How to watch: From noon to 6 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN, and from 6 to 11 p.m. on ESPN2; streaming on the ESPN app.
The second round of the United States Open singles competitions starts Wednesday, and the doubles competition begins as well. While singles often claims the majority of the spotlight, the quality of doubles players assembled should draw some attention toward the field courts.
Here are some matches to keep an eye on.
Because of the number of matches cycling through courts, the times for individual matchups are merely estimates and certain to fluctuate based on the completion time of earlier play. All times are Eastern.
Louis Armstrong Stadium | 1 p.m.
Alexander Zverev vs. Brandon Nakashima
Zverev, the fifth seed, beat a former U.S. Open finalist, Kevin Anderson, in the first round on Monday. Early on, Zverev’s serve seemed shaky, and he had four double faults in the first set. But he got more consistent as the match progressed and took control in the last two sets, finishing with 72 percent of service points won. If he can show that sort of consistency on his serve, which he has struggled with over the last couple of years, he should be challenging for this year’s title.
Nakashima, 19, from San Diego, is a newcomer to the ATP Tour. Last year, he made the semifinals of the junior U.S. Open, and since then has appeared in several high-profile exhibition tournaments. In December, Nakashima played in the Hawaii Open, where he beat Chris Harrison and Taylor Fritz before losing to Sam Querry in three sets. While Nakashima still has plenty of room to grow before really challenging top-10 players, it will be interesting to see how he approaches the match. If he can keep nerves at bay and play fluidly, it should be an entertaining match.
Louis Armstrong Stadium | 4 p.m.
Karolina Pliskova vs. Caroline Garcia
Pliskova, the No. 1 seed, reached the finals of the U.S. Open in 2016, but has not made it past the quarterfinals since. Pliskova thrives on fast courts, with a naturally powerful serve that she’s more than happy to follow into the net. Her two-handed backhand is also marvelous, able to produce powerfully flattened shots from defensive positions as well as tidy angles when she has an opponent on the run.
Garcia, No. 50 in the world, has never been past the third round in Flushing Meadows, and has often found her best success on the red clay of Europe. An accomplished doubles player, with one major title, she decided in 2017 to stop playing doubles to focus on her singles career. The all-around baseliner uses her movement and point construction to draw unforced errors from opponents, and relies on the consistency of her serve to ease her past strong returners.
Although the players broadly can be described as having similar styles of play, Pliskova’s preference for a faster court favors her.
Arthur Ashe Stadium | 2 p.m.
Novak Djokovic vs. Kyle Edmund
Djokovic, the world No. 1, comfortably pushed past Damir Dzuhmar in the first round. But, if you had seen only Djokovic’s reactions after points, you would have thought it was a struggle through which the 17-time major champion needed to summon every ounce of mental fortitude.
Without the energy of a crowd to feed on, perhaps the most effective method to keep energy up on the court is to expend it — violently, loudly, demanding a reminder that in tennis, every point counts.
Or maybe, it’s theatrics.
Either way, it’s hard to question Djokovic, who is undefeated in 2020, with a 24-match winning streak stretching back to Jan. 4 in Brisbane, Australia.
Edmund, the world No. 44, has not looked particularly convincing of late. At the Western & Southern Open, Edmund lost to Kevin Anderson in the first round, and he struggled to move past Alexander Bublik in their match on Monday night. Edmund has one of the best forehands on tour, with a heavy dipping action produced by a Western grip. Unfortunately, Djokovic is more than comfortable with absorbing his opponent’s pace and redirecting it, and will be looking to target Edmund’s backhand to push the Briton around the court and force errors.
Arthur Ashe Stadium | 7 p.m.
Naomi Osaka vs. Camila Giorgi
On Monday night, Osaka fought past her Fed Cup teammate Masaki Doi in a tough three-set match full of aggressive baseline maneuvering from both players. Although Osaka has some concern about a hamstring injury picked up during the Western & Southern Open, her movement looked OK and she said she was “managing.”
Giorgi, No. 74, is an assertive baseline player as well. With an especially powerful forehand, Giorgi seems at times too keen to aim for the corners. When these two power hitters meet, expect plenty of quick points dictated by which player decides to direct her shots into the far corners of the court first.
Other important matches:
Kateryna Bondarenko versus Petra Martic, Court 17 | 11 a.m.
Kateryna Kozlova versus Petra Kvitova, Arthur Ashe Stadium | 12 p.m.
Lloyd Harris versus David Goffin, Court 5 | 1 p.m.
Coco Gauff/Catherine McNally versus Hailey Baptiste/Whitney Osuigwe, Court 5 | 8 p.m.
Stefanos Tsitsipas versus Maxime Cressy, Arthur Ashe Stadium | 9 p.m.
Here’s this fan’s game plan for juggling the matches.
Starting at 11 a.m. Eastern on ESPN+, I will be watching Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, the 2020 Australian Open doubles champions, begin their quest for a second major title as partners. Their opponents, Austin Krajicek and Franko Skugor, reached the third round at the Australian Open, and those results reflect the gap in skill level between the two pairs.
Around 1 p.m., I’ll switch over to Louis Armstrong Stadium to watch Zverev play Nakashima. Nakashima might not have many professional appearances under his belt, but he’s a very exciting prospect. Zverev performed well in his first-round matchup against Kevin Anderson, but Nakashima is a much more unpredictable player, with better court movement. It should present an interesting challenge as Zverev looks to make a deep run.
Pliskova and Garcia follow, a battle of aggressive players who love different surfaces. Although both have a tendency to come to the net, Garcia is much more used to doing so on red clay, where the slower courts allow for more time to establish a position at the front. I’m looking forward to seeing how she adjusts to try to upset the No. 1 seed.
Around this time, I also expect to be keeping an eye on Victoria Azarenka and Sofia Kenin, who will be partnering in the doubles competition against Ellen Perez and Storm Sanders. Watching accomplished singles players like Azarenka and Kenin transition to doubles during the same tournament can be an interesting study in adjustments. The differing tactical situations can often hamstring players who are too focused on shots that would win them points in singles. It’s a lesson in mental focus and contextual awareness.
I’ll finish the day by watching four young, promising Americans square off in doubles. Coco Gauff and Catherine McNally, already an established doubles pair, will be facing Hailey Baptiste and Whitney Osuigwe. All four teenagers had excellent junior careers, each reaching at least one junior Grand Slam final in doubles. While Gauff is the only one to have made a major impact on the top tour to date, this match will be a showcase of the future of women’s tennis in America.
Source: Tennis - nytimes.com
