Andy Murray eyes rankings boost in Canada and Cincinnati: What he needs to do to be seeded at US Open

US Open
Andy Murray

Andy Murray’s hopes of being seeded at the 2022 US Open suffered a big blow when he lost in the first round of the Citi Open, but all is not lost for the former world No 1.

Having started the 2022 season outside the top 100, Murray has made incredible progress as he is up to No 50 in the ATP Rankings on the back of finishing runner-up at the Sydney International and the Stuttgart Open while he also reached the quarter-final of the Hall of Fame Open in July.

Despite the Washington DC setback, the three-time Grand Slam winner remains optimistic that he will be among the top 32 to be seeded for Flushing Meadows, but he knows he has his work cut out for him.

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“It’s still possible to do it [getting seeded at the US Open]. I would just need to have a good run in Canada or Cincinnati really. It’s pretty straightforward,” the 35-year-old said.

“If I was to make a quarter-final or a semi-final there, which right now doesn’t seem – after a loss like that doesn’t seem realistic.

“But I do feel like if I play very well that I could do that. But, yeah, I’ll need to certainly play better than I did.”

So what does Murray need to do to be seeded for the final Grand Slam of the year in New York?

The Brit currently has 950 ranking points and will play at the next two ATP Masters 1000 events on the calendar – the Canadian Open in Toronto and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati – where plenty of points will be on offer.

The points for both events are as follows:
Winner – 1000
Finalist – 600
Semi-finalist – 360
Quarter-finalist – 180
Third round – 90
Second round – 45
First round – 10

The seeds for the US Open will be set seven days before the tournament so the cut-off will be the Western & Southern Open, which ends on August 20.

The good news for Murray is that he has no points to defend in Toronto while he lost in the second round in Cincinnati last year.

The bad news is he will have to pick up probably more than 300 points over the next two events as Maxime Cressy from the United States, who is currently at No 32 in the rankings, has 1,252 points.

However, there is another boost for Murray as some players ahead of him in the rankings are unlikely to compete with 21-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic set to miss the tournament due to his unvaccinated status while there are question marks over world No 2 Alexander Zverev’s fitness following ankle surgery.

One or two other players in the top 32 could also withdraw while there will be a lot of movement up and down the rankings in the next three weeks.

But an obstacle for Murray at the next two events is the fact that he could face some big guns early on as he won’t be seeded.

Essentially, a run to the semi-final at the Canadian Open and a third-round at Cincinnati would all but assure the former world No 1 of being seeded for the US Open, which is likely to give him an easier draw in New York.

Andy Murray

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