US Open seeds after Alexander Zverev pulls out

James Richardson 22 Aug 2022 6:58 PM

Cameron Norrie

Alexander Zverev had been set to accept the second seeding and a place at the bottom of the US Open draw but his withdrawal has now shaken up the landscape ahead of the main draw on Thursday 25 August.

Naturally, the players seeded below Zverev will now move up one slot each, for some this will have a bigger effect than others.

Firstly Rafael Nadal is handed a slight boost by moving up into the second seeding and anchors the draw.

The primary benefit Nadal’s promotion is the guarantee that he won’t have to meet World No 1 Daniil Medvedev before the final.

That is unlikely to dominate the thinking of Nadal, who was seeded in Cincinnati, only to encounter a form player first up as he lost to eventual champion Borna Coric.

Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas moves up to a fourth seeding which will allow him to avoid facing any of the other three top seeds before the semi-finals.

Despite taking a rankings hit recently, Tsitsipas has been in good form this season with deep runs in big tournaments and he might make the most of this promotion.

Another player who earns a little bump is Cameron Norrie who moves into the top eight seeds thanks to Zverev’s withdrawal.

Wimbledon semi-finalist Norrie will now have a seeding that will keep him away from the other top ten players in the draw until at least the quarter-finals.

Norrie is another dangerous contender given how late in the season it is and how big of an engine he possesses.

There has been plenty doing for the more defensive players of the tour during the US Open season which could bode well for the Briton at Flushing Meadows.

Further down the ladder Marin Čilić becomes the 16th seed and won’t meet a higher-ranked player until at least the fourth round as a result of the change.

Čilić became only the fifth currently active player to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam when he reached the French Open last four earlier this season.

He is also among the past US Open champions in the field and could be another man to watch in this field.

Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili is awarded the 32nd and final seeding in the men’s singles draw.

The seeding might not infer any great advantage in terms of match draw, but Basilashvili might get other perks in terms of training times and court selections.