US Open 2023: Men’s singles draw preview and prediction
The US Open 2023 men's singles draw will be headlined by World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev (Image via Vogue and Tennis365)
The final Grand Slam of the year- the US Open will begin on August 28, 2023, and will feature a star-studded lineup headed by defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Tournament Details:
- Tournament: US Open 2023
- Date: August 28- September 10, 2023
- Number of Entrants: 128 (Singles), 64 (Doubles)
- Venue: New York, USA
- Surface: Hard Court
- Prize Money: $65 million
- Defending champion: Carlos Alcaraz
Top Seeds at the US Open 2023
- Carlos Alcaraz
- Novak Djokovic
- Daniil Medvedev
- Holger Rune
- Casper Ruud
- Jannik Sinner
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Andrey Rublev
Men’s Singles Draw Preview
First Quarter
Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion will face Dominik Koepfer in the first round and will face either Lloyd Harris or Guido Pella in the second round. He is drawn with 26th seed Dan Evans who opens against Daniel Elahi Galan. Alcaraz and Evans are projected to meet in the third round.
16th seed Cameron Norrie will face Alexander Shevchenko in the opening round and will most likely face Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis in the following round. 24th seed Tallon Griekspoor faces Arthur Fils in the opening round and the winner will most likely face Norrie in the third round. Alcaraz and Norrie are expected to meet in the Round of 16.
Jannik Sinner finds himself in Alcaraz’s quarter of the draw. The 6th-seeded Italian will face Yannick Hanfmann in the first round and will most likely face countryman Lorenzo Sonego in the next round. He could face 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round.
Former US Open finalist Alexander Zverev will begin his campaign against Aleksandar Vukic and will face the winner of the match between Daniel Altmaier and Constant Lestienne in the second round. Andy Murray opens against Corentin Moutet while Grigor Dimitrov faces Alex Molcan in the opener. Murray and Dimitrov could meet in the second round with the winner facing Zverev in the Round of 32.
First Quarterfinal Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner
Second Quarter
2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev will face Attila Balazs in the first round and is drawn against former Cincinnati Masters champion Borna Coric. The duo could meet in the third round. Coric plays Sebastian Baez in the opening round.
13th seed Alex De Minaur faces a qualifier in the opening round and will face either Yibing Wu or Dusan Lajovic in the second round. The young Australian could face Nicolas Jarry in the third round and will most likely face Medvedev in the Round of 16.
Russian 8th seed Andrey Rublev gets a tricky draw and will open his campaign against Emil Ruusuvuori. He will then face Gael Monfils in the second round and could then face either Diego Schwartzman, Matteo Berrettini, or Ugo Humbert in the third round.
Karen Khachanov will start against Michael Mmoh and could face John Isner, who is playing the last tournament of his career, in the second round. 7th seed Hubert Hurkacz will open his campaign against Marc-Andrea Huesler and could go on to face Jack Draper in the second round.
Second Quarterfinal Prediction: Daniil Medvedev vs Hubert Hurkacz
Third Quarter
Seeded 4th for the first time in a major, Holger Rune will take on Roberto Carballes Baena in the opening round and could then meet Aslan Karatsev in the second round. The third round could be tricky for the young Dane as he’ll face either Alexander Bublik, Dominic Thiem, or Ben Shelton. Bublik and Thiem meet in a blockbuster opening-round clash.
In form, Tommy Paul will face a qualifier in the first round and gets a relatively easy draw as he faces either Roman Safiullin or Marco Cecchinato in the second round. He could go on to face either Marcos Giron or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round. Paul and Rune are projected to meet in the Round of 16.
5th seed and defending finalist Casper Ruud will open against a qualifier and will most likely get 31st seed Sebastian Korda in the third round as his first big challenge. Korda faces Marton Fucsovics in the first round.
10th seed Frances Tiafoe will play wild card Learner Tien in the opener and gets a very easy draw where he’ll likely play Adrian Mannarino in the third round. Tiafoe, last year’s semifinalist, will probably face last year’s finalist Ruud in the Round of 16.
Third Quarterfinal Prediction: Casper Ruud vs Tommy Paul
Read further: WATCH: Novak Djokovic perfectly impersonates Maria Sharapova’s serve routine followed by her ‘classic’ grunt
Fourth Quarter
23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic gets one of the easiest draws and will open against Alexandre Muller. He will then face the winner of the match between Bernabe Zapata Miralles and Ethan Quinn. He could then face countryman Laslo Djere in the third round who himself plays Brandon Nakashima in the first round.
Out of form Felix Auger-Aliassime faces a tough task in Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round and will then face either a qualifier or Hugo Dellien in the second round. 20th seed Francisco Cerundolo faces a qualifier in the first round and will take on Jiri Vesely in the next round. Djokovic will likely face either Felix or McDonald in the Round of 16.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will open his US Open campaign against Milos Raonic in what would be a very tough battle. He will then face Alexei Popyrin in the second round. Christopher Eubanks takes on Soonwoo Kwon in the first round. Eubanks and Tsitsipas will meet in the third round.
Home favorite Taylor Fritz faces countryman Steve Johnson in the first round and will then take on either Miomir Kecmanovic or Juan Pablo Varillas. Fritz will most likely meet Lorenzo Musetti in the third round before facing Tsitsipas’ test in the Round of 16.
Fourth Quarterfinal Prediction: Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Semifinals
2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the first semifinal. Alcaraz has been the best player this season by a mile and despite Medvedev’s resilience, is likely to cross the finishing line to reach a second consecutive major final.
Defending finalist Casper Ruud will lock horns against Novak Djokovic in the second semifinal. Djokovic will enter the match as the heavy favorite and as things stand, Ruud will have to wait a bit longer to win his maiden major title.
US Open 2023 final: Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic
Final
Two of the best players in the world currently- Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet on the biggest stage once more. Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in 5 sets in the Wimbledon final while Nole got the young Spaniard’s number in the Cincinnati final. On a sold-out Sunday evening under Ashe’s lights, the two are expected to deliver a match for the ages. Alcaraz might just have the legs to cross the line marginally and win his second US Open title.
Champion: Carlos Alcaraz
Read further: Coco Gauff reveals her ‘weird’ pre-match superstitions involving mushrooms as she gears up to script history at the US Open
Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)