Kevin Anderson leads SA charge at US Open, Lloyd Harris also Raven Klaasen also in the main draw

NEW YORK – Kevin Anderson heads up the South African contingent at the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, starting in New York, USA, on Monday.

The 16th-seed will take on American teenager, Zachary Svajda, in the first round of the singles.

Anderson is no stranger to the hard-court surfaces having finished in runner-up position two years ago. He lost to Spaniard superstar Rafael Nadal in the final.

Nadal will be entering the fray as the tournament’s second-seed behind Novak Djokovic from Serbia.

Anderson went through a purple patch between 2017 and 2018 when he also made the final at Wimbledon. The 33-year-old is still in search of an elusive Grand Slam title after shaking off a spate of injuries that have limited his participation this year.

In recent months, a knee injury has seen him miss a number of tournaments.

The up-and-coming Lloyd Harris will play a yet to be named qualifier opponent. The qualifying matches currently underway at Flushing Meadows. 

The US Open also provides the unseeded Harris with a chance to progress through to the next stages and equal his best showing in his young career so far – a second-round place at the French Open in June.

Harris is now ranked inside the top 100 (99th in the world) from the latest ATP rankings released this week.

Raven Klaasen will participate in the doubles and the draw is yet to be conducted.

Klaasen, meanwhile, moved one place higher in the doubles’ rankings to eighth in the world with his New Zealand double partner, Michael Venus, one position behind him. 

The duo came agonisingly close to a first Major tournament victory last month when they were eliminated in the semifinal stages at Wimbledon.

Kgothatso Montjane features in the wheelchair tournament that starts on September 5. She is the first African wheelchair tennis player to play at all four Grand Slams.

She was also a semifinalist in London and will be looking for another impressive showing. 

African News Agency (ANA)