U.S. Open preview: Fernandez, Auger-Aliassime looking to end summer on high

It’s the most electric and magnetic two-week event on the tennis calendar. 

The U.S. Open from Flushing Meadows is upon us once again as the world’s very best finalize preparations for the last grand slam on the tennis calendar.  

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz hopes to defend his title from last year while Novak Djokovic has other ideas, American Coco Gauff heads into New York brimming with confidence, and Canadian Milos Raonic makes his return to the hardcourt slam for the first time since 2020. 

Here are five storylines to follow with the action set to begin in New York: 

Alcaraz and Djokovic eye finals rematch 

It’s the most exciting rivalry in the sport today, which is made even more fascinating by their difference in ages. 

Alcaraz was just four years old when Djokovic broke through for his first career major title at the 2008 Australian Open. 

Fast-forward more than 15 years and the Spanish phenom known as Carlitos is world No. 1 and a Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, while 36-year-old Djokovic is a sporting legend, leading all of men’s tennis with a record 23 majors. 

Just this season, they’ve already squared off in three of the year’s biggest matches. 

Djokovic overcame the Spaniard in the semifinals of Roland Garros in four sets, a victory that set up his record 23rd career major, as he defeated Casper Ruud in the championship match to win his third French Open crown. 

Alcaraz avenged that loss with an otherworldly performance at the All England Club, overcoming Djokovic 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to win his first career Wimbledon crown. 

Just one week ago, the pair enthralled crowds in Cincinnati with the best three-set match of the season, as Djokovic outlasted Carlitos 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 in three hours, 49 minutes to win the Western & Southern Open. 

It was, in many ways, the most compelling and gripping match of the year.

For as heated and intense as a rivalry it is on the court, the respect and admiration is equally strong off it.   

Djokovic sang the praises of his newfound rival, even comparing Alcaraz to another Spaniard (Rafael Nadal) in the process. 

The expectation in New York: another epic showdown between stars in the championship match two weeks from now. 

Gauff rising, Swiatek seeks to defend crown 

No one has questioned the talent of Gauff. 

Her elastic athleticism is mesmerizing, her backhand is fierce, she serves powerfully and precisely, and she’s mentally sound with a strong competitive edge over much of the tour.  

Questions however have arisen over the last year or so over the Atlanta native’s ability to win the biggest titles. 

Gauff quieted such critics these last few weeks with a dominant run on the North American hard courts. 

In Washington, she dismantled the field with four routine victories including a 6-2, 6-3 win over Maria Sakkari to win the Citi Open. 

Two weeks later, she’d win the first WTA1000 of her career in Cincinnati, conquering the Western & Southern Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Karolina Muchova in the final. 

Perhaps more significant was earning her first win over Iga Swiatek, overcoming the world No. 1 for the first time in eight tries with a 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 triumph in the semis.

Gauff recently added veteran coach Brad Gilbert to her team and has seen immediate dividends with those two titles.  

Gilbert's track record is outstanding as he’s worked with former grand slam champions like Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi. 

Gauff and doubles partner Jessica Pegula, titlist in Montreal, will lead the American hopefuls on the women’s side. 

Iga Swiatek will be faced with the tall order of defending her U.S. Open crown from last season. 

While the soft-spoken, dynamic tennis star has kept her mantle atop the women’s game, she has not had quite the same aura of invincibility she carried in 2022. 

Swiatek’s summer hard-court swing has been impressive, with a title at her home event in Warsaw, and semifinal runs in both Montreal and Cincinnati. 

She opens her title defence Monday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium against Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, while Gauff lurks as a potential quarterfinal opponent. 

Sinner looks to take another step, Medvedev in contention 

Jannik Sinner has played in some of the most exciting matches over the last two years on the biggest stages. 

He went toe-to-toe in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open with Alcaraz, playing one of the most gripping five-set matches of the year. 

He pushed Djokovic to the limits in a five-set Centre Court showdown at the All England Club in 2022. 

In Miami earlier this season, he used every tool in his box to defeat Alcaraz in a thrilling three-setter to reach the finals. 

In Toronto, all the best qualities of his game came together at the National Bank Open. 

The Italian imposed his penetrative baseline groundstrokes in a relatively flawless week of tennis, eventually defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1 in the final to win his first career Masters 1000 title.

Sinner is a world-class talent who has proven he has the capability to beat top players and contend for grand slams. 

With further mental resolve in key moments, he could be on the brink of taking his career one step further at Flushing Meadows. 

Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, is back at the most successful major of his career. 

The man nicknamed The Octopus is built for success in New York, as he effectively utilizes his long limbs, anticipation, and flexibility to cover every inch of the courts at Flushing Meadows. 

Medvedev is second on the ATP this season with five titles and has gone 49-11 across 60 singles matches. 

He sits in the second quarter of the draw and could have a relatively smooth path to the semifinals if he can overcome potential opponents like Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz or de Minaur. 

Medvedev is one of just five major champions at the U.S. Open joining Djokovic, Alcaraz, Murray and Stan Wawrinka. 

In the latter stages of a best-of-five format, experience matters. 

Fernandez hopes to recreate 2021 magic, Andreescu out 

Montreal’s Leylah Fernandez returns to the site of her best slam performance, and the 20-year-old has been steadily improving upon her season each week. 

Fernandez, who memorably reached the final at Flushing Meadows in 2021 by knocking out three top-five players, picked up two match wins at the Tennis in the Land event from Cleveland last week before falling in the quarterfinals. 

At the Omnium Banque Nationale in Montreal, she scored her best win of the season, defeating world No. 16 Beatriz Haddad Maia before losing in the round of 16.

Fernandez's energy on the court is infectious, and she responds best to a lively and engaged crowd — which is why she is such a great fit for New York. 

She opens her event against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia. 

Meanwhile, 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the event over the weekend due to a back injury she suffered in Washington.  

Andreescu's season has again been affected by injury; she also missed a month of action in the spring after tearing ligaments in her ankle in a gruesome fall at the Miami Open.   

Toronto's Rebecca Marino is also in the singles field for Canada and has had her best-ever major result at the U.S. Open reaching the third round of the event last year. 

She meets Patricia Tig of Romania in the first round.  

Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski will also compete in women’s doubles at Flushing Meadows for the 10th time in her career.   

Auger-Aliassime and Raonic lead Canadian men  

He won’t try to hide from it. 

It's been a disappointing season for Felix Auger-Aliassime. 

The physically gifted 22-year-old who burst inside the top 10 last season, won three consecutive indoor hardcourt events in the fall, and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, has been mired in a near season-long slump. 

Auger-Aliassime dealt with a knee injury that affected his clay and grass court swings, as he suffered first-round defeats at the French Open and Wimbledon.  

In Toronto, he lost in the opening round to qualifier Max Purcell, a sixth defeat over seven matches. 

Auger-Aliassime finally snapped his skid in Cincinnati, defeating big-serving Italian Matteo Berrettini in the opening round, but he’s still in search of more confidence on the court. 

Flushing Meadows brought about his very best major result two years ago when he advanced to the semifinals. 

He’ll face speedy and dynamic American Mackenzie McDonald in a tricky opening-round match Monday. 

While the expectations have tempered lately for Auger-Aliassime, it’s simply a pleasure for Canadian fans to see Milos Raonic back at a grand slam. 

The hard-serving veteran is back at Flushing Meadows for the first time in three years and is only a few weeks removed from a special run in Toronto. 

Though nearly seven years removed from being the third-ranked player in the men’s game, Raonic delivered a throwback performance in a thrilling opening-round win over world no. 10 Frances Tiafoe at the National Bank Open. 

It was his signature serve that did the bulk of the damage, as he fired 37 aces in the victory.

He took his run in Toronto one step further by defeating Japan’s Taro Daniel before exiting in the round of 16. 

Raonic is undoubtedly on the last few holes of the back nine of his career and remains noncommittal for many future events simply because he's unsure if his body will hold up over time to compete. 

If this is in fact his final U.S. Open, he deserves a proper send-off — he’s a grand slam finalist, eight-time titlist and one of the primary ambassadors of the sport that allowed Canada to burst onto the scene as a tennis nation.  

He gets a fascinating opening round match against Greek star and world No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

While Raonic is the underdog, it’s Tsitsipas who should have his blinders up going into the showdown. 

The Canadian leads their career head-to-head 2-0. 

The two will lead the Monday night session at Louis Armstrong Stadium at 7 p.m. ET.