Reigning Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka, after clearing the first round hurdle, is set to face Thomaz Bellucci in the second round, while Wimbledon semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov will start his US Open campaign at Flushing Meadows today.
Wawrinka defeated his first round opponent in straight sets and is heading as favourite to move into the third round against Bellucci. However, it was not a convincing victory for the Swiss as he had to battle against Jiri Vesely in second and third set tiebreakers.
On the other hand, Bellucci will be high on confidence after a clinical performance against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in the opening round. The Brazilian fired 11 aces against his French opponent and won 81 per cent first serve points.
This will be their second clash on a professional tour and Bellucci edges Wawrinka in head-to-head encounters. Bellucci defeated Wawrinka five years ago in straight sets in Switzerland but it will not going to be easy for the Brazilian to repeat that feat.
Wawrinka is now ranked fourth in the ATP charts and that defeat came on a clay court. The conditions at Arthur Ashe Stadium are completely different and Wawrinka is heading as clear favourite to even the win-loss series.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria's Dimitrov will start his US Open journey against homehope Ryan Harrison at Louis Armstrong Stadium today.
They have met once on a professional tour and the Bulgarian thrashed his American opponent in straight sets at the All England Club.
Dimitrov will be hoping to keep his good grand slam form going, although he did not perform well in the preparatory tournaments ahead of the Open.
The world number one hasn't been able to clear first round hurdle in previous three occasions but is likely to break the jinx.
Dimitrov endured an inconsistent hard court season as after reaching the Toronto Masters semifinals, he crashed out in Cincinnati Masters opener. The momentum is not on Dimitrov's side but he is expected to make a mark in the final grand slam event of the year.
In another first round encounter, two former Wimbledon finalists Tomas Berdych and Lleyton Hewitt will lock horns at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Berdych is coming into the tournament from successive loses in the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters.
Berdych has a 2-0 win-loss record against the resurgent Australian and this will be their first meeting in five years. Going by the ranking, the Czech is heading as a favourite, but Hewitt can pull of a surprise against a less-than-stellar Berdych.
In other matches, Marin Cilic will face Marcos Baghdatis, Feliciano Lopez will lock horns with Ivan Dodig, Kevin Anderson will be up against Pablo Cuevas and Jerzy Janowicz will face Dusan Lajovic.
Schedule of Play
Tomas Berdych vs Lleyton Hewitt starts 10:30 pm IST
Grigor Dimitrov vs Ryan Harrison starts 2:30 am IST
Stanislas Wawrinka vs Thomaz Bellucci starts 6:30 am IST
Where to Watch Live
The day's action is scheduled for 8:30 pm IST (3:00 pm GMT, 4:00 pm BST and 11:00 am ET) start with live coverage on Ten Sports in India and live streaming option HERE. International viewers can catch the action HERE and HERE or listen to the action free HERE. The live updates of all matches are available online HERE, HERE or HERE.
Eurosport will broadcast matches live in the UK and Europe. Viewers can also live stream the action HERE or listen to the action live online on BBC HERE. Catch the action live on ESPN Network and CBS Sports Network in the United States or see live streaming HERE or HERE. SuperSport will telecast the action in South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa and viewers can catch the matches live HERE.
