Preview / Schedule US Open 2024 Day Two - Tuesday 27 August as Sinner, Alcaraz, Pegula and Swiatek start campaigns

The second day of the US Open is set to ignite with a lineup of thrilling matches. Let's dive into the excitement and anticipation of some of the most intriguing matches of Day 2.

The second day of the US Open will be played on August 27th, 2024, and plenty of interesting names will be out on the courts, such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, and many more. We'll take a closer look at the three biggest courts and some of the most interesting matches on the outside courts. We'll start with the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium.

On Ashe, the program will begin at noon local time, which has been the standard starting time for a very long time. Iga Swiatek will be the first player out on the court as she'll face Kamilla Rakhimova.

It's a compelling matchup. On one side, we have a top contender for the event, a player with a solid track record of delivering high-quality tennis. Rakhimova, who came close to defeating Aryna Sabalenka at the Washington event, has shown her ability to compete at the highest level. She possesses an aggressive game, a strong serve, and a consistent playing style.

While Swiatek is the clear favorite and is expected to win in two sets, the fact that they have never played against each other adds an element of unpredictability. This could potentially lead to a surprising turn of events, making the match even more intriguing.

After that, we'll see a men's match, Jannik Sinner against Mackenzie McDonald. It's the first time they'll be playing, and it's going to be very interesting because the American is a pretty solid player. He doesn't have major weapons that can hurt Sinner, but he won't be beaten easily. You have to show up to beat him, which isn't a problem for Sinner.

Some wonder how he'll deal with the fallout of the whole doping saga, and it's a fair question. But he won in Cincinnati a week ago, so clearly, he kind of overcame it already. In any case, the stand should be packed for this really interesting match, as Sinner will be hoping to kick off his US Open campaign with a win.

The night session will feature two matches, with the first one starting at 7 p.m. local time. It's going to be Carlos Alcaraz against Tu Li. The Aussie had to go through the qualifiers to find himself in the main draw, but that didn't prove a problem, as he won all three matches comfortably. He's generally been playing on a really solid level for a while now, so this run isn't that surprising.

Alcaraz is one of the best players in the world, and there are very few things that we don't know about him. He's expected to do really well here after the disappointment of Paris. He's won here before, and this isn't his most difficult matchup. As good as the Australian has been, Alcaraz is a far better player and is a great fit here in New York. When we add his motivation to the equation, it just doesn't look like a match he should have any problems with.

The final match of the Arthur Ashe program is between Jessica Pegula and Shelby Rogers. It's an all-American clash between two players who were on a similar level a couple of years ago, but since then, Pegula transformed herself into one of the best players in the world. Rogers is a capable player, but she's not on the level of Pegula, especially not now when she's playing in peak form.

Pegula arrived in New York with a 9-1 record in her previous ten matches. The only player to beat her was Aryna Sbalaenka in the Cincinnati Open final. She's playing really solid tennis right now and will likely cruise through this matchup. There are no indications that any upset could happen here.

Now, we turn our attention to the second biggest court in the US Open complex: the Louis Armstrong Stadium. Here, we'll have five matches in total, starting with Danielle Collins taking on Caroline Dolehide. It's Another US clash, but all eyes will be on Collins, for whom this is the final US Open she'll play. That can only add to her motivation which has been brilliant this year anyway.

We're likely going to get some great matches from her as she's heavily favoured to keep this one short and sweet. Up next, we'll see Naomi Osaak taking on Jelena Ostapenko. Now, this is a proper blockbuster, and not just because both of them like to play aggressive tennis. It just promises to be a really interesting affair between two solid players and great competitors. Osaka won here twice, and many expect her to finally break through with a signature run. We'll see if it happens.

Daniil Medvedev will conclude the day session at that stadium with a match against Dusan Lajovic. The Russian hasn't been playing great tennis lately, but as a former champion here in New York, we can't ever discount his chances at the event. His opponent is a solid player who doesn't give matches away easily, so he'll certainly have to dig deep to find himself in the next round. Very few doubt that he will.

The night session at that stadium will begin with a match between Bianca Andreescu and Jasmine Paolini. This is the third major in a row that we see them face each other, and Paolini won the previous two. Whether the Canadian can find some inspiration to finally earn a win remains to be seen, but he's won here before.

Paolini has been the surprise of this season, but as she keeps piling up wins, it doesn't seem like a surprise anymore. We'll see if she can keep it going at the US Open. The final match will feature yet another US player, Tommy Paul.He's played amazing tennis lately, but he will be tested against Lorenzo Sonego, who just won the Winston Salem Open trophy. It's not an easy one, but Paul is certainly up for the challenge.

On the grandstand, we'll begin with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who faces Thanasi Kokkinakis in a match that could end in an upset. Tsitsipas hasn’t been great lately, and Kokkinakis certainly isn't a player who can't win. He's been solid in recent weeks, and if that forehand shows up, Tsitsipas could be in major trouble.

After that, we’ll see Elena Rybakina on the courts. It’s been a while since we saw the Kazakh on the tennis courts, but she's one of the favourites of this event if she can find her best tennis. She's faying Destanee Aiava, but that should not be a problem. After that, we’ll see Sebastian Korda take on Corentin Moutet, and that should be a really interesting one.

Moutet has been solid lately, but Korda has been on fire as well. The American will be hugely favored, but this isn't a matchup that he will win easily. Expect Moutet to draw the crowd in as well, which will make it even better.

Finally, we have Sofia Kenin and Emma Raducanu. Raducanu is back in New York after missing the event last year. She's former champion, of course, having won in 2021. Lots of eyeballs will be in this one because she didn't prep much for the event. Sofia Kenin is a solid draw because America has been pretty poor.

Overall, it promises to be a great matchup, which is why it will be played in the night session, though only on the third-largest court. Raducanu is, of course, heavily favoured to win the match.

Some other interesting matches include a few on the outside courts. We have Felix Auger-Aliassime taking on Jakub Mensik. That promises to be a fun one. We also have Jack Draper facing Zhizhen Zhang. The Chinese player beat Casper Ruud last year and is not a pushover.

Former finalist Leylah Fernandez is also playing and she'll face Anastasia Potapova. That's not an easy matchup and could be somewhat of an upset. Hubert Hurkacz is also in action. The Polish player hasn't done well in recent years in New York but got a fair draw here with Timofey Skatov, a beatable opponent. Another interesting match will be between Karen Khachanov and Dan Evans.

Both of them have been pretty bad lately, but they also have some good showings, so it might be a really fascinating match. Mirra Andreeva will also be in action, and she'll be facing Camila Osorio.

The Russian is a player who could do some damage from the she's, as she's already made a good run at Grand Slams this year. Overall, it just promises to be a really interesting day of tennis with lots of great matchups, so make sure not to miss it.