It may be one of the poorest main draws in the US Open's recent history, but, the men's tennis might witness some intriguing matchups. Alexander Zverev, the world No. 6 and the fourth seed, will share the bottom half of the board with the world No. 2 and the second seed Andy Murray. Their different trends and trajectories are on a collision course for the semis. In the meantime, the upper half the draw is about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and the possibility of them clashing for the first time in New York. For Zverev this might be the moment of confirmation after having a great summer warm-up while Andy Murray will be featuring in his first ATP event since Wimbledon Championships.
Andy Murray could enjoy a deep run at US Open
Resuming his season after almost two months spent away from the tennis court due to a hip injury he suffered at Wimbledon, Andy Murray has a lot on the plate in front of him. The inactivity time translated into him losing the world No. 1 spot to Rafael Nadal. With the Spaniard also struggling to find form and pace on the North American cement, the exchange at the top was based on circumstances and not on personal outcomes.
Ranked second in the world, Andy Murray might see his ranking stumbling over the next few months. The US Open presents itself as a place where some precious points must be earned just enough to keep his head above water. The Asian leg and the European indoor hard swing will put Murray in a delicate position with thousands of points to defend in a matter of weeks.
2012 US Open titlist, Murray will start his 2017 bid confronting Tennys Sandgren (104 ATP) in the opening round of what seems to be a viable quarter of the draw.
Zverev is looking for a first Grand Slam solid run
A few months ago, Alexander Zverev made a perfect run in Rome capturing his first Masters 1000 title. That breakthrough success came with a heavy toll that he wasn't able to handle next.
He suffered a first-round exit at the very next event, Roland Garros. At Wimbledon, he reached the fourth round where he lost to the highly-experienced grass court player Milos Raonic. The summer swing on the hard court brought in a new level of motivation, as Zverev surged to the top of the ranking. Winning back-to-back titles in Washington and Montreal, he is now the holder of five ATP titles in 2017.
The fourth seed at US Open, he will start his bid against a qualifier Darian King (168 ATP). At 20-years-old, Alexander Zverev will make his third appearance on the US Open's main draw. Back in 2016, he reached the second round before losing to Daniel Evans.
