The qualifiers of the US Open 2022 championships are already underway as players are battling it out to progress to the main draw which begins on August 2. The tournament will conclude on September 11.
The draw is scheduled to take place this Thursday. Unlike the Wimbledon Championships, Russian and Belarusian players may compete. Ranking points are also up for grabs as the players will have a lot to play for.
Novak Djokovic will most likely miss this year’s competition as the US Government guidelines do not allow unvaccinated foreign travelers to enter the country. The Serbian has not officially withdrawn from the competition. He is hoping for some sort of miracle so that he could have time to compete to win his fourth US Open title.
With the absence of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal will surely be the overwhelming favorite to win his 23rd Grand Slam title. The legendary Spaniard has been in a sensational form in 2022. He has won two titles in Melbourne and Mexico. Apart from the two titles, he also won his 2nd Australian Open title and 14th French Open title.
At the Wimbledon Championships, Nadal fought hard and could have gone the distance if not for an abdominal tear. The injury forced him to pull out before the semi-final clash against Nick Kyrgios. If Nadal can stay fit, he will be a force to reckon with at Flushing Meadows.
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev is also a strong contender. He reached the final of the Australian Open and won a title at the Los Cabos Open. He also made it to the finals of the Libema Open and the Halle Open. The World No. 1 will be hoping to repeat his heroics from last year.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, and Casper Ruud also have the potential to win the tournament. The Greek tennis pro – Tsitsipas has won two titles this year at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Mallorca Open. Carlos Alcaraz has been in stunning form this season. He has won four titles.
He won the Rio Open, the Miami Open, the Barcelona Open, and the Madrid Open. Casper Ruud has also played some scintillating tennis this year. He has won titles at the Argentina Open, the Geneva Open, and the Swiss Open.
It’s hard to bet against Iga Swiatek for this one. She has won six titles this year and all of them came in consecutive tournaments. The World No. 1 has not been at her best in the last few tournaments since her French Open triumph but expect her to rise for the big occasion.
Ons Jabuer will also be a force to reckon with. She came within touching distance at Wimbledon as she lost in the final to Elena Rybakina after looking unstoppable at certain moments in the tournament. She won her first title of the year at the Madrid Open in May and the following month she won her second crosscut title at the Berlin Open.
The likes of Anett Kontaveit, Maria Sakkari, and Paula Badosa could also go deep in the tournament and if one of them ends up winning the title, it won’t be a surprise. Two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep has won two titles this year. Her recent win at the Canadian Open will certainly hold her in good stead as she looks to win her first US Open title. Defending champion Emma Raducanu has not been in great form but with the performances she put in last time, she could be a player to monitor. Aryna Sabalenka could also be a dark horse. The former World No. 2 made it to the semi-final last year and has made two finals this year at the Stuttgart Open and the Libema Open.
Indian viewers may catch the action of the US Open on the channels of Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) like SONY SIX and SONY TEN 2 channels. The quarterfinals from 6th September 2022 can be seen on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi), and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels. Live streaming of select matches will be available on the SONY LIV app and website (subscription required).
ESPN holds the rights for the US Open in USA. In the UK, Prime Video is the rights-holder for the US Open. In Canada, tennis fans can watch the US Open on the TSN Network channels.
Nine has secured the exclusive rights to the tournament for three years and they will bring the US Open action to Australia. The tennis fans in Australia will stream the matches on Stan Sport.
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