From the moment the USA players stepped onto the tennis courts in Atlanta earlier this week, it was game on.
The Atlanta Open is one of several stops on the USTA’s US Open Series. The hard-court tournament paves the way to New York and gives tennis pros the opportunity to ramp up their game as they set their sights on the last major of the year.
Previously held in Indianapolis, this tourney is an ATP 250 event that moved to Atlanta in 2010. Ever since then, it’s been attracting some of the top American tennis pros. For example, take a peek at the Champions chart below and count for yourself all of the American flags.
TOP USA Players
Hoping to add his name to the list of champions this year is Taylor Fritz. Taylor is ranked No. 9 in the world and seated No. 1 in Atlanta. But the 25-year-old hasn’t won a title since Delray Beach back in February. Meanwhile, he’s overdue a victory and playing on his favorite surface.
Should Taylor play past the round of 16, he could face fellow American players Maxime Cressy or J.J. Wolf in the semifinals.
J.J. is Ranked No. 46 in the world and seated 8 in Atlanta. He lost to Alexander Bublik in the round of 64 at Wimbledon, which was a bit of an unfortunate draw. Still, the fiery young talent has shown tremendous ability considering he started the year Ranked 66.
Another top US pro to watch in Atlanta is Christopher Eubanks.
Despite moving down his world ranking to No. 32, the 27-year-old has been holding his own on the court. In fact, he won the Mallorca Championships in Spain defeating Adrian Mannarino a week prior to Wimbledon. At Wimbledon, Christopher made it to the quarter-finals before losing to Daniil Medvedev in a tight match (4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-7[4], 1-6).
USA Players to Watch
Brandon Nakashima has been battling a knee injury, which is one of the reasons he’s having trouble making it past a round of 16. The 21-year-old pro has been on the tour for about four years now. During the past 13 tournaments, he’s only made it to the quarters once, in Lyon on the way to the French Open. Yet, he’s ready to make the move from No. 58 into the top 20. The only question is will he make it happen in Atlanta?
On the opposite side of the draw, Ben Shelton is playing in front of his hometown fans. Ben’s only been on the tour for a year and his ranking is hovering pretty consistently between 35-42. The lefty played two seasons at the University of Florida before clinching the 2021 NCAA team title and 2022 NCAA singles title. He’s coached by his father Bryan Shelton who’s a former World No. 55 player.
Obstacles for USA Players in New York
It goes without saying there’s a lot of talent on the men’s tour right now. USA Players will face accomplished pros at the US Open, including some headliners like Novak Djokovic, Casper Rudd, Stephano Tsistpas, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Not to mention the Spaniard sensation, Carlos Alcaraz.
Just off his victory at Wimbledon, Carlos is also the defending champion at the 2022 US Open. The 20-year-old mega-athlete has collected six titles since then including Madrid, Barcelona, and Indian Wells.
Looking to stop Carlos, or at least slow him down, are a number of other US pros. Among them are John Isner, Brooksby, Marcos
Giron, and Mackenzie McDonald. Considering 16 USA players are ranked higher than Rafael Nadal, the odds are looking good for an American pro to win on home soil.
Stay tuned for more on your favorite American Pros and find all of the top tennis gear at TennisExpress.com!
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