Following some enthralling action in the qualifying campaign, the US Open 2023 now enters the main event. Reigning champion in the men’s singles category, Carlos Alcaraz is set to face 92nd-seed Dominik Koepfer in the first round. Defending women’s singles champion Iga Swiatek will take on 43rd-seed Rebecca Peterson in her first match.
Before the first-round matches get underway, the US Open tweeted the most favourable draws in both men’s and women’s singles. These predictions have been made as per the IBM AI Draw analysis. The system assessed each player’s potential run till the final, based on their rankings and the strength of the opponents.
Considering the results of the analysis, Djokovic has got the most favourable draw in the men’s category, while the other players on the top-five list include Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Frances Tiafoe.
Djokovic will face off against 76th-seeded Alexandre Muller in the first round. The Serbian great recently won the men’s singles title at the Cincinnati Open. In the final, Djokovic got the better of Alcaraz who beat him at the Wimbledon final.
Ahead of his first game at the US Open, Djokovic featured in an on-court interview. During the interaction, he revealed that the four-hour-long Cincinnati final was so exhausting that he needed to take “a couple of days off” to regain his energy.
“The tournament in Cincinnati went all the way through for me and I had that gruelling four-hour match with Carlos. I had some practice sessions arranged. But we decided to modify the schedule and change things around. I played some golf in New Jersey, took some time off and I’m ready to go,” Djokovic was quoted as saying.
In the women’s category, the IBM AI model adjudged America’s talented teenager Coco Gauff as the one with the most favourable draw. The 19-year-old, who now holds the sixth position in the WTA rankings, will meet 23rd-seeded Laura Siegemund in the first round. After Gauff, Ons Jabeur, Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina are the other members on the top-five list of the most favourable draws.
After suffering a first-round Wimbledon exit, Gauff regained her form at the Cincinnati Open. She outclassed world number 10 Karolina Muchova in the summit showdown to win the women’s singles title. The victory will give a huge boost to Gauff, who will be vying for her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open.
