Before each day's play in Flushing Meadows, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches.
Normally, a Federer first-rounder at a major wouldn't qualify as a Three to See match, because on paper it wouldn't appear to be competitive enough—or competitive at all. And Federer, who is coming off back-to-back wins over Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati, and who hasn't lost a first-round match at a Grand Slam in 12 years, is certainly the favorite in this end-of-the-day-session match on Ashe. But Mayer, with a No. 34 ranking, is one of the best unseeded players and toughest opening match-ups in the draw, a fact that he proved that last year in Shanghai, when he held five match points on Federer before losing 9-7 in a third-set tiebreaker. Winner: Federer
Tiafoe, a 17-year-old Baltimore native, earned his wild card into the Open by winning the national boys' event in Kalamazoo this summer. In the past, K-Zoo winners have mostly served as cannon fodder for the big boys at Flushing Meadows, and Tiafoe could be the same for Troicki—the Serb is ranked No. 22, the American No. 257. But a couple things have happened over the last month that might give U.S. fans hope. Tiafoe won three qualifying matches and his first-rounder in Winston-Salem, while Troicki has lost all four matches he's played on U.S. hard courts this summer. Winner: Troicki
It's hard to think of a better example of how conflicted tennis is about its "bad boys" than this night match. Kyrgios was widely lambasted, as well as fined and possibly suspended, for his words to Stan Wawrinka on court last month in Montreal. Yet the Open, with a nudge from ESPN, has chosen naughty Nick for its coveted evening slot over Roger Federer. To be sure, Kyrgios wouldn't be there without 2012 champ Murray on the other side of the net, and it is a match that many tennis fans and non-fans will want to see. But if their previous meetings are any indication, it may not last long. Murray and Kyrgios have played eight sets, and Murray has won them all. His consistency and craft have tied Kyrgios' bludgeoning game in knots. Eventually, the kid will learn to untie them, but Murray has been in form of late, and he's never lost a first-round match at the Open. Winner: Murray