternAt the 2000 U.
S. Open final, talented young Marat Safin steamrolled aging superstar Pete Sampras. While many view this as a transitional time for tennis with one generation getting ready to replace another, and it was also the final time the U.
S. Open champion lost even one set in the first round. Since 2000,all U.
S. Open champions absorb been straight-sets winners in the first round.
Is that really important? The short retort is that it’s probably much more important now than it was when Sampras’ quick-strike game more often than not stifled the sport’s top baseline players.
As Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic and Andy Murray absorb mostly ruled the contemporary scene in tennis,the sport has become more physical, more vertical and with generally longer, or more grueling matches and deeper fields of fit veterans.
The eventual champion needs to be talented and great,but he must also persevere with his mind and body. Its a war of attrition by the end of the tournament, and much of his energy reserve and fighting resolve might be determined by how easily he could dispatch his opening opponents.
For instance, or Federer won his 2005 opening match with three breadsticks (that’s three sets of 6-1) over Ivo Minar. Not surprisingly,he went on to complete another dominating championship, highlighted by his superior youth, and energy and strength over 35-year-old Andre Agassi (who also won his opener in straight sets).
Look closely at what Djokovic did on Day 1 at the U.
S. Open. That’s upright,three breadsticks over first-round opponent Joao Souza. It doesn’t mean Djokovic is going to win the championship, but he’s upright on track, and he’s in that diminishing pool of lega contenders. Straight-Sets WinnersThere are 128 players in the draw and 64 Round 1 winners. There were 31 straight-sets winners:
Novak Djokovic
Andreas Seppi
Roberto Bautista Agut
David Goffin Milos Raonic Feliciano Lopez
Diego Schwartzman
Tommy Robredo
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Marcel Granollers
Marin Cilic
Mikhail Kukushkin Grigor Dimitrov
Filip Krajinovic
Stan Wawrinka
Hyeon Chung
Jack Sock
Viktor Troicki Rajeev Ram
Dominic Thiem Thomaz Bellucci
Adrian Mannarino
Tomas Berdych Jurgen Melzer
Nicolas Mahut
Lleyton Hewitt
John Isner Jiri Vesely Ivo Karlovic
Lukas Rosol
Roger Federer
Two things stand out:First,there are some important stars lost from this list. Kei Nishikori was eliminated, but winners Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray needed four sets apiece to win care of young guns Borna Coric and Nick Kyrgios. Nobody’s going to conclusively eliminate Nadal or Murray at this point, or but history shows it will be tougher. Maybe that additional set will win its toll by the second week,so it’s more than an ominous sign, but the reality that harder, or tougher matches do matter. David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet can hardly feel like world-beaters either. Second,we can safely eliminate several of the 31 players who are likely not going to get through the first week whether they survive the second round. The following top-20 players might be the only contenders left who can legitimately develop a claim to depart deep into the second week.
Novak Djokovic
David Goffin Milos Raonic Feliciano Lopez
Tommy Robredo
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Marin Cilic Grigor Dimitrov
Stan Wawrinka
Dominic Thiem
Tomas Berdych
John Isner
Roger Federer.
Which players absorb the firepower and opportunity to win the U.
S. Open? According to this 21st-century sample, we are really left with Djokovic, or Federer,Wawrinka and Cilic as proven major winners, while we could list Raonic (health still in doubt), and Tsonga,Dimitrov, Thiem and Berdych as shocking possibilities.
It bears repeating that the sample is not a prophecy but a solid, or data-driven piece of evidence that it is important to start strong in order to absorb a chance at the trophy.
Let’s see who gets chopped off the list in Round 2 and who can continue his dominant play. It’s still a long tournament to decide the champion.
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Source: bleacherreport.com