ATP New York - DRAW: Big servers John Isner, Milos Raonic, Reilly Opelka seek title

After four decades, the Memphis Open vanished from the ATP calendar in 2017, struggling to find the sponsors and having to sell the license. The event moved to Long Island, New York, finding the new home at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on black indoor hard courts, a feature that makes it a unique stop among the ATP tournaments. Kevin Anderson was the inaugural champion in 2018 after beating Sam Querrey in the final, succeeded by the home star Reilly Opelka who delivered thrilling wins over John Isner and Brayden Schnur en route to the first ATP title last February.

The third edition will take place next week, with John Isner, Milos Raonic and Reilly Opelka as the leading contenders to lift the trophy next Sunday. Kei Nishikori, Sam Querrey and Nick Kyrgios had to withdraw but the draw is still very solid, with some excellent matches right from the opening round. Seeking the first title in New York, John Isner will face a tricky second-round opponent in Ivo Karlovic or Jordan Thompson who both can serve well and keep him under pressure. The Australian Open quarter-finalist Tennys Sandgren, Steve Johnson, Damir Dzumhur and Andreas Seppi are also in the top quarter, hoping to topple the top seed and reach the semis.

The defending champion and the 3rd seed Reilly Opelka plays against Yoshihito Nishioka or Henri Laaksonen in the second round while the inaugural winner Kevin Anderson awaits for a qualifier before the second-round meeting with Cameron Norrie or Brian Shi, in what will be a College tennis battle. Ugo Humbert leads the third quarter, facing Jack Sock, Marcos Giron, Tommy Paul and Miomir Kecmanovic in the quest for the semi-final, seeking the second ATP title of the season after Auckland. Milos Raonic is the 2nd seed, opening the campaign against Soonwoo Kwon (had a deep run in Pune) before the quarter-final meeting against Kyle Edmund, Yasutaka Uchiyama, the last year's finalist Brayden Schnur or Dominik Koepfer for the place in the semis. 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2UxT7dg