Just 7 weeks after the rains and high tradition of Wimbledon, the focus is shifted across the Atlantic to the glitz and glamour of the Big Apple for the final Grand Slam event of the year - the US Open.

 

For the third year running, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the bookends of the draw as the top 2 seeds, continuing their stranglehold on men's tennis, having shared the last 10 Grand Slams between them. World number 1 Federer comes into the event fresh off a final in Montreal and a title win in Cincinnati, extending his lead over Nadal in the overall rankings, and closing the gap to just 11 points in the 2007 Champions Race, which is currently led by Nadal.

 

Federer's opponents in the first two rounds of the US Open are as yet unknown, as all five spots are to be filled by qualifiers. His first main challenge could be in either Jarkko Nieminen of Finland or American wildcard John Isner. A few weeks ago, most people would not have seen the challenge in the unknown Isner, who made his ATP debut in Newport last month and won his first match in Washington DC, where he went on to reach the final. At 6'10" and with a serve that would rival any of the Roddicks or Karlovics on the tour, Isner has very much established himself on the circuit over the Summer and could well find himself across the net from the world number one in the third round here.

 

The fourth round could see a clash with 13th seed Richard Gasquet or 21st seed Juan Carlos Ferrero. Gasquet most recently faced Federer in the semifinals of Wimbledon this year, which saw him enter the top 10 for the first time in his career. The talented Frenchman can be a threat when playing at his best and Federer will have to be on his guard should he meet him in the round of 16. Ferrero is no stranger to Flushing Meadows, having reached the final here in 2003. He was also one of Federer's victims at Wimbledon this year, where he gave the Swiss star a scare or two in the quarterfinals.

 

Andy Roddick, photo by David Horton

Perhaps the largest obstacle for Federer is his possible quarterfinal matchup with number 5 seed Andy Roddick. In a replay of last year's final, Roddick will be looking to end the world number one's US Open reign, being the last man not named Federer to have won the event back in 2003. With a head to head of 1-13, the odds do not appear to favour the American, and if indeed he is to make it that far, he too may have to overcome some tough challenges from the likes of number 9 seed Tomas Berdych, number 22 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu, or fellow big server Ivo Karlovic.

 

The second quarter is headed by Russia's Nikolay Davydenko. Despite having made the news for the wrong reasons of late, amidst heavy allegations of match fixing, Davydenko's North American summer has seen him reach the quarterfinals of the Montreal Masters, the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters, and he has so far made the third round in the event at New Haven. At the US Open, he will be defending semifinalist points, and to do so, may have to get through number 28 seed Nicolas Almagro, number 19 seed Andy Murray, who has been making his comeback from injury, or number 14 seed Guillermo Cañas of Argentina. Cañas burst back onto the ATP scene earlier this year, working his way back up the rankings by playing challengers in South America following an 18 month drug ban. A title win at Costa do Sauipe in February, and then back to back wins against Federer in the Indian Wells and Miami Masters in March, reaching the final of the latter, meant "Willy" was well and truly back in business. Despite failing to post too many other outstanding results this year, Cañas will definitely be one to watch on the hardcourts of Flushing Meadows.

 

Rounding out the top half is number 6 seed James Blake. The American star is still looking to go deep at the US Open and has perhaps underachieved slightly this year. Following his title win in Sydney in January, Blake dropped off the radar somewhat, and has only resurrected himself over the summer, reaching the Los Angeles final and, most recently, the Cincinnati final where he lost to Federer. His first match is against his tenacious countryman Michael Russell, and he could later face the likes of 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis or number 10 seed Tommy Haas.

 

The second half pools top seeds Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Fernando Gonzalez and Tommy Robredo. Number 8 seed Robredo may have to face number 11 seed Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round, to whom he suffered a crushing loss here last year, but another Spaniard to watch out for in this section is Carlos Moya. The veteran from Majorca has shown this year he is by no means on the downward spiral, with a title win in Umag, finals in Acapulco and Sydney and, more recently, quarterfinals in the Cincinnati Masters.

 

Also in this quarter is 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt. Though not at the same level he was back then, the feisty Australian is well known for his never-say-die attitude and will be keen to continue his recent good form which has seen him reach the quarters in Montreal and the semis in Cincinnati, both times losing to Federer, and in the latter match, pushing the world number 1 to a third set tiebreak. He has a tough opener against American Amer Delic and may have to face number 23 seed Juan Monaco in the third round, but his most difficult challenge in the opening rounds would be number 3 seed Novak Djokovic in the round of 16. Djokovic lost to Hewitt in last year's event in the third round, when he was seeded just 20. Since then, he has shot up the rankings with major wins in Miami and most recently Montreal, where he defeated Federer in the final, and few will doubt that, all things being equal, it will not be long before the young Serb adds a Grand Slam trophy to his cabinet, forcing a three-way battle at the top, along with Federer and Nadal. He will have to be very careful in his first round, however, as he faces unseeded Croat Mario Ancic. Earlier this year, Ancic was ranked in the top 10, before injury and illness sidelined him for 5 months. He made his comeback at Montreal and could well pose a threat to Djokovic in New York, if he stays fit.

 

The final quarter is book-ended by number 7 seed Fernando Gonzalez and number 2 seed Rafael Nadal. Following his stellar performance at the Australian Open this year, where he reached the final, Gonzalez has been somewhat of a disappointment, posting just one other result of note by reaching the Rome Masters final in May. Injury put him out of some of the US summer events, but he will be looking to redeem himself here. Should he make it to the fourth round, he could face big serving Croat, Ivan Ljubicic, who has also failed to impress this year. Before that, however, Gonzalez may find himself challenged by number 20 seed Juan Ignacio Chela or number 25 seed Marat Safin. Safin, who won this event as a youngster in 2000, has also been unable to display his top level his year, with his best result coming in the Las Vegas semifinals in March. On a good day, Safin is capable of beating anyone and winning Grand Slams, but his inconsistency and mental fragility mean his flashes of brilliance are now very few and far between.

 

Dmitry Tursunov, photo by David Horton

The final section of the draw sets up a hypothetical fourth round Spanish clash between number 15 seed David Ferrer and Nadal. Ferrer is one of the more consistent players on the tour and has had some solid hardcourt results, with a title win in Auckland and quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Cincinnati. His main challenge early on could come in the form of number 24 seed David Nalbandian. The Argentine's low seeding is a reflection of the lack of tournaments he has played this year, but he is a true all-surface player and is one of the few players to have reached the quarterfinals of all 4 Grand Slams, including a semifinal here in New York in 2003. He or Ferrer will be the likely fourth round opponents of Rafael Nadal, if the young Spaniard makes it that far. His participation at Flushing Meadows was thrown into doubt following his retirement in his first match in Cincinnati due to left wrist tendonitis. With his current state still unknown, we will have to see whether he does, in fact, play and, if so, how deep he goes. His first round is against Australian wildcard Alun Jones, and he could find himself facing the likes of number 27 seed Dmitry Tursunov or Tim Henman in the third round.

 

So the stage is set for 2 weeks of great Grand Slam tennis, with many questions waiting to be answered - will Federer become the first singles player since Bill Tilden to win four consecutive Grand Slam titles? Will we see another Federer v Nadal final clash? Will Djokovic be able to pull off a surprise and win his first Grand Slam title? All this and more is waiting in store behind the gates of Flushing Meadows in the Big Apple.

 

Read also: US Open 2007 Women's Preview

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