There are several Brits in action at the US Open, including Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter. But what are their chances following an inconsistent summer on clay and grass? I watch final Grand Slam of the year live on Sky Sports
Wednesday 30 August 2023 07:54, UK
Andy Murray and Katie Boulter will lead the British charge at this year's final Grand Slam of the year at the US Open, but who and when are they playing?
Murray was forced to withdraw from Cincinnati with an abdominal strain, while Cameron Norrie has lost four consecutive matches since Wimbledon.
Dan Evans endured a torrid run of defeats before winning the biggest title of his career in Washington, while Jack Draper has been injured all summer.
Katie Boulter, who is now at a career-high, is joined by Jodie Burrage, both of whom will be looking to match the thrilling fast start made by qualifier Lily Miyazaki, who won her first main draw Grand Slam singles match on opening Monday with a superb straight-sets victory against Margarita Betova.
The 36-year-old was having his best season since hip surgery and has proved consistently that he can compete against the world's best again, although getting over the line has been another matter. His agonising second-round loss against Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon clearly hurt but the desire to be a factor once again on the biggest stage still burns bright. He declared himself fit from abdominal injury on Saturday which had left his hopes hanging in the balance.
Murray begins his latest New York campaign against Corentin Moutet, the world No 71 from France, second on Grandstand on Tuesday. If he comes through that, a mouth-watering second-round meeting with Bulgaria's 19th seed Grigor Dimitrov is on the cards.
"I've never played against him [Moutet] before and I've practised with him once. He's a hugely talented guy but he's not the biggest so he tends to play quite a lot of long points but he's got tons of variety, he's got good hands up at the net although he can be a bit volatile at times but a good challenge for me," said Murray.
"He's very different to how a lot of the guys play in the draw because the game is based around big serves and power. I'd say he's the opposite of that really, so a good test for me."
After a brilliant start to the season, Norrie has found himself in something of a trough. The solidity that has formed the basis of his superb last two seasons is no longer quite there and the 27-year-old arrives in New York having lost his last four matches dating back to the first round of Wimbledon. He remains a top-20 player and possesses huge self-belief but he will have his work cut out to match last year's run to the fourth round.
Norrie opens up against Alexander Shevchenko of Russia with his match scheduled second on Court 11.
"I think that, for me, it's just still beginning," he told Sky Sports. "I think I'm still learning and I think, in terms of the way I'm playing, if you watch me, four years ago, three years ago, I was just very passive on the court.
"I was able to improve my forehand a lot and being able to dictate with my forehand has been a massive thing for me and then I think, yeah, just making guys uncomfortable. I'm not a guy who's going to come out and completely whack you off the court all the time, I'm going to take you to a place where you're not so comfortable and hitting the ball in awkward parts of the court.
"I think being a bit more proactive and I think just learning from the tough losses that I've had - I've had a lot of bad losses as well - [has been important]. Like I said, I'm still learning and I think this is still kind of towards the beginning of my career."
The final major of the year is very different to the other three and Norrie, who has plenty of friends in New York and knows the culture of the city well, enjoys the different atmosphere you get at Arthur Ashe Stadium and throughout Flushing Meadows.
The Brit will be hoping to improve on last year, when he reached the fourth round before falling to an impressive Andrey Rublev and he's hopeful ahead of the coming fortnight.
"I'm really excited for the US Open. I think it's probably my best kind of surface and I'm most comfortable here in New York," said Norrie.
After the low of no direct British entrants for the women's singles at the French Open and Wimbledon, it is good to see Boulter, Burrage and Miyazaki in the main draw.
Boulter has propelled herself to a career-high ranking of 60 after four years spent trying to make it back into the top 100 after injury. The 27-year-old shone on grass, winning her first WTA Tour title in Nottingham and reaching the third round at Wimbledon. She qualified in New York in 2021 but will be hoping to win her first main draw match against Diane Parry, which is first on Court 6 on Tuesday.
Beaten by Boulter in the final in Nottingham, Burrage has joined her in the top 100 and in the main draw at Flushing Meadows, where she will make her Grand Slam debut on foreign soil. It has been a breakthrough season for the 24-year-old, who is another player to struggle with injuries during her career. Burrage has proved her competitive mettle in 2023 with several narrow victories, beating 10 top-100 opponents along the way. She plays Anna Blinkova in the last match on Court 9 on Tuesday.
Miyazaki qualified for the main draw after recording victories against Daria Snigur, Valeria Savinykh, and Viktoria Hruncakova and Miyazaki emulated Emma Raducanu from two years ago in coming through the qualifiers, the 27-year-old emerging victorious against Russian Betova 6-3 6-3.
It has also been a tricky last few months for Evans, who has lost his opening match in eight of his last nine tour-level events. The one time he made it through, though, in Washington earlier this month, he went on to claim the biggest title of his career. The 33-year-old will again be seeded and has a very good record at Flushing Meadows, having reached the third round four times and the fourth round once. Evans is last on Court 12 against Daniel Galan on Tuesday.
When Draper stunned Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows last year, it seemed his career was about to take off, but frustratingly injuries have been a constant thorn since and his ranking has dropped back outside the top 100. There is no doubt it will climb quickly again if the powerful 21-year-old can just stay fit for a period of time. A shoulder injury suffered at the French Open that ruled him out of the grass was his latest issue, however, he retired after losing the first set in the second round of the Winston-Salem Open, which is a concern. He is a dangerous floater in the draw, if he is fully fit and he opens his campaign on Tuesday. He's third on Court 15 against Radu Albot.
The US Open returns to Sky Sports with the promise to give fans live coverage of the Grand Slam like never before.
Sky welcomes tennis back to its channels this year with the US Open being one of the most prestigious Grand Slam tournaments, adding to the existing sports portfolio and reaffirming the broadcaster as the home of live sport in the UK & Ireland.
Sky Sports' new mixed reality studio features multiple custom-built LED screens, integrated light 'sabres', and an open canopy roof, making the space alive with colour and energy to reflect the vibrancy of the last Grand Slam of the year.
With integrated AR capabilities, a versatile LED floor, and a 'fourth wall', the viewer will be transported to the Arthur Ashe Stadium in a 360-degree immersive environment. Our tennis experts will take the viewer into the eyes of the players for expert Hawkeye analysis and insight as the tournament progresses.
The technology involved allows us to add an entire new dimension and will bring customers closer to the action.
Highlights of matches will be available across Sky Sports TV and our social media platforms.
Video highlights will also be available on the Sky Sports website and app, where there will also be a daily live text commentary on the Sky Sports website and app, as well as live scores, reports, analysis and features. We ask the key questions ahead of this year's tournament at Flushing Meadows...
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