Andreescu to Meet Paolini Again at US Open: Draw Preview

Photo : Peter Power/Tennis Canada

Bianca Andreescu will have to solve Jasmine Paolini at a major if she is going to go on a run at the US Open. And her reward could be an all-Canadian clash with Leylah Annie Fernandez not far down the road in the draw.

The singles draws for the 2024 US Open, the final Grand Slam event of the year, were released on Thursday, with four Canadians learning their fate. Gabriel Diallo will also be competing in the main draw as a qualifier.

2019 US Open champion Andreescu returns to the site of her greatest triumph, having missed the tournament in 2023 but will be tested right out of the gate. For the third major in a row, the Canadian will meet the world No. 5 Paolini, only this time in the first round.

Paolini beat Andreescu in the third round of both the French Open and Wimbledon before going on to reach the finals.

If the Canadian manages to solve her nemesis, she would meet either former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova or Mayar Sherif in the second round, with No. 30 seed Yulia Putintseva potentially looming in round three.

Andreescu has never failed to reach at least the third round when playing in the New York main draw.

There could be an all-Canadian clash in the fourth round of the women’s singles as Andreescu and Leylah Annie Fernandez, seeded 23rd, are in the same section of the draw.

In order to make it happen on her end, Fernandez will first have to beat Anastasia Potapova, against whom Fernandez has a 4-0 head-to-head advantage including two wins on clay in in 2024, in the first round, followed by either Brenda Fruhvirtova or a qualifier in round two.

The first potential seeded opponent in Fernandez’s path is world No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko, who upset world No. 1 Iga Swiatek on her way to the quarter-finals of last year’s US Open, in round three and won her only clash with Fernandez at Wimbledon in 2021, although the Latvian faces two-time champion Naomi Osaka in the first round.

Should one of the two Canadians make it through to the quarter-finals, they could face No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina. They are in the top half of the draw with Swiatek.

Fernandez is rounding into form nicely ahead of the US Open. While she bowed out early at her final warm-up event in Cleveland, she reached the quarter-finals of Cincinnati earlier in August with wins over Rybakina and Diana Shnaider before falling to the red-hot Jessica Pegula.

The 2021 runner-up will be looking to bounce back in New York after a disappointing first-round loss in 2023. She has a 1-2 record at the US Open since that shocking run to the final three years ago.

Félix Auger-Aliassime will be the highest-seeded Canadian in singles at No. 19. He will be tested right out of the gate by Jakub Mensik of Czechia. The two met earlier this year in the second round of Madrid, with the Canadian winning seven of eight games before the Czech retired.

With a win, the Montrealer would meet either Tristan Schoolkate or Taro Daniel. From there, he potentially faces a gauntlet of stars starting with Stefanos Tsitsipas in round three followed by 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev, who owns a 7-1 head-to-head advantage over Auger-Aliassime although the Canadian scored his first win in the rivalry in their last meeting (albeit in on clay), and then possibly the winner of the last two majors this year Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

While historically Auger-Aliassime’s best results have come on hard courts, including all five of his career titles and his 2021 run to the US Open semifinals (his best appearance at a major), he has been at his best on clay in 2024 where he reached his first Masters 1000 final in Madrid, had his best major result at Roland-Garros by reaching the fourth round, and went deep at the Olympics, finishing fourth in singles and claiming bronze in mixed doubles.

The Canadian No. 1 did have a solid run in his last event in Cincinnati, taking down world No. 8 Casper Ruud before falling in a controversial round-of-sixteen clash.

Denis Shapovalov is using his protected ranking to play the US Open, historically his most consistent major. In his first six trips to New York, he reached at least the third round every time, peaking with a quarter-final run in 2020. He missed the 2023 event with a knee injury.

He faces a huge battle in order to keep that streak of always reaching the third round alive. He opens against Botic van de Zandschulp but is in line to meet Alcaraz in the second round. The Spaniard won their lone previous meeting at Roland-Garros in 2023.

Like the women, the Canadian men are in the same section of the draw and, if they both complete a few upsets, could meet in the quarter-finals. They are also in the top half with the No. 1 seed, Jannik Sinner, a potential semifinal opponent.

Diallo will be competing in his second Grand Slam main draw, having come through qualifying. He qualified for his first major earlier this year at Roland-Garros. He clinched his spot at the US Open with a straight-set win over Valentin Royer in the final round of qualifying on Thursday.

In his New York debut, Diallo will face Jaume Munar of Spain, ranked 72nd in the world. A win could see him clash with No. 24 seed Arthur Fils in the second round, with No. 14 Tommy Paul potentially looming in round three. Like his compatriots, the Montrealer is in the top half of the draw, only he is in the very top section with Sinner, a possible round-four opponent.

As they are all in the top halves of their respective draws, all five Canadians will play their first-round matches on Tuesday.

The doubles draw will be made on Sunday.

Written By

Pete Borkowski