This year’s U.S Open is set to kick off on August 27 2012 in Flushing Meadows, New York. The Billie Jean National Tennis Center will be the battleground where it all goes down. The giants and the dark horses of the tennis world will all congregate to fight for the title of the U.S Open champion. With all the excitement in the air, fans can only look forward to an exhilarating tournament.

The competition has somewhat witnessed its first casualty albeit the rackets and balls are yet to come out. Rafael Nadal will not be competing in this year’s edition because of a persistent knee injury. Being that he was a top favorite for the men’s crown, this situation opens up a lot of opportunities for other competitors. Then again, the absence of one of tennis’s greats does not mean that it is short of big guns.

One of the remaining big guns is Andy Murray. The Brit is in a buoyant mood after clinching the tennis gold medal at the recent Olympic Games in London. What makes his victory sweeter is the fact that he trounced world number one Roger Federer to claim top position. The world number four had lost to the Swiss at the Wimbledon Open. The loss has momentarily denied him a place in history books—a win would have made Murray become only the second Brit to win the Wimbledon Open since 1936.

The odds of Murray capturing the crown stand at 4/1. Being a definite favorite, pundits expect him to make it to the latter stages of the tourney. Along the way, he will have to contend with other big guns like Federer and Novak Djokovic. It would be no surprise if Murray emerged tops considering that he is riding on the momentum of his successful outing at the Olympics. However, such a victory would come against a nerve-racking battle against other top guns.

For Federer, retaking the No. 1 spot was a just reward for his rebirth that began late last year. The Swiss was the losing finalist in last year’s edition of the U.S Open. He recovered to win titles in Paris, London, Basel, Dubai, Madrid and Rotterdam. His victory at Wimbledon was a culmination of 30 months of his resurgence. Federer boasts of excellent tennis attributes that make him a top pick for success.

The Swiss has a powerful forehand and a quick serve that can easily unsettle his opponents. He will also be keen to get back on track after his Olympics loss to Murray. The combination of his technical abilities and the desire to redeem himself are sure to propel him to the last stage of the tournament.

Novak Djokovic, the current No.2, has undergone some kind of a rough spell in 2012. After, taking the tennis scene by storm in 2011, Djokovic has failed to win a title in any of the three past tournaments. The U.S Open defending champion will be hoping that his dalliance with the New York atmosphere will continue to pay dividends. Before clinching last year’s edition, the Serb had made it to two consecutive finals. Luck aside, Djokovic is a beast with a racket on hardcourt and will definitely blaze to the advanced stages of the event.

As the favorites bask in the glory of their favorites tag, there are others who will be hoping to upset the formbook. One of these dark horses is the Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro. The 23-year old shocked pundits when he won the 2009 edition of the U.S Open. Since then, grand slam titles have eluded him. Del Potro, who currently stands at 10/1 to win the tourney, will be banking on his talent to upstage the top favorites. Going by the odds, he must prepare himself for the gargantuan task ahead.

The U.S Open also offers a chance for starlets to stake their claim in the world of tennis. They include Marin Cilic, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Grigor Dimitrov, Bernard Tomic and Milos Raonic among others. Cilic is probably the most recognizable tennis player among the starlets. In particular, Murray would be more familiar with the 23-year old Croatian.

Three years ago, Cilic beat Murray at the U.S Open. He also surprised everyone with an impressive performance that took him to the semifinals of the 2010 Australian Open. If he makes good use of his stroke abilities, footwork and serve, the 6’6” No. 13 might just cause headaches to other competitors.

The U.S Open is just hours away from kick off. The hardcourts are gleaming in preparation for end-to-end stuff. New York, the city that never sleeps, will truly be flowing with many tennis enthusiasts. The mix of normal favorites, dark horses and promising talents will make for a thrilling event.

This was a Guest Post by Brenda Panin. She is a great sport and tennis lover currently working for Tennis Centre in Brisbane  In her free time she loves to write about extreme sports.