Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are the top seeds at the upcoming US Open. The Spaniard and the Serb are the favorites to reach the final and arrange another thrilling duel. Carlos and Novak will try to avoid last year’s poor run from the top seeds, with Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev failing to reach the quarter-final.
Nadal and Medvedev led the draw, but their form was far from ideal. The Russian missed the clay season and Wimbledon, while the Spaniard injured his abdomen at The All England Club. The top seeds failed to impact the US Open, losing before the quarter-final and leaving the door open for their rivals to seek the title and the ATP throne.
Two top seeds failed to reach the last eight in New York for the first time since 2000, joining Andre Agassi and Gustavo Kuerten on that unfortunate list!
Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev made early US Open exits a year ago.
Agassi ended his 2000 US Open campaign in the second round, losing to Arnaud Clement in straight sets and failing to defend the title he won a year ago.
Kuerten played in the quarter-final in New York in 1999, entering the next year’s edition as the 2nd seed and hoping for a good run. The Roland Garros champion reached the semi-final in Cincinnati and won the title in Indianapolis to boost his US Open chances.
Still, the Brazilian experienced an early loss in New York to a qualifier Wayne Arthurs in four sets. They grabbed a single break in sets one and two, and Arthurs stayed focused in the third and fourth to claim them in the tie break and complete a stunner.Twenty-two years later, Medvedev and Nadal followed the same path and missed a chance to compete in the second week of the season’s last Major.
Rafa fell to Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 after three hours and 34 minutes. The American was the more aggressive player, firing 50 winners and breaking the Spaniard five times. Tiafoe lost serve two times and came from 3-1 down in the fourth set to rattle off five straight games and move into the first US Open quarter-final in style.
The defending champion Medvedev gave the title away following a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Nick Kyrgios in two hours and 53 minutes. The Aussie converted five out of seven break chances and protected five out of eight in his games to control the pace in sets three and four and bring the victory home.
