first round plays
first round plays
Soderling to beat Dent
Dent is a surprisingly poor 2-5 here and as he is returning from injury. Soderling came through quallies very impressively without dropping a set and serving very well.
Popp to beat Kucera
Kucera made the quarters here in '98 but is just 1-6 in his other appearances at New York. Popp has gone out in the second round in both of his starts here but has the fast conditions to suit.
Bersych to beat Behrend
Both are making their first appearance in New York. The 18 year-old Berdych has some excellent futures and challenger results to his name this year, including a win in Austria (hard) a fortnight ago where he defeated Knowle in the final. Behrend had a few good wins on clay last month in Stuttgart but his form on hardcourts is very limited and he is coming straight off a clay challenger last week.
Coria to beat Puerta
Massive class gap here. It will be interesting to see how Coria fares on the hardcourts in light of his stunning run on clay recently. He made the 3rd round in his first appearance here last year and has solid form on hardcourts over the past few years.
Ginepri to beat Ferrer
Ferrer played an excellent tourney in Sopot (clay) but is first up on hardcourts here and must have low expectations. Ginepri had solid wins over Stepanek and Gaudio at Cincinnati but he's not the most consistent type going around.
Martin to beat Yim
The 18 year-old Yim earned the wildcard by winning the USTA Boy's 18's Super National Championships last weekend. This will be a lot tougher. Martin is an excellent 30-13 at his home Slam.
Hyung-Taik Lee to beat Voltchkov
Voltchkov beat Lee in the season opener at Doha in a three-setter but has not played since a first round loss at Wimbledon. Lee is on a terrible nine match main draw losing streak (he has notched up qualifying wins). At the price Lee has to be the play.
Kendrick to beat Vinciguerra
The Swede is 0-3 in the main draw here while Kendrick is making his first appearance here courtesy of a wildcard. The American is only playing his third tournament since suffering a thumb injury during a doubles match at Wimbledon, but he looks to be getting back to his best if his play in the last few weeks is anything to go by.
Clement to beat Vahaly
The Frenchman suffered a shock loss to Morrison last week at Long Island but he had notched up wins over the likes of Moya, Costa and Rusedski in the two preceding Masters Series events. Vahaly has shown very few signs of a return to the form that saw him reach the quarters of Indian Wells earlier in the year. Clement has an excellent record here - he has not done worse than the fourth round that last four years (13/5) - and should have too much Grand Slam experience.
Rusedski to beat Carraz
Carraz has won a couple of hardcourt challenger tournaments this year but his form at ATP level is quite ordinary. Rusedski is a solid 16-9 here and clearly has the conditions to suit.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL
