Predictions for the 2018 US Open

This year’s US Open is filled with generations of champions. Former champions and top players including Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, who is coming back after a hip replacement surgery and a knee injury, are making their comebacks to the sport at the last grand slam of the year. The tournament also marks a year since Serena Williams gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Ohanian Jr.

The top seeds of both the men’s and women’s singles draws are feeling the pressure to perform above and beyond their competitors. However, the first week at the Open unexpectedly knocked out the top two seeds in the women’s draw and multiple five-set matches on the men’s side.

On the first day of the Open, first seed and this year’s Roland Garros champion Simona Halep was knocked out in the first round by Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-4. Halep has always been a bit of hit-or-miss player in the slams. For whatever reason, whenever she’s the top seed at a tournament, she tends to buckle under the pressure. However, looking at her Instagram stories after her loss shows she is already hitting the grind on her home courts.

Similarly, the second seed and former US Open champion Caroline Wozniacki was knocked out in the round of 64 by Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 6-2. Wozniacki was definitely a fan favorite for this year’s Open but her and Halep’s upsets have definitely allowed for more competitive matches at the tournament.

Other fan favorites this year include new mother Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, last year’s finalist Madison Keys, and defending champion Sloane Stephens. Williams recently defeated her older sister Venus Williams in a clean 6-1, 6-2 match. Fans were pumped up to watch the two sisters play each other for the 30th time and were stunned by Serena Williams’s aces and winners. With Serena Williams sporting Virgil Ablo’s custom designed tutu dresses, she definitely seems like a true “Queen.” If Serena Williams is able to continue serving up aces and striking the ball the way she is now, she has a clear shot at this year’s trophy.

Sharapova has been greeted with the loudest applause at Arthur Ashe this year. Now into the second week of the open with a 22-0 record at nighttime Ashe matches, her match against former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko showed her best performances yet, ruthlessly slamming winner after winner and punishing Ostapenko’s serve. Sharapova may soon meet Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, a match that fans will definitely be excited for.

Defending champion Stephens had a tough time adjusting to life as a Grand Slam champion after last year’s US Open. She was on a eight-match losing streak before finally making it to the finals of this year’s Roland Garros. However, she soon lost unexpectedly in the first round of Wimbledon. That being said, if she continues to perform the way she has been at the US Open, she should be able to defend her title.

On the men’s side of the draw, multiple top seeds have already had upsets. Murray lost in the second round against Fernando Verdasco in four sets, ending the Brit’s debut tournament early. Stan Wawrinka also lost in straight sets to Canadian Milos Raonic. Just recently and most surprisingly, fourth seed Alexander Zverev lost to fellow German Philipp Kohlschreiber in four sets. Last year’s finalist Kevin Anderson pulled through from a five-set match against up-and-coming Canadian star Denis Shapovalov. Anderson is scheduled to play Dominic Thiem on Louis Armstrong, a matchup that could go either way depending on Anderson’s serve and Thiem’s one-handed backhand.

However, the three-man rivalry continues this year at the US Open as current world number one Rafael Nadal, the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Roger Federer, and the unforgettable Novak Djokovic have all made it through the first week at the Open. Nadal was able to overcome Karen Khachanov in a tight four-set match, while Federer has yet to drop a set. Djokovic has been able to prove throughout the week that he is back in the race for this year’s trophy as he grinds through two four-set matches. Though Federer and Djokovic may have the chance of meeting earlier because they are on the same side of the draw, all three players must persevere over the next generation of top players in order to once again meet at Arthur Ashe.

All things considered, here are my picks for the finals: Serena Williams versus Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal versus Roger Federer/Novak Djokovic. This year’s finals are set to be action-packed and competitive like never seen before.