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Breaking down the U.S. Open draw
SI staff writer Jon Wertheim peers into his crystal ball to reveal the fate of all 32 seeds for the U.S. Open. Scroll down to see the first-round matches you shouldn't miss, some darkhorse candidates to advance to Week 2, and his championship predictions. MEN'S REPORT | Women's Report 1. Andre Agassi: It's easy to go broke prematurely counting out the defending champ. But as long as his back ails, it's hard to see him repeating. Arnaud Clement could give him trouble in Round 2. 2. Gustavo Kuerten: Rangy Brazilian could snag his second major of the year, particularly if Sampras gets bitten by the injury bug. His draw, however, is deceptively tough. 3. Magnus Norman: Has underachieved on hard courts this summer, but has precisely the type of indefatigable, heavy baseline game to succeed in Queens. 4. Pete Sampras: Hisbody willing -- no small caveat -- this is shaping up as his event to lose. A Wimbledon-esque cakewalk of a draw has him playing Franco Squillari in the quarters and Kafelnikov in the semis. Keep in mind, he has played just seven matches since Wimbledon.
5. Yevgeny Kafelnikov: First title of 2000 unlikely to come here. Objectively, the maddeningly erratic Russian has the game (and the draw) to win on the macadam -- but I can't see it happening. 6. Marat Safin: Still a year away from having the mental wherewithal to win a major, but the Valencia Vector (as opposed to the Russian Rocket) is the real deal. 7. Thomas Enqvist: Cincy win showed he has what it takes it takes on hard courts, but he never seems to get it together in the Slams. 8. Alex Corretja: Arguably the best active player never to have won a Slam, he has a realistic chance here. Winning Washington tune-up couldn't have hurt his confidence, but is he too nice? 9. Lleyton Hewitt: Results have really (pony)tailed off this summer, but could do some damage on the asphalt. Too bad he isn't more confident -- and competent -- at the net. 10. Cedric Pioline: The odometer doesn't have many more clicks, but he's still capable of some magic. 11. Tim Henman: "Their Tim" hasn't shown the requisite mettle to thrive here. Say this, though: he ought do better than last year when he lost early to clay-court journeyman Willie Canas. 12. Juan Carlos Ferrero: The Mosquito hasn't bitten much since Roland Garros. He claims he's better on hard courts than clay so this is his chance to prove it. Has potentially tough first-rounder against Fernando Meligeni. 13. Franco Squillari: No, this is not a typo. Little-known Argentinian is quietly having a swell year, but don't look for him to break out here. Could well lose to Jeff Tarango in the second round. 14. Nicolas Kiefer: Agassi look-alike can salvage a forgettable year here. Plays well on hard courts and has a generous draw. Still, don't be surprised if he loses early. 15. Mark Philippoussis: Never count out a player who consistently serves over 130 mph. But time and again, he has failed to bring the heavy artillery to the biggest matches. Likely second-round match against Jan-Michael Gambill should be a good one. 16. Nicolas Lapentti: After making a gargantuan jump in the rankings and starting the year in the top 10, his game has really plateaued. Even with a cupcake draw, he'll be lucky to last more than a few rounds. DANGEROUS FLOATERSPat Rafter: Yes, the shoulder has a finite number of serves left in it. But don't forget, he has won 14 of his last 15 matches here. Todd Martin: Last year's finalist is having a forgettable year, but is perilous nonetheless. Jiri Novak: Quietly having the best year of an underrated career. His heavy ball could create trouble for a player like Hewitt. Jan-Michael Gambill: Fresh from the Wimbledon quarters, look for him to beat Philippoussis in the second round. Richard Krajicek: Won't win seven matches on those knees, but is still capable of serving anyone off the court. FIRST-ROUND MATCHES TO WATCHNicolas Massu vs. Marcelo Rios: The Great Chile Cook-off. Andy Roddick vs. Alberto Costa: Could be a big win for future of American men's tennis. Younes El Aynaoui vs. Karim Alami: The Marrakech special Hewitt vs. Andreas Vinciguerra: Two of the ATP Tour's more promising teenagers. PREDICTIONS Semifinals: Hewitt vs. Sampras; Safin vs. Kuerten
Sports Illustrated staff writer Jon Wertheim covers the tennis beat for the
magazine and will be filing daily reports from the U.S. Open for CNNSI.com.
Click here to send a question to his mailbag.
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