The North American outdoor hard swing is one week away from making the last Grand Slam stop of the regular season. 2017 US Open Tennis Championships may produce a surprise winner given the current state of the circuit. With some big names off the entry list due to injuries, the main draw is expected to emerge on August 25. The Masters 1000 session in Montreal and Cincinnati cemented a trend that started earlier this year; the new generation of ATP tennis star is making decisive steps in replacing the old guard. But, are these youngsters prepared to aim big at US Open?
That seems to be the burning question, and the answer will emerge over the next few weeks.
Alexander Zverev dominated the first part of the North American hard court session
Winning back-to-back titles in Washington (ATP 500) and then the next week at Rogers Cup in Montreal (Masters 1000), the 20-year-old German Alexander Zverev put in a solid statement of his future intentions. A dominant display of tennis including over some big names like Roger Federer gave him a superior status. Currently ranked 6th in the world, he had a small setback last week in Cincinnati by losing in the round of 32 to Frances Tiafoe. Given the way things went down in that encounter, it seemed that he was dealing with a certain level of fatigue.
His top ranking combined with Djokovic and Wawrinka being out of US Open will put Zverev in the top drawer of seeded players. That means we won't have to deal with Federer or Nadal up until the semis. Zverev is likely to produce some serious damages in New York, and he seems to be the next ATP superstar.
Dimitrov and Kyrgios show their intention
Competing as opponents in Cincinnati's final, Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios has put up a solid display of tennis. In the end, the 26-year-old Bulgarian reached the finish line first capping his maiden Masters 1000 title. And he did that without dropping a set the whole tournament.
On the other side, Nick Kyrgios was a bit off during the final, possibly not being at his perfect fitness level. That and a lack of focus cost him greatly.
Entering the US Open, Dimitrov will be sitting among the first eight seeded players. That gives him a decent shot to reach the last eight stages where the big names are likely to emerge. On the other side, Kyrgios, now back inside the top 20, will have to hope for a decent trajectory. Still, he won't take any step back if a top seed will emerge early in the contest. He has quite a record against the ATP superstars beating both Djokovic and Nadal this season. Cincinnati is his best result to date, but he can go for more in New York.
