US Open Draw 2024 – Perfect Tennis

The 2024 US Open draw is out, and the big news before the draw was, of course, Jannik Sinner’s doping episode.

As a result, I’m interested in seeing how the Italian handle things. I had high expectations for his hard-court swing, but social media can undoubtedly impact players. He’s been the talk of it for the last 48 hours, and he will be fully aware of it.

For the draw, Sinner is in the same half as Carlos Alcaraz, putting them on a semifinal collision course. The two had a memorable encounter at the 2022 US Open, an epic five-hour battle that Alcaraz won before claiming the title and ascending to World No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.

Sinner starts his campaign against American Mackenzie McDonald, who he leads 3-0 in the H2H. He could meet Mededev in the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz, the 2022 champion and bidding to win 3 of the four slams this season, also faces a tricky draw. After an opening round against a qualifier Li Tu, he could face Denis Shapovalov in the second round. A third-round clash against 25th seed Jack Draper, who typically gives Alcaraz a game, could also await.

On the other side of the draw, second seed Novak Djokovic, fresh off his gold medal victory at the Paris Olympics, will also begin against a qualifier – Radu Albot.

Djokovic could face compatriot Laslo Djere or German Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round, which wouldn’t be straightforward.

Djokovic’s first major challenge might come from the dangerous Lorenzo Musetti, who is set to play big-serving Reilly Opelka in the first round. He could also run into Ben Shelton again, a rematch from last year and one that was the talk of the tournament after the celebration.

You can see the full draw below.

Tournament Info

US Open 2024 Seeds

Seeds

1. Jannik Sinner
2. Novak Djokovic
3. Carlos Alcaraz
4. Alexander Zverev
5. Daniil Medvedev
6. Andrey Rublev
7. Hubert Hurkacz
8. Casper Ruud
9. Grigor Dimitrov
10. Alex de Minaur
11. Stefanos Tsitsipas
12. Taylor Fritz
13. Ben Shelton
14. Tommy Paul
15. Holger Rune
16. Sebastian Korda
17. Ugo Humbert
18. Lorenzo Musetti
19. Félix Auger-Aliassime
20. Frances Tiafoe
21. Sebastián Báez
22. Alejandro Tabilo
23. Karen Khachanov
24. Arthur Fils
25. Jack Draper
26. Nicolás Jarry
27. Alexander Bublik
28. Alexei Popyrin
29. Francisco Cerúndolo
30. Matteo Arnaldi
31. Flavio Cobolli
32. Jiří Lehečka

Withdrawals:

Wildcards:

Protected Ranking:

Qualifiers:

Lucky Losers:

Pending.

2024 US Open Draw

Top Half

Bottom Half

PDF Draws:

Thoughts on the Draw

Top Quarter

Seeded players: Jannik Sinner (1), Daniil Medvedev (5), Stefanos Tsitsipas (11), Tommy Paul (14), Arthur Fils (24), Nicolas Jarry (26), Flavio Cobolli (31)

Projected quarter-final: Jannik Sinner (1) vs Daniil Medvedev (5)

The first quarter of the US Open features Jannik Sinner leading the charge. The Italian star is having a career-best season, highlighted by his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year. He arrives in New York fresh off his win in Cincinnati. However, he also arrives to face a barrage of questioning from the press regarding his two positive doping tests, which he has since been exonerated for.

Sinner’s US Open journey begins against Mackenzie McDonald, a decent ball striker on his day. In the following round, he could face rising American Alex Michelsen, who has been playing well in Winston-Salem.

Should the World No. 1 advance, a potential clash with either Nicolas Jarry or former champion Stan Wawrinka awaits in the third round. A fourth-round battle with the in-form Tommy Paul could be on the cards, which has the potential to be an entering match, with Paul’s athleticism and Sinners’ ball striking pairing well together.

Sinner might face fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals. To reach that stage, Medvedev needs to navigate a path that includes Dusan Lajovic, Fabian Marozsan, Flavio Cobolli, and possibly Stefanos Tsitsipas or Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Sinner vs. Meddy has been a great H2H in the last couple of years. The Russian dominated early doors, only for Sinner to reel him in by winning five in a row. Medvedev won their last match in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Sinner’s Path to the title:

Second Quarter

Seeded players: Carlos Alcaraz (3), Hubert Hurkacz (7), Alex de Minaur (10), Sebastian Korda (16), Alejandro Tabilo (22), Karen Khachanov (23), Zhizhen Zhang (25), Matteo Arnaldi (30)

Projected quarter-final: Carlos Alcaraz (3) vs Hubert Hurkacz (7)

Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning 2022 US Open champion, is on a quest to secure his third Grand Slam title of the year after his victories at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Alcaraz will begin his campaign against Li Tu at Flushing Meadows, which is likely a routine win. He has a potential second-round clash against Denis Shapovalov if the inconsistent Canadian can defeat the equally inconsistent Botic van de Zandschulp.

If Alcaraz advances, he will likely face 25th seed Jack Draper in the third round. A potential fourth-round showdown with American Sebastian Korda, the 16th seed and a strong performer on hard courts in recent weeks, will follow this.

Should the Spaniard progress, a quarterfinal meeting with Alex de Minaur is likely. The Australian could reach the last eight after potential victories over Marcos Giron, 23rd seed Karen Khachanov, and seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz who pulled up injured in Cincy. However, he’s also been sidelined with an ankle injury since Wimbledon, so his form is somewhat unknown.

Alcaraz and De Minaur have faced off twice before, with Alcaraz winning both encounters comfortably. The only real question marks around Carlos will be if the Olympic final took a bit out of him mentally; his loss to Djokovic in Cincy last year took a while to recover from, so has this done the same? Or is the fact that he’s won two slams already this season going to help?

Alcaraz’s Path to the Final:

Third Quarter

Seeded players: Casper Ruud (8), Taylor Fritz (12), Holger Rune (15), Alexander Zverev (4), Ugo Humbert (17), Alexander Bublik (27), Lorenzo Musetti (18), Francisco Cerundolo (29)

Projected quarter-final: Casper Ruud (8) vs Alexander Zverev (4)

This quarter of the draw is the section featuring a lot of guys just outside the elite level of Djoker, Alcaraz and Sinner. Among these stars, Zverev and Ruud stand out as the frontrunners expected to clash in the quarterfinals.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who’s had an excellent year without capturing that elusive Grand Slam, will begin his campaign against Emil Ruusuvuori.

If he advances, a second-round encounter with Alexandre Muller is likely. In the third round, Zverev could face 29th seed Francisco Cerundolo, who I think could play well in New York. There is also a potential blockbuster fourth-round showdown against Holger Rune.

The 2022 US Open finalist Casper Ruud has a challenging path to the quarterfinals. He may need to overcome Gael Monfils in the early rounds, followed by 27th seed Alexander Bublik and a tough potential match against either 12th seed Taylor Fritz, Matteo Berrettini, or 17th seed Ugo Humbert.

Zverev’s Path to the Final

Fourth Quarter

Seeded players: Novak Djokovic (2), Andrey Rublev (6), Grigor Dimitrov (9), Ben Shelton (13), Frances Tiafoe (20), Sebastian Baez (21), Alexei Popyrin (28), Jiri Lehecka (32)

Projected quarter-final: Novak Djokovic (2) vs Andrey Rublev (6)

Defending US Open champion Novak Djokovic headlines this quarter of the draw, entering the tournament recently clinching the men’s singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion will begin his quest for another major title against a Radu Albot, with a potential second-round clash against Jan-Lennard Struff.

Novak hasn’t played any lead-up events since clay, so Albot is potentially a good start for him, as he’s the type of player who will offer some rhythm.

Djokovic’s path could see him face 28th seed and newly crowned Canadian Masters 1000 champion Alexei Popyrin in the third round, followed by a highly anticipated fourth-round showdown with 13th seed Ben Shelton. This matchup is particularly intriguing given their intense and controversial semifinal at last year’s US Open 🤙

Should Djokovic overcome Shelton, a quarterfinal clash with sixth seed Andrey Rublev seems likely. Rublev’s potential route to this stage includes matches against Thiago Seyboth Wild, Christopher Eubanks, Jiri Lehecka, and Grigor Dimitrov.

Djokovic’s Path to the Final:

Interesting First-Round Matches

What are your predictions for the 2024 US Open? Let me know in the comments.