Federer still favored to win 2006 US Open Tennis; Nadal, Roddick closing on Swiss Number 1
World Number one Roger Federer will be seeking his ninth major title when he arrives in the Apple, where he’s the reigning US Open two-time champ. The super Swiss also currently holds the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles. He’s the reigning four-time winner at the storied All England Club.
Only five men have won more Grand Slam singles titles than the graceful Federer (Sampras, Roy Emerson, Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver and Bill Tilden), and he’s currently tied with five other guys at eight wins (Fred Perry, Agassi, Connors, Ken Rosewall and Ivan Lendl).
The world No. 1 Federer appeared a bit vulnerable last week when he lost to rising Brit Andy Murray in straight sets at the Masters event in Cincinnati. It marked the Swiss’ first loss in 63 matches this year against someone other than Rafael Nadal and also halted the Fed’s North American hardcourt winning streak at 55, which dated back to 2004, in Cincy.
Last year, Federer became the first man since Don Budge in 1937-38 to win back-to-back Wimbledon and U.S. Open championships in consecutive years. He hasn’t lost at the Open since his nemesis David Nalbandian stopped him there in the fourth round in 2003.
Federer, of course, can expect a challenge from the two-time French Open champion Nadal, who is 4-1 this year against the cool Swiss, with one of the wins coming in the Roland Garros finale. The loss came at the hands of Federer in the Wimbledon championship bout.
Although three of Nadal’s victories over Federer have come on clay this season, the 20-year-Spaniard also stopped the sublime Swiss in a hardcourt final in Dubai, which is an important note considering the U.S. Open is staged on a hardcourt, one of Federer’s dominant surfaces.
Don’t look now, but Andy Roddick may be primed for a run in New York. The brash American is fresh off his first title of 2006 after running the table in Cincy last week. The former world No. 1 star has struggled through a good portion of this season, but his massive serve is always a dangerous weapon and he did capture his lone major title at the Open just three years ago.
The only other American to talk about other than Andre Agassi and Roddick is James Blake, who typically doesn’t fare very well at the Slams. with the exception of last year’s Open, where he lost to Agassi in an epic five-set quarterfinal clash at Ashe Stadium. Blake blew a two-sets-to-love lead in that one, as Agassi ultimately prevailed in a fifth-set tiebreak in a classic.
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US Open Prediction: So who’s gonna win this thing? Expect a three-peat from Federer; and I like JH-H to nail down her second major of the year, even though there really is no clear-cut choice among the women.
