While most first-round matches in Grand Slam tournaments are essentially considered warm-up contests for the world's top players, that isn't always the case. Every player in the tournament is dangerous to a certain degree, and anything can happen.
With that in mind, there are plenty of first-round affairs worth watching on Day 2 and Day 3 of the U.S. Open.
As is always the case with tennis majors, the storylines alone make some of the matches even more interesting, so there is plenty of incentive to tune in.
The remainder of the U.S. Open's first round should have some great tennis to offer with arguably the best player of all time trying to bust out of his recent funk, one of the United States' best male players trying to extend his career and much more.
Along with a full Day 2 schedule, here are three matches in particular that should catch your eye while you're following the proceedings in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Roger Federer vs. Grega Zemlja
Nobody can ever take away Roger Federer's 17 grand slam titles, but they haven't done him much good in 2013.
This has been Federer's worst year in recent memory as he has just one title to his credit and has struggled in major tournaments. After losing in the second round at Wimbledon, which is a tournament he had owned, there is some concern regarding how long his stay at the U.S. Open will be.
Fed doesn't have the easiest first-round opponent, as he'll be taking on Slovenia's Grega Zemlja. Although Zemlia's record of 13-19 this year is nothing to write home about although he did reach the third round at Wimbledon after upsetting Grigor Dimitrov in the second round.
Federer's fall this season has been precipitous, as he is seeded lower at the U.S. Open than he has been at any major in a decade, according to SuperSport.com:
Federer is still a heavy favorite to beat Zemlja and for good reason. Having lost to the likes of Sergiy Stakhovsky, Federico Delbonis and Daniel Brands this year, though, a win is far from guaranteed. This match could be a lot closer than most fans expect.
James Blake vs. Ivo Karlovic
When Andy Roddick and James Blake took the tennis world by storm in the early-2000s, it seemed as though American men's tennis was on the ascent.
Roddick earned a certain level of success, as he did win a U.S. Open title, but Blake was never able to completely break through. Injuries have hampered him for much of his career and that probably has a lot to do with why he has decided that the 2013 U.S. Open will be his last tournament, according to the U.S. Open on Twitter.
Blake was once the No. 4 player in the world, so his current No. 100 ranking is a far cry from that. Even so, Blake has showed flashes of his past brilliance at times.
Unarguably, his greatest moment came when he defeated Federer in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Blake will be hard-pressed to top that moment, but a miracle run through his final U.S. Open would obviously mean a lot to him.
In order to make that happen, though, Blake must get past massive Ivo Karlovic. The 6'10" Croatian has battled some injuries of his own and is just 10-8 this year, but he has the game necessary to thrive on hard courts. Karlovic has one of the biggest serves in the sport, so Blake will have his hands full. It will be interesting to see how Blake performs with his back against the wall.
Daniel Brands vs. Kevin Anderson
Most of the talk heading into the U.S. Open has focused on stars like Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Federer, but there are certainly some dark horses worth monitoring.
One of them is heavy hitter Kevin Anderson. The big South African has played very well as of late and he recently moved inside the Top 20 in the world, according to SuperSport Blitz.
Anderson has had some success this season, having reached the fourth round in both the Australian Open and the French Open. He also reached the final of the BB&T Atlanta Open where he lost to John Isner in a thrilling three-set affair that featured three tiebreaks. While Anderson lost two of those tiebreaks, his booming serve normally gives him an advantage in such situations, so he is someone worth watching.
Anderson has a very tricky first-round matchup to worry about, though, in the form of Brands. At 19-17 this season, Brands is a bit on the inconsistent side, but he has shown an ability to beat some good players. He already has wins over Mikhail Youzhny, Janko Tipsarevic and Federer this year and Anderson could be his next victim. This should certainly be a knock-down, drag-out match that could very well go the distance.
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