Preview: Twelve Hispanics make their debut on the opening day of the US Open | ATP Tour

US Open

Preview: Twelve Hispanics make their debut on the opening day of the US Open

Six Argentines and six Spaniards will make their debut this Monday

August 26, 2024

There are many promising fronts coming up on the first day of the US Open main draw, such as the start of Dominic Thiem’s ​​latest Grand Slam, who debuts against Ben Shelton; the debut of the reigning champion Novak Djokovic against the Moldovan Radu Albot; and the outrageous number of twelve Spanish tennis players seeking the second round on the day, six Argentines and six Spaniards. Check out the full schedule.

The highest ranked player in the PIF ATP Rankings will be Sebastián Báez, world No. 23, who will be looking for his third victory in this event against Italian Luciano Darderi, after reaching the third round in 2023. Three other Argentines will be looking for one more victory in their careers at the US Open: Diego Schwartzman, Francisco Cerúndolo and Tomás Etcheverry.

The first of them, in his last Grand Slam and quarter-finalist at the US Open in 2017 and 2019, has just made it through the qualifying round and will now face Gael Monfils for the sixth time, with whom he has a 3-2 record. Cerúndolo and Etcheverry, for their part, could become rivals if they overcome the Austrian Sebastian Ofner and the Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

While ‘Fran’ has a 1-0 record in their upcoming rivalry, ‘Tomy’ fell to Mpetshi (this year in Lyon) in the only previous duel between the two.

Francisco Comesaña and Camilo Ugo Carabelli, meanwhile, will be looking for their first main draw triumph in Flushing Meadows, despite the fact that they already have victories at this level in Grand Slams. The former will face the Swiss Dominic Stricker, and the latter the local Taylor Fritz, twelfth seed.

On the Spanish side, Pedro Martinez will be the best-placed of his compatriots competing on Monday, but not the most experienced in this event. The No. 43 in the PIF ATP Rankings will be looking to beat Polish Maks Kasnikowski for his second win in the main draw of the US Open. The most experienced of the group will be Pablo Carreno Busta, a former semifinalist in the tournament.

The current No. 213 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who was outside the Top 800 at the start of the month, will be looking for his 22nd win at this tournament, and his first at a major since Australia 2023. His obstacle to achieving that: Frenchman Arthur Cazaux, with whom he has no history.

Earlier in the day, Roberto Bautista Agut will face Italian Luca Nardi for the first time, trying to become the next rival for Shelton or Thiem. Roberto Carballés Baena and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will also have new rivals in their careers when they face British Jan Choinski, who came from the qualifiers, and Australian Rinky Hijikata, respectively.

The only Spaniard today who knows what it is like to face his next opponent is Albert Ramos Viñolas. The world No. 122 will look to spring an upset against Italian Matteo Berrettini, No. 44 in the rankings and who beat Ramos in Cincinnati 2021 in the only previous duel between the two.