U.S. Open tennis draw: Swiatek-Pegula quarterfinal possible
Aug. 23 (UPI) — Several high-profile potential matchups were revealed through the 2024 U.S. Open draw, with paths set for a Iga Swiatek-Jessica Pegula quarterfinal and a fourth-round meeting between Novak Djokovic and Frances Tiafoe.
Main-draw play for the final Grand Slam of the tennis season will start Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. A combined 256 players will compete between the men’s and women’s singles circuits, with the winners earning $3.6 million apiece.
Coverage will air on ESPN platforms and ABC. Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 3 player in the world, is favored for the men’s title. No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is the women’s singles favorite.
No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, Serbian Novak Djokovic (No. 2) — the defending champion, No. 4 Alexander Zverev of Germany and No. 5 Daniil Medvedev of Russia are among the other men’s favorites.
Poland’s Iga Swiatek — the top women’s player, No. 4 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 3 Coco Gauff — the defending champion and fellow American Jessica Pegula (No. 6) join Sabalenka as the top women’s contenders.
Swiatek will start her run against No. 104 Kamilla Rakhimov of Russia. Pegula and No. 11 Danielle Collins of the United States are the top players she could face in the quarterfinals.
No. 5 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, Rybakina and No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia are the top players she could meet in the semifinals.
Gauff, the highest-ranked American, will start her title defense against No. 66 Varvara Gracheva of France. No. 13 Emma Navarro of the United States is the top player Gauff could face in the fourth round. Gauff could meet No. 9 Maria Sakkari of Greece or No. 8 Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.
Sinner will play No. 140 Mackenzie McDonald of the United States in the first round. He could face No. 14 Tommy Paul of the United States as soon as the fourth round. No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Medvedev are among the players he could meet in the quarterfinals.
