The defending US Open champion Novak Djokovic and Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer will fight it out against Roberto Carballes Baena and Sumit Nagal respectively in the first-round fixture of the 2019 US Open on August 26 at the Arthur Ashe stadium in New York.
Both the players will be looking forward to comparatively easy victories against their much lower-ranked opponents. Federer did not have a great outing in the hard-court season this year as he lost in the pre-quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters whereas Djokovic lost in the semi-final to in-form Danii Medvedev who went on to win the event.
PREVIEW, PREDICTION AND SCHEDULE
Roger Federer vs Sumit Nagal
World number three Roger Federer is going to face Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal in the first-round fixture of the tournament. The five-time US Open champion is not expected to have a tough time against the former Wimbledon Boy's Doubles winner.
Federer is coming into the tournament after a pre-quarterfinal loss to youngster Andrey Rublev in straight sets. He has been in an average form on hard-court so he needs himself to get going because there is a probable chance for him to face Novak Djokovic in the semi-final.
The former world number one will certainly want to win the first round fixture in a convincing manner so that he can gain confidence before a second-round clash against Lucas Pouille or David Goffin.
His second-round fixture will not be a cakewalk and his way to the final will be tough. This time around, Federer is definitely not the favourite to win the event as it has been a decade since his last victory.
On the other hand, it will be a learning experience for Sumit Nagal and if he pulls out an upset then he will definitely feature on the front page of many newspapers. Though the Indian played well in the qualifiers it is unlikely that he will beat the Swiss maestro. Roger Federer is expected to sail through to the second round in straight sets defeating his much weaker opponent.
The Roger Federer-Sumit Nagal match will start after the Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova match gets over on the Arthur Ashe stadium.
The women's singles match is going to start at 7 PM local time on August 26 and 4.30 AM (August 27) IST. So the match will probably start at 8.15 PM local time and 5.45 AM IST.
Novak Djokovic vs Roberto Carballes Baena
Defending US Open champion Novak Djokovic will look forward to defend his title at the event this time around also as he has been in tremendous form in the last few months.
Though the Serbian star did not have a good time at the Cincinnati Masters as he lost in the semi-final of the tournament, judging by the way he played in the recently concluded Wimbledon, he is definitely the biggest contender to lift the trophy.
The Djoker will face Spanish tennis player Roberto Carballes Baena in his first-round fixture. The Spaniard is not expected to pose a major threat to the 16-time Grand Slam champion's quest for defending his crown.
But he may face Sam Querrey in the second-round fixture which is a major hurdle for the Serbian as he has lost to the American previously in Wimbledon 2016.
On the other hand Baena will look forward to drag the match as long as possible and take it to the deciding set. But the world number 77 needs to showcase some brilliant tennis to throw a challenge to his world number one opponent.
Djoker is definitely the favourite to win the fixture and he will probably win in straight sets.
The Novak Djokovic-Roberto Carballes Baena match will start after the Ashleigh Barty-Zarina Diyas match gets over on the Arthur Ashe stadium.
The women's singles match is going to start at 12 PM local time and 9.30 PM IST. So the men's match will probably start at 1.15 PM local time and 10.45 PM IST.
Global TV listings, Live streaming and where to watch in India
- USA: ESPN
- China: Tencent
- Canada: TSN & RDS
- France, Germany, Russia: Eurosport
- UK, Ireland: Amazon Prime Video
- Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore: Fox Sports Asia
- Japan: WOWOW
In India, the telecasting rights belong to the Star group and the matches will be telecasted on Star Sports Select 2. For live streaming, people can use Hotstar.
