#SmashTalk: the US Open awaits

This week’s US Open-themed #SmashTalk features our newest guest panellist, Pete Holtermann!

Holtermann is a stalwart of the sporting industry and owns one of the most impressive tennis CVs going around. As president of HolterMedia Inc., he oversees social media for ESPN Tennis, works as the media manager for the WTA Finals and Cincinnati Masters and was for several years the senior manager of the ATP World Tour’s media and marketing operations.

Holtermann joins our editorial team of Paul Moore and Matt Trollope to preview the biggest storylines heading into the year’s final Grand Slam event at Flushing Meadows.

Do you agree with the views presented? Have your say on Facebook and Twitter using #SmashTalk.

Is Andy Murray the man to beat at Flushing Meadows?

PH: No* (*I reserve the right to change to yes if Novak Djokovic withdraws or is not healthy). Andy Murray has had a great summer, and it will be no shock to see him win a second US Open. However, If Novak is in the field and fully fit, he is the man defending the title, which is no small thing. Andy is on a roll, and it’s great to see. Novak had been on a roll until these summer setbacks. Let’s face it, both will have to be on a roll to get to the final, and despite that head-to-head that favors Djokovic, right now a final between the two might be a pick-’em match.

PM: No, Novak Djokovic is. While Murray is on an incredible run of form that will undoubtedly buoy his confidence, I still think playing Novak over five-sets on a hard court is the toughest challenge in men’s tennis at the moment. If the pair do end up squaring off in the final, I think it would take a brave person to bet against the Serb walking away with the title.

MT: I’m going to say yes. According to all metrics, the Scot is the game’s in-form player, building a career-best 22-match winning streak – ended in the Cincy final to Marin Cilic – and winning 37 of his last 40 matches dating back to May. Two of those three losses in that stretch came against Novak Djokovic, but with the Serb’s apparent dip in form of late, there’s no guarantee Djokovic will even reach the final in New York to face Murray, which they’re seeded to do. And I think I would tip Murray anyway if that match-up eventuated – surely he has to score a win against Djokovic eventually, especially now with his confidence sky-high and his demeanour calmer since reuniting with Lendl?

Who’ll end the US Open fortnight as the women’s world No.1?

PH: Can I get a scan of Serena’s shoulder before answering that? This is going to be a fascinating two weeks for the WTA. The simple math certainly favours Angelique Kerber. It has been a remarkable season for the German left-hander, and all the more impressive considering how she ended 2015. While it is hard to pick against a healthy Serena to win the title, there is good reason to wonder how healthy she will be for the fortnight? If she’s not healthy, the door is wide open for Kerber, and it won’t necessarily require a huge result for Kerber to come away with No.1.

PM: I’m going to go with Angelique Kerber. I may well be wrong, but I’ve got a hunch that something isn’t right with Serena at the moment. Unlike in previous years she doesn’t seem to be a shoe-in for the title, and if she gets a tough draw she could go out early. Kerber on the other hand just needs to keep doing what she’s been doing. As long as she isn’t knackered from the last couple of weeks, she could well be picking up her second Slam of the year.

MT: It’s looking increasingly like it will be Angelique Kerber. With last year’s US Open points removed, she actually leads Serena Williams in the points tally, and Williams needs to reach at least the semifinals to have any chance of maintaining her top position. Kerber is surely poised to build on her third-round run last year, meaning Serena basically has to win the whole thing – not a foregone conclusion, given her current state – to hang on. I love the potential synchronicity of Kerber usurping the No.1 throne, leaving Serena tied with Kerber’s mentor Seffi Graf on 186 consecutive weeks at No.1 and 22 Slams …

Which unseeded male and female player lurking in the draw would the seeds most like to avoid in the first round, and why?

PH: This is easier than 2+2. Well, for the men, anyway. Juan Martin del Potro. An incredible Olympic run by the former US Open champion after a season in which he’s made a conscious effort to pick his spots. Forget the first round, I think everyone wants to avoid him, period. For the women, there are seemingly endless options. There are several former No.1s and former major finalists ranked within 20 spots of being seeded. Instead, they are floating. But I’m riding the hot hand and looking at the confidence boost to Monica Puig to make her very dangerous. Yes, the Olympic result was phenomenal, but that alone will not define her season. She’s won nine of her last 10 matches, is No. 20 on the Road to Singapore – an achievement that doesn’t even include her gold medal run.

PM: The temptation is to hark back to the Olympics, but I’m going to take a different path (although no player will want to face Puig and Delpo in the opening rounds). On the women’s side I’m going with Alize Cornet. Yes, she’s perplexingly erratic, but when she’s ‘on’ there’s nobody she cannot beat – including Serena. On the men’s side it’s Fabio Fognini. Like Cornet, he’s a mercurial superstar who on his day can wallop anyone on the court.

MT: Probably Fernando Verdasco. The Spanish veteran has so much experience on the big stage and so much firepower that he’s a threat wherever he plays. Rough draw for whoever finds themselves up against him. Of the women, Ekaterina Makarova lurks dangerously – the former top 10 player has reached the second week in New York the last three years running and loves the quick cement of Flushing Meadows.