5 min read
The UTR Pro Tennis Tour is well-represented at this year's edition of the US Open. Fifteen players will compete in the final Grand Slam of the year including seven women and eight men who have played Universal Tennis events.
UTR PRO MATCH SERIES PLAYERS REPRESENT
All four women who played in the UTR Women’s Pro Match Series last year in West Palm Beach are in New York: Alja Tomljanovic, Amanda Anisimova, Danielle Collins, and Alison Riske.
Katie Volynets (UTR Rating 12.01), a semifinalist at the PTT Newport Beach Women’s $25K Hard 1 in January, received a wild card into the US Open this year. The teenager qualified for Wimbledon earlier this summer, and also played the 2019 US Open. She faces Tomljanovic
(UTR Rating 12.46), a quarterfinalist at the All England Club. According to Universal Tennis INSIGHTS*, Tomljanovic has a 73% chance of beating Volynets when they face off on Tuesday.
Other PTT players include Aussies Samantha Stosur, James Duckworth, Storm Sanders, wild cards Zach Svajda, Jenson Brooksby, and Marc Purcell, and UTR Men’s Pro Match Series participants Hubert Hurkacz, Miomir Kecmanovic, Reilly Opelka, and Tommy Paul.
PAID HITTER QUALIFIES
(UTR Rating 14.45) qualified for the main draw and is one of many great players available on Paid Hits, a new initiative launched by Universal Tennis to pair elite pro and college players with local players willing to pay for a high-quality hitting session. He opens against Frances Tiafoe
(UTR Rating 15.18) on Monday with INSIGHTS giving him a 17% chance of pulling off the upset.
FIRST ROUND MATCHES TO WATCH
There are quite a few other notable first-round matches to keep an eye on as play gets underway on Monday. Here’s a closer look at two:
Madison Keys
(UTR Rating 12.43) vs. Sloane Stephens
(UTR Rating 12.39)
The draw gods really went far with this one as Keys and Stephens will play each other in a rematch of the 2017 US Open final. According to INSIGHTS, Keys has a slight edge with a 54% chance of advancing. Stephens won the 2017 final in straight sets over her good friend and leads their career head-to-head record 4-2, but Keys beat Stephens most recently in Rome earlier this year after losing to her in Charleston. Four years after wrapping up the women’s draw together, they’ll be opening play inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
(3) Stefanos Tsitsipas (UTR Rating 16.05) vs. Andy Murray
(UTR Rating 15.14)
While INSIGHTS shows that Tsitsipas is favored at 89%, it’s going to be a tricky first round for the Greek. Murray has three Grand Slams to his name, and although he hasn’t been anywhere near his usual form during this latest comeback, he’s got the fighting heart of a champion. The two have never faced off, adding a dose of uncertainty into this showdown. They’ll follow Keys and Stephens in the day session inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
Stay tuned for more from INSIGHTS, and to learn more about Universal Tennis, click here.
•UTR Ratings and INSIGHTS probabilities as of 9 a.m. EST, Aug. 28, 2021.