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FINAL (SELECTION IN BOLD)

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3) vs. Andy Roddick USA (4)

- Arguably the two best performers of the year meet in the final. Ferrero continued his scintillating form in New York against Agassi to gain the number one ranking but he looks to face a tougher opponent today. Roddick fell back on his massive serve to get out of jail against Nalbandian and he is sure to get plenty of free points again. Grand Slam finals however are all about mental strengths and weaknesses. Ferrero has been there and done it when it comes to winning a Grand Slam but there is still a slight question mark when it comes to performing on the big stage while Roddick is untested and is playing the biggest match of his career. A-Rod in 4 or 5.

SEMI FINALS (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Andre Agassi USA (1) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3)

- I'm not prepared to mark Agassi as the good thing just yet. It's fair to say that he faces his first real test today on the 13th day of the tournament. Of course, a fit Coria could well have caused more problems but the way Ferrero is playing at the moment he must be rated a decent show today. He also has the added motivation (not that anymore is necessary) of gaining the world number one ranking should he win today. Importantly, he knows he can beat Agassi, holding a 2-1 head-to-head advantage with wins at Roland Garros ('02-clay) and Shanghai ('02-hard). The Spaniard is 0-2 on the big stage that is the Ashe Stadium but with a Slam under the belt, the confidence is very high right now.

Andy Roddick USA (4) vs. David Nalbandian ARG (13)

- Long time tournament favourite Roddick could hardly have asked for a more comfortable passage through to the semis. He had his serve broken - once - for the first time in three matches against Schalken, but this match-up looks well within his grasp. He has defeated Nalbandian very comfortably in both meetings on hardcourts - the latest coming last month in Montreal. The Argentinean is a bulldog who will fight and fight before letting go, and while is fit, he has little time to recover from yesterday's taxing encounter with El Aynaoui.

QUARTER FINALS (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Andre Agassi USA (1) vs. Guillermo Coria ARG (5)

- Agassi will certainly be fresh for this after having the last two days off. He was a little fortunate to have Dent go down with injury, but he looks to be in some very ominous form. Coria had few problems with Bjorkman after rain delays gave his troublesome leg time to recover. By his own admission he still wasn't 100% against the Swede and he can certainly expect to have it tested today when he will do a lot more running. The Argentinean has double-A's measure at the French, but I'm tipping a much different result on the concrete today.

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3) vs. Lleyton Hewitt AUS (6)

- Both players came to Flushing Meadows in indifferent form but to their credit, they've managed to turn things around when it matters most. Ferrero had a few lapses against Martin but had the slow conditions to suit, while Hewitt showed some signs of a return to form when he put away a most lacklustre Srichaphan. The anticipated warmer (thus faster) conditions should favour Hewitt, but I can't see there being too much in this one.

Sjeng Schalken NED (12) vs. Andy Roddick USA (4)

- The Dutchman might have one of the most ungainly serves in the business but it was a vintage performance that saw off Schuettler yesterday. It must be said however, that the German put in a very poor performance when appearing rushed and frustrated. Roddick had a very good work out against Malisse and will appreciate the day off. He beat Schalken 3 & 2 in the semis of Indianapolis a few months ago and it's hard to see Schalken doing too much damage on this occasion either.

Younes El Aynaoui MAR (22) vs. David Nalbandian ARG (13)

- Nalbandian continued his excellent record against Wimbledon champion Federer with a very impressive performance while the "Rockin' Moroccan" came through in yet another tight and entertaining affair against Moya to reach his second consecutive quarter final in New York. El Aynaoui came out on top in their only previous meeting at Miami (three sets) earlier in the year, but this will be tougher. Bandy is playing some of the best tennis of his career and has looked more threatening here in NY.

Big question mark over the Argentinean's fitness today. He had his left hammy heavily strapped in his match with Carraz and did not look to be traveling all that well. Given his propensity in the past to retire at the first sign of trouble, this is an important factor to consider today. The veteran Swede has played an astounding 22 sets in seven matches (3 singles, 3 doubles, 1 mixed) last week and a fit Coria will certainly run him off his legs, but he is still playing great serve and volley tennis. The boisterous Grandstand crowd will certainly be 'rooting' for the Swede.

Final match at Armstrong Stadium and they are sure to be packed to the rafters to see this one. I've been happy to oppose the Thai many times this year simply because of books overreaction to his stellar '02 performance. Having said that, his past two wins over Hrbaty and Verdasco have been very impressive. There is still a big question mark over Hewitt. Wins over Hanescu, H-T Lee and an injured Stepanek don't give one much to go on, but at least he'll have had some lift in confidence. While Hewitt leads their hardcourt head-to-head series 3-1, all previous meetings between the two have been relatively tight.

Looks like a good match-up here for Martin, especially given that he's been handed another night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. He'll have the overwhelming support of 23,000 locals and more importantly, is continuing to play some excellent tennis. He won a high standard affair with Ginepri on Saturday night, while Ferrero was less than impressive when having his serve broken five times against Chela.

OTHER 4TH ROUND MATCHES (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Rainer Schuettler GER (8) vs. Sjeng Schalken NED (12)

- The Dutchman did it the hard way against Karlovic in the third round, unable to make any impact in the Croatian's serve, while Schuettler was very workmanlike in his win over Alberto Martin. Schalken won their last meeting in straight sets at Wimbledon earlier in the year while Schuettler won their only meeting on hardcourts at Scottsdale last year. Schuettler is the one with the more impressive lead-up form and is still playing some of his best tennis of his career so it's hard to oppose him today.

Xavier Malisse BEL vs. Andy Roddick USA (4)

- Malisse can consider himself quite fortunate to get past the inexperienced Tursunov in straight sets, while Roddick was able to adapt to the daytime conditions against Saretta. The American has a huge 7-0 head-to-head advantage here (5-0 on hard), but before one declares this one, don't forget we've seen a few similar records broken this year. Having said that, A-rod is in some rare form and with a very supportive crowd, so it's hard to see the mentally vulnerable Belgian getting home.

Carlos Moya ESP (7) vs. Younes El Aynaoui MAR (22)

- Both players came to Flushing Meadows in what could be described as indifferent form, especially Moya, but they've been able to lift when it matters most at the Slam. Moya was too sharp for Massu in the third round, while the Moroccan needed a heart-stopping fifth set breaker to shake off Novak. Both previous meetings between the two have gone the Spaniard's way, the most recent at Bastad (clay) last year, but I don't think there will be much in it.

David Nalbandian ARG (13) vs. Roger Federer SUI (2)

- These two have quite a history. Nalbandian has a 4-zip head-to-head advantage at ATP level (2-0 on hard), including a five-set win at the same stage of this year's Australian Open and a tight double-breaker win in their final tune-up at Cincinnati. The Argentinean also beat Federer to win the '98 Junior title here, but the Swiss did have a win at the Orange Bowl. Federer looked in exceptional form against Blake on Sunday night while Bandy played his typical solid error-free game to get past the Scud. Winning Wimbledon has taken the monkey off the back and a highly confident Federer must be favoured to advance.

Andre Agassi USA (1) vs. Taylor Dent USA

- Taylor "chip and charge" Dent somehow managed to get past Gonzalez in the third round while Agassi had to come back yesterday to defeat Kafelnikov fairly close contest. As previously mentioned, it's been a remarkable effort from Dent to make the second week here when first-up since injury. But it is hard to see him getting too close today - the best returner in the game will get plenty back and pass at will.

Rainer Schuettler to bt Alberto Martin

- The Spaniard has won both encounters against the German, but both were on clay, the most recent a straight sets win earlier in the year at Monte Carlo. Martin looks to have played just about as well as he could in his first few matches here and even if he can reproduce that form today, I'm not sure if it will be enough to stop the hard running German.

Sjeng Schalken to bt Ivo Karlovic

- Karlovic came through a very tough encounter with Arazi in the second round and while he boomed down a massive 30 aces, he most notably only managed to have one break point opportunity on the Arazi serve. Schalken has a lot more to his game and it can get a few balls back, he should be too sharp.

Andy Roddick to bt Flavio Saretta

- The tournament favourite was an inch away from going to a tense fifth set against Ljubicic on Friday night while Saretta was very impressive when only dropping six games to Nico Lapentti. The Brazilian will have his hands full returning serve and will have to do a lot more work to hold his own, but A-rod will have to quickly adjust to the daytime conditions.

Roger Federer  to bt James Blake

- Not sure if this one will live up to it's prime-time status. Blake got past Sargsian in a very tight finish while Federer was brutal against Lisnard. Blake was impressive against Zabaleta in his first round night match and is coming off a final at Long Island and while Federer is relatively unproven on the big stage at night, it's hard to see him dropping this one.

OTHER 3RD ROUND MATCHES FOR SUNDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Dmitry Tursunov RUS vs. Xavier Malisse BEL

- The qualifier Tursunov got through his second five-setter when proving too good for Van Lottum in the second round, while Malisse made hard work of Calleri. Malisse is always hard to support as these prices, but he'll appreciate the pace that that the less experienced Tursunov will provide.

Younes El Aynaoui MAR (22) vs. Jiri Novak CZE (10)

- El Aynaoui came away with a very good win over Spanish sensation Nadal in a match that was much closer that the straight-sets scoreline may suggest, while Novak was too good for the ordinary Gambill. El A won their only meeting on hardcourts (Doha, '02), but I can't see there being too much in this one.

Carlos Moya ESP (7) vs. Nicolas Massu CHI

- Moya has not been in the greatest form of late, but his straight sets win over the big serving Moodie constituted quite a solid performance. Massu'S form can't be ignored - he has not dropped a set to the likes of Gaudio and the qualifier Enqvist. This should be a tight one and at the odds, Massu looks worth supporting.

David Nalbandian ARG (13) vs. Mark Philippoussis AUS (20)

- The Argentinean outlasted Nieminen in a fifth set tie-breaker while Flip was too good for French journeyman Dupuis. The Aussie won their only previous meeting earlier in the year at Scottsdale and is clearly playing some of and if not the best tennis of his career. The big edge in the service department should get the Aussie home.

Ginepri had too much for a lackluster Wayne Ferreira in the second round while the veteran American outlasted Verkerk in a tight finish. Experience will count for a lot in this one. Ginepri has youth and exuberance on his side but third round of a Grand Slam is new territory.

The scribes have given this one to Hewitt but I'm not convinced that he's back. Wins over Hanescu and H-T Lee - the latter in which he looked far from exceptional - are nothing to write home about. He beat Stepanek very comfortably earlier in the year at the Australian Open but Hewitt is playing with a different mentality now.

The general feeling here in New York is that J-C Ferrero is not traveling all that well at the moment. Dropping a set each to the likes of Vacek and Melzer appear to back up these sentiments. He beat Chela in their only meeting (on clay back in '02), but Chela played some very strong tennis in his win over the talented Berdych on Thursday and looks to be right in this.

OTHER 3RD ROUND MATCHES FOR SATURDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Andre Agassi USA (1) vs. Yevgeny Kafelnikov RUS (28)

- Hard to see the veteran Russian getting close. Agassi got his night match out of the way with a nice workout against Vinciguerra on Thursday, and looks to be working into some rhythm. Kafelnikov got the job done against Carlsen in the second round, but he trails Agassi 2-7 on hardcourts.

Taylor Dent USA vs. Fernando Gonzalez CHI (15)

- Dent has done very well here this week first-up since an injury layoff. He used the chip and charge to great effect against Davydenko in the second round, but I'm not sure if he'll get as much of a chance to play that style of tennis today. A fit Gonzalez is always a threat and a straight sets win over the dangerous floater Koubek is a nice tune-up for this.

Jonas Bjorkman SWE vs. Karol Kucera SVK

- The Swede outlasted Delgado over five sets in the second round while Kucera caught out the in-form Mardy Fish. Kucera leads the head-to-head 4-2 overall, but it is Bjorkman who holds the 2-1 advantage on hardcourts. The last meeting however was way back in '99, so I'm not sure how much we can read into that. Bjorkman likes it fast, but Kucera is very confident right now and should come away with the win.

Gregory Carraz FRA vs. Guillermo Coria ARG (5)

- The Argentinean has come up very short today but it's not hard to see why. The French Open semi finalist has pumped Puerta and Ulihrach in straight sets and is traveling very well indeed. Carraz showed great poise to come back from two sets down to Clement in the second round, but he'll be seeing a lot of balls come back today.

Paradorn Srichaphan THA (11) vs. Fernando Verdasco ESP

- As much as it hurts to say it, Srichaphan was very impressive against Hrbaty - particularly on serve - when he failed to offer up one break point opportunity. As previously mentioned, Verdasco is the latest Spaniard to burst onto the scene. He has a very big game and is sure to test the Thai to the limit.

Martin always pops up for the odd win or two on hardcourts and he was very workmanlike against a rusty-looking Mutis in the first round. Costa had a less than ideal preparation and there is some talk that the back has flared up again so it will be interesting to see how he performs should this go the distance.

The 17 year-old Spaniard defeated El Aynaoui in their only previous meeting earlier in the year at Bastad (clay), so he won't be overwhelmed whatsoever today. He looked very good against Vicente on Tuesday and has been practicing very well. El Aynaoui meanwhile made hard work of Alex Kim in the first round. He is not playing his best tennis and may have his mind on his newborn child.

Nalbandian came into this week with some very handy form but he didn't have it all his own way against German qualifier Philipp Kohlschreiber. Nieminen on the other hand, had a little less of a struggle against another qualifier in Mahut. Nalbandian came out on top the last time these two met earlier in the month at Montreal but the result (two breakers) as with their two previous meetings was very close.

Sargisian outlasted the youngster Delic in a thrilling five setter in the first round, but you can be sure he's fit enough to get back up for this one. Blake was very impressive under the lights against the in-form Zabaleta, but he's not the most consistent player going around by any means.

Rainer Schuettler to bt Nicolas Kiefer

- Schuettler started off slowly against Arthurs in the opening round but soon worked into some very good rhythm. One can't read to much into Kiefer's effort over Squillari and while he has been in some respectable form in the lead-up, Schuettler will have too much run.

Sjeng Schalken to bt Lars Burgsmuller

- Schalken has taken the last three meetings between these two, all in fairly convincing circumstances, and based on current form it's hard to see thing's changing today. Burgsmuller got past a tiring and cramping Horna, but the Dutchman is very well suited at Flushing Meadows.

Mark Philippoussis to bt Anthony Dupuis

- The Frenchman saved match points in his marathon five-set win over Youzhny on Tuesday. It was a solid performance from the journeyman which moved his record in New York to 2-2. Flip on the other hand moved to 15-6 at Flushing Meadows with a solid win over the talented Tipsarevic. He is in some of the best form of his life but he'll want to be careful not too go for too much too early in this one.

Roger Federer to bt Jean-Rene Lisnard

- Lisnard's Herculean effort when down and out against Norman on Wednesday will be a distant memory today when he comes up against the Wimbledon champion. I'm not sure he can recover quickly enough to be competitive today.

OTHER 2ND ROUND MATCHES FOR FRIDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Ivo Karlovic CRO vs. Hicham Arazi MAR

- Both came through the first round with straight-sets wins - the qualifier Karlovic perhaps a little more impressive against the experienced Mantilla. The big-serving Croatian is on quite a run at the moment and Arazi will need to be at his best to take this one.

Dmitry Tursunov RUS vs. John van Lottum NED

- Few spectators present at Tursunov's win over Kuerten on Tuesday will forget that match in a hurry. The Russian-American who qualified without dropping a set, silenced what was a very rowdy and pro-Guga crowd with some blistering serving a passing shots from behind the baseline. Van Lottum is .500 at New York and is very handy on the fast courts. He has the edge in experience, but Tursunov has the raw talent to take this one.

Xavier Malisse BEL vs. Agustin Calleri ARG (19)

- Very tough. Malisse was at his best against his countryman Olivier Rochus in the opening round. He was very sharp indeed, serving down 19 aces in a most convincing performance. Calleri, who took four sets to get past Eschauer, will put a little more heat on the ball than the pint sized Belgian and given Malisse's mental vulnerabilities, I'm prepared to leave this one alone.

Flavio Saretta BRA vs. Nicolas Lapentti ECU

- Another lengthy affair looks on the cards here. Saretta continued his solid lead-up with a first round win over Spadea, while Lapentti outlasted an improving Karol Beck. I'm not convinced that Lapentti is playing his best tennis at the moment, but this could go either way.

Ivan Ljubicic CRO vs. Andy Roddick USA (4)

- The tourney favourite Roddick continues to go on his merry way, but this will require his full attention. Ljubicic is 0-3 on completed matches versus Roddick, most recently going down 1 & 4 at Cincinnati, but he remains a danger on the courts here. He was very impressive against Frenchman Mathieu so it would be no surprise at all to see him extend this to four or five.

Carlos Moya ESP (7) vs. Wesley Moodie RSA

- The Spaniard served the lights out against Draper and came through in a very tight fourth set breaker. He form of late has been scratchy to say the least. The qualifier Moodie has a big serve himself and had very few problems with the clay courter Montanes in the first round.

Thomas Enqvist SWE vs. Nicolas Massu CHI

- Massu has been more than competitive on hardcourts this year and it was proven again when he beat Gaudio for the second time this year in the first round. The qualifier Enqvist breezed past Portas on Tuesday and will provide a much different style of opponent to the Chilean.

Jan-Michael Gambill USA vs. Jiri Novak CZE (10)

- Perhaps surprisingly, the American holds the 3-0 head-to-head advantage here, with all three on hardcourts and the most recent at Indian Wells '02. Gambill may have got past Sanchez, but his form prior was terrible and Novak will surely have the experience to prevail.

A 5-0 head-to-head record in the Russian's advantage is hard to ignore when it comes to finding a winner of this encounter. As previously mentioned, Kafelnikov looks to be going through the motions at the moment. He had too much experience for Vliegen on Tuesday but this will be a little tougher I would have thought.

Davydenko was very impressive when upsetting Mirnyi in the first round while Dent did enough in a tight encounter with Soderling. Let's not forget that Dent is playing his first tourney back from an injury-enforced layoff, so I can't quite understand why he's not a clear underdog today. Davydenko will make Dent play a lot more and expose the real state of Dent's current game.

Berdych is a very promising type with a big serve and solid groundstrokes. He made quick work of Behrend after a slow start on Monday and must be rated a show today. Chela's never say die attitude comes in handy in the Slams, but I was not that impressed with his performance against Karanusic in the first round.

What price of the same two players meeting in three consecutive slams? Well, it's happening today.. Hrbaty was too good on the clay at Roland Garros while Paradorn took five to get past the Slovak at Wimbledon. Hrbaty won their only meeting on hardcourt and given the up and down nature of Srichaphan's game at the moment, I'm giving Hrbaty a big chance today.

Todd Martin to bt Martin Verkerk

- Verkerk got lucky on Monday when Bogomolov Jr went down with cramps when right in with a chance of closing out the encounter. Martin looked fairly good against local junior Robert Yim in the first round. He looks to have the goods to advance today, although I am a little concerned about the apparent 'yips' with the old man's ball toss and resulting shaky second serve.

Fernando Verdasco to bt Davide Sanguinetti

- The Italian veteran has quickly become a very ordinary tennis player. He had too much for a clay courter in the first round, but the talented up and comer Verdasco will provide a much tougher test. A big lefty serve and heavy hitting from the back will surely run the old man off his feet today. Lack of Grand Slam experience the only question mark.

Radek Stepanek to bt Fabrice Santoro

- Santoro lost the first nine games of his opening match with Benneteau and looked like heading the locker room in a real hurry. He gradually became more competitive and wore his countryman down by mixing up his game to extraordinary levels. He was hitting the ball with virtually no pace at all. Whether that has anything to do with his ongoing injury problems or not, Stepanek, who had a highly rated win over Feliciano Lopez, should be far too strong today.

OTHER 2ND ROUND MATCHES FOR THURSDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Andre Agassi USA (1) vs. Andreas Vinciguerra SWE

- Double-A looks to be working himself into some menacing form here. He'll have few problems today.

Stefan Koubek AUT vs. Fernando Gonzalez CHI (15)

- Koubek has walked away with the win on both previous occasions these two have met (both on hard in '02). The Chilean was less than impressive versus Chang in the first round when racking up a very large number of unforced errors. Koubek advanced his Flushing Meadows record to 2-4 with his win over Galimberti on Monday and could well go close today.

Ramon Delgado PAR vs. Jonas Bjorkman SWE

- Delgado saved match points in an amazing win over Grosjean in the first round, while Bjorkman had far too much for the clay courter Volandri. The Swede has a good record here and is still playing some very respectable tennis on the singles court. Delgado is in some fine form. I hope he hasn't run his race, but he should be right in this.

Karol Kucera SVK vs. Mardy Fish USA (24)

- Fish has now won an unprecedented 92 consecutive service games - dating back to the first round of Cincinnati - and saving 23 break points along the way. When he is broken, the floodgates will surely open, but I'm hesitant to get involved. Kucera was workman-like against Popp in the first round and has been in some very good form of late.

Arnaud Clement FRA (31) vs. Gregory Carraz FRA

- Clement should have a little more all-round game than Rusedski provided Carraz with in the first round. He made his fare share of errors in the first round against Vahaly, but he looks to match up fairly well today. Carraz has been competitive in the lead-up but will find this tougher.

Bohdan Ulihrach CZE vs. Guillermo Coria ARG (5)

- Ulihrach notched up a much needed confidence boosting win over the qualifier Abel in the first round, but now he'll have a chance to find out just how far he has to go.

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3) vs. Jurgen Melzer AUT

- Melzer got past the rookie in four sets in the first round, and while Ferrero has looked better, I can't see him getting close here.

Wayne Ferreira RSA (23) vs. Robby Ginepri USA

- Both ended up far too good for their respective opponents in the first round. Ginepri had a few good wins at Cincinnati but he comes up against a very experienced opponent today. The South African veteran has had a few injury problems of late but looked fit enough in the first round and must be favoured to prevail in a close one.

Hyung-Taik Lee KOR vs. Lleyton Hewitt AUS (6)

- H-T Lee certainly has the ability to extend this one, but Hewitt matches up quite well to his style of play. The jury is still out on Hewitt after Hanescu's less than complimentary performance on Monday night.

Can't see there being too much in this one. Their three previous encounters have been close with the Frenchman winning their only meeting on hardcourts in a three setter at Tashkent in '01. Youzhny has improved since then, but he remains very spasmodic. A heavy doubles loss yesterday is unlikely to give him much confidence coming into this either.

Neither have done anything at ATP level since clay last month, but both competed at the Long Island quallies. Both suffered quick second round losses to Beck and Kendrick respectively. The Frenchman is improving all the time and has the edge for mine.

Wesley Moodie to bt Albert Montanes

- The qualifier Moodie is a little one-dimensional, but its hard to see him going down to a clay courter on these courts. The big-serving South African defeated Fleishman in the final round quallies when he was already guaranteed a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser. 

Thomas Enqvist to bt Albert Portas

- Another qualifier comes through to meet a player on his worst surface. Enqvist is slowly getting back to his best and the three matches last week will be most valuable heading into this.

Rafael Nadal to bt Fernando Vicente

- The 17 year-old Nadal could hardly be more impressive in practice here in NY this week. Vicente has been competitive in the lead-up, but blowing early first set leads to Nieminen and O Rochus in his last two matches won't have him too confident today. The youngster is quite short considering his relative Grand Slam inexperience, but he should prevail.

David Nalbandian to bt Philipp Kohlschreiber

- The 19 year-old Kohlschreiber doesn't have much if any form in these conditions, but having come through qualifying, he'll be match fit. Nalbandian meanwhile, had an excellent run through the recent TMS events and should have far too much.

Jarkko Nieminen to bt Nicolas Mahut

- Mahut won a grass court challenger at Manchester a few months ago. He came through quallies the hard way with three very tight wins and he'll face a very tough test today. While not notching up too many wins, Nieminen is actually playing some very decent tennis. It's taken in-form players such as Nalbandian, Schuettler and Blake to beat him in the last three weeks.

OTHER 1ST ROUND MATCHES FOR WEDNESDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Carlos Moya ESP (7) vs. Scott Draper AUS

- Draper managed to take a set of Moya at Hamburg earlier in the year and has been playing some of his best tennis of late. He still has trouble closing out matches however as witnessed when he blew seven match points against Federer at Cincinnati. Moya has been horribly out of touch in recent times and has come up at a very short price today, but the former semi finalist here should be able to get through this.

Nicolas Massu CHI vs. Gaston Gaudio ARG (30)

- Tough match here. Gaudio has the clear edge in class, but Massu will get plenty back and test the 'mental strength' of the sometimes volatile Argentinean.

Younes El Aynaoui MAR (22) vs. Alex Kim USA

- Alex Kim is a serviceable type but I'm not sure he has any great weapon to trouble the Moroccan. Having said that, he is coming off a bronze medal at the Pan-Am games, while El Aynaoui has not looked that impressive in recent times and may be keen to get back home to see his new born child.

David Sanchez ESP vs. Jan-Michael Gambill USA

- The struggling Gambill has reached at least the second round in his last five appearances at Flushing Meadows, but such is his slump in confidence, I'm not quite ready to mark this one down. Sanchez however, is not suited to these conditions at all and will struggle on his serve.

Mario Ancic CRO vs. Jiri Novak CZE (10)

- These two met as recently as Montreal three weeks ago with Novak coming out on top in a three setter. Ancic has not had as many matches as he would have liked in the lead-up, but he has been practicing hard with his new coach. Novak meanwhile (12-8 here) has put in a mixed bag this year, dropping from 7 to 20 in the race, but he does have a lot more Grand Slam experience. Should be tight again.

Janko Tipsarevic SER vs. Mark Philippoussis AUS (20)

- 'Flip' boasts an excellent 14-6 record here and being in some of the best injury-form of his career, it's hard to see him dropping this one. Tipsarevic beat a tiring Parmar in the final round of quallies last Friday but this will be a lot tougher.

Mariano Zabaleta ARG (27) vs. James Blake USA

- Blake had Hewitt on the ropes here a few years ago and while he finaled at Long Island last week, this has danger written all over it. He is also less than proven in the Slams. Zabaleta is in the best form of his career and defeated Blake in three sets in their only hardcourt meeting at Scottsdale earlier in the year. The Argentinean will mix up his game more and quite possibly frustrate Blake into losing this one.

Amer Delic USA vs. Sargis Sargsian ARM

- Delic won the '03 NCAA singles title, won a futures event and also extended Srichaphan to three at Indianapolis last month. He rises to another level today however. Sargsian is an ordinary 5-6 here but he is still more than capable of putting away the lowly opposition.

Jose Acasuso ARG vs. Roger Federer SUI (2)

- Acasuso has been competitive over the last month on hardcourts so he should be able to stay with Federer for a while today. Federer got the monkey off the back at SW19, but he has not won a title since and has not looked to be running on all cylinders of late.

The improving Benneteau came through quallies here without dropping a set and is unlikely to be deterred by playing his elder countryman. Santoro, nine years his opponents senior, has struggled with injury for much of the year until he had a win over Moya last start at Cincinnati. Given the Spaniards form however, I'm not sure if we can read too much into that win.

Horna's hardcourt form might be limited, but he has clearly lifted his game to a new level this year, jumping from 127 to 65 in the race. Burgsmuller is just 1-4 here (Horna is 0-1). He posted wins over Kendrick and Clement, then took Blake to three at Washington last month, but his record over best-of-five at the Slams is ordinary to say the least.

Malisse has been playing fairly well of late and arrives at a venue where he is an impressive 8-4 - having never gone out in the first round in four appearances. Rochus played at his retrieving best first-up on hardcourts to get past Vicnete last week at Long Island but then fell to Chela in the second round. He is yet to win a match here in three previous starts but I feel he'll be right in this.

Lapentti won a tight match in the only meeting between these two earlier in the year at Miami. Both however, look to have gone in recent directions if the hardcourt form of the last month is anything to go by. Lapentti went out in the first round of both TMS events to Rusedski and Ljubicic while Beck looks to be playing with a new found confidence that saw him qualify for Montreal and defeat Llodra and the in-from Zabaleta.

Rainer Schuettler to bt Wayne Arthurs

- The German has never played his best tennis here (3-4 in NY) but is playing with great confidence at the moment. The opposite applies to the Aussie. His confidence on the singles court must be at an all time low. He has done well in doubles recently so he'll be match fit, but his singles form is dreadful.

Ivo Karlovic to bt Felix Mantilla

- The big-serving Karlovic came through his final qualifying match by dropping just one point on his serve. He has also performed very well in recent times on the local hardcourt challenger circuit. The journeyman Mantilla (6-6 here) had a decent run on clay earlier in the year but these are not his conditions.

Sjeng Schalken to bt Julien Boutter

- Boutter won the last meeting between the two when he was having a hot run on clay earlier in the year, but last year's semi finalist will surely have some fond memories returning to Flushing Meadows. The Dutchman has had some indifferent results in recent times but he has looked very sharp in practice.

Agustin Calleri to bt Werner Eschauer

- Eschauer plays his best tennis on clay but his recent challenger form is not that terrible. Calleri has had a good month on the hardcourts as a preparation for this and while he has not won too many matches, losing to the likes of Chela, Youzhny and Nieminen is no disgrace.

OTHER FIRST ROUND MATCHES FOR TUESDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Andre Agassi USA (1) vs. Alex Corretja ESP

- Obviously not the easiest first round match-up for the American favourite. No word on the troublesome hip, but one would have to assume the two weeks off since Montreal has done the trick. Corretja has won the last three meetings between the two, but the most recent was back in 2000 at Washington. The Spaniard has a 16-10 record here, but has not been in the greatest form in recent times and looked a dejected figure after his loss to Sargsian at Long Island last week.

Kristof Vliegen BEL vs. Yevgeny Kafelnikov RUS (28)

- The Belgian, making his first appearance at the US Open, gets into the main draw mainly courtesy of his runner-up in the season opening tourney in Adelaide. His recent results have been nothing to write home about and while Kafelnikov (22-8 here) has been going through the motions in recent times, he should have far too much Grand Slam experience today.

Michael Chang USA vs. Fernando Gonzalez CHI (15)

- He'll get the prime-time spot for the final time but it's tough to see him getting close here. Gonzalez had a poor finish to his match with Chela last week at Long Island and while his injury-prone body and hit and miss style is always a concern, it's stating the obvious to say that he'll have too much firepower.

Roko Karanusic CRO vs. Juan Ignacio Chela ARG (33)

- Chela made the fourth round here last year and had some very good lead-up form until suffering from a stomach upset or virus last week at Long Island. He should have recovered from this and have too much for the Croatian.

Paradorn Srichaphan THA (11) vs. Cyril Saulnier FRA

- Srichaphan is coming off a successful defence of his title at Long Island where he went some way to regaining some much needed confidence. The Thai leads the head-to-head 2-0 (both on hard), but both were three-setters, the most recent at Washington late last month. But he is just 1-3 here and I don't think he is quite back to his best yet. Saulnier also has posted losses to Roddick and Ferrero in his last three tourneys and has been practicing very hard in the lead-up.

Justin Gimelstob USA vs. Dominik Hrbaty SVK

- The American has advanced past the first round in all but one of his seven appearances at Flushing Meadows while Hrbaty boasts a similar win/loss record. Gimelstob's loss to Serra at the recent Bronx challenger is nothing to get overly concered about but he surely would have like a few more matches under the belt coming in.

Feliciano Lopez ESP (29) vs. Radek Stepanek CZE

- An excellent first round encounter is in store here. Lopez has showed signs of some scintillating form in the lead-up and while is still rather inconsistent, he is definitely one to watch. An upset stomach put an end to his campaign at Long Island last week, but his form prior had been more than respectable. Stepanek continues to improve and while he hasn't had as many matches in the lead-up as he would like, he is certainly capable of lifting for this one.

Nicolas Kiefer GER vs. Franco Squillari ARG

- Kiefer rounded off a decent lead-up with a few good matches last week at Long Island and was a quarter finalist here in his prime in 2000. Squillari has not played this hardcourt season and likes it much slower than this.

Olivier Mutis FRA vs. Alberto Martin ESP

- Martin is 1-4 here while Mutis is making his first appearance in NY. Mutis won their only prior meeting on clay earlier in the year and does have some results on fast surfaces to his name, but I feel the edge in experience might be enough to see Martin over the line - just. One to leave alone.

Raemon Sluiter NED vs. Albert Costa ESP (25)

- Costa made the fourth round here in '01 but has just a 5-8 record here. He withdrew from a singles match at Long Island last week due to back pain, but he has been practicing without any noticeable discomfort during the last few days. Sluiter likes it fast so he might be able to take advantage, but he did withdraw from Long Island quallies last week with an ankle injury, so this looks like one to steer well clear of.

Jeff Salzenstein USA vs. Hicham Arazi MAR

- Arazi failed to make the court in his final round qualifying match in Long Island last week citing a leg injury. Prior to that he was practicing very hard and very competitive in Cincinnati, posting a win over Mathieu and tight loss to Mirnyi, so there is a lot of uncertainty here. Salzenstein is a journeyman who's career has never reached any great heights at ATP level. His recent challenger form is more than respectable and he did qulaify with three solid wins, so he must be rated a chance.

Gustavo Kuerten BRA (14) vs. Dmitry Tursunov RUS

- Guga (14-6 here) went to Long Island to get some much needed match-play and came away with wins over Hrbaty and Beck and tight loss to El Aynaoui. He looks excellent in practice but is apparently lacking some confidence on the court. Tursunov came through quallies with three very good wins and finaled at the recent Bronx challenger, going down to Karlovic. He has a big serve and is a very heavy hitter from the back and most importantly is match-fit, so he may just be right in this.

Christophe Rochus BEL vs. John van Lottum NED

- Van Lottum is a respectable 5-6 here but has done very little on hardcourts of late. His record on fast surfaces is decent so I don't suspect that there will be much in this one. Rochus is also first up on hardcourts and does not have much experience at this venue.

Vincent Spadea USA (32) vs. Flavio Saretta BRA

- Saretta leads the head-to-head 2-0, the most recent and only meeting on hardcourts coming earlier in the year at Delray Beach. Don't expect this one to be over too early as both like getting the ball back into play and not taking too many risks. Spadea's experience here has to give him the edge for mine.

Ivan Ljubicic CRO vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu FRA

- Ljubicic is just 3-4 here but he looks to have the conditions to suit. He remains somewhat inconsistent, but if his practice session with Agassi earlier in the week is anything to go by, he should be primed for this. I just get the feeling that Mathieu is not quite back to his best after an injury hampered start to the year.

Tim Henman GBR vs. Andy Roddick USA (4)

- The prime-time blockbuster. Henman is the only player to trump the in-form American this hardcourt season, so don't pencil in the win just yet. History shows that it is very hard to maintain a winning record coming into the US Open and while Roddick is certainly fit, he may have played a little too much in the lead-up. Henman will certainly give A-rod a target and if he happens to be off the ball, expect this one to last a while.

The big-serving Dent is a surprisingly poor 2-5 here and as he is returning from injury, one has to give the match fit qualifier a big show. Soderling came through quallies very impressively without dropping a set and serving very well. The Swede did not hold back in his final qualifying match on Friday, despite being guaranteed a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser. He is proven in early Grand Slam matches so I have no problem taking him today.

The Frenchman who is just 3-5 in New York, is coming into this under a slight injury cloud, but I can report that he looked near 100% in practice on Saturday with countryman Cyril Saulnier. Delagado (4-5 here) has been in some good form of late, having recovered from injury himself. He qualified here without dropping a set to the likes of Al-Agba, Phau and Suzuki, so he'll be match fit and choc full of confidence.

Kucera made the quarters here in '98 but is just 1-6 in his other appearances at New York. Popp has gone out in the second round in both of his starts here but has the fast conditions to suit. Kucera had a solid week at Montreal recently but I've been impressed with Popp in practice here.

Both are making their first appearance in New York. The 18 year-old Berdych has some excellent futures and challenger results to his name this year, including a win in Austria (hard) a fortnight ago where he defeated Knowle in the final. Behrend had a few good wins on clay last month in Stuttgart but his form on hardcourts is very limited and he is coming straight off a clay challenger last week.

Miranda is at his first US Open but he showed some solid form last month on US hardcourts with wins over Benneteau and Beck. Ferreira usually lifts for the slams and while he boasts a 17-12 record here, he is just 4-5 in the past five years. The South African has not had a lot of matches under his belt in the lead-up so I'll be opposing him today.

Guillermo Coria to bt Mariano Puerta

- Massive class gap here. It will be interesting to see how Coria fares on the hardcourts in light of his stunning run on clay recently. He made the 3rd round in his first appearance here last year and has solid form on hardcourts over the past few years.

Robby Ginepri to bt David Ferrer

- Ferrer played an excellent tourney in Sopot (clay) but is first up on hardcourts here and must have low expectations. Ginepri had solid wins over Stepanek and Gaudio at Cincinnati but he's not the most consistent type going around. He struck Agassi in the first round here last year, so this should be easier.

Todd Martin to bt Robert Yim

- The 18 year-old Yim earned the wildcard by winning the USTA Boy's 18's Super National Championships last weekend. This will be a lot tougher. Martin is an excellent 30-13 at his home Slam and as Pete Sampras showed last year, this place does not discriminate against age.

Hyung-Taik Lee to bt Vladimir Voltchkov

- Voltchkov is first-up since Wimbledon and really has not done anything of note all year. He beat Lee in the season opener at Doha in a three-setter but has not played since a first round loss at Wimbledon. Lee is on a terrible nine match main draw losing streak (he has notched up qualifying wins) but he is still practicing very hard.

Robert Kendrick to bt Andreas Vinciguerra

- The Swede is 0-3 in the main draw here while Kendrick is making his first appearance here courtesy of a wildcard. The American is only playing his third tournament since suffering a thumb injury during a doubles match at Wimbledon, but he looks to be getting back to his best if his play in the last few weeks is anything to go by.

Arnaud Clement to bt Brian Vahaly

- The Frenchman suffered a shock loss to Morrison last week at Long Island but he had notched up wins over the likes of Moya, Costa and Rusedski in the two preceding Masters Series events. Vahaly has shown very few signs of a return to the form that saw him reach the quarters of Indian Wells earlier in the year. Clement has an excellent record here - he has not done worse than the fourth round that last four years (13/5) - and should have too much Grand Slam experience.