As a competitor looking to become the first player since Steffi Graf to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam, Serena Williams has absorbed the majority of the focus at this year's US Open.  From the moment the draw came out, there was instant talk about how potentially difficult her path to the title might be, but a rash of upsets in her half has changed the landscape considerably.  Even with her road to the final looking a little less treacherous, however, she will not take the opposition lightly, including her second-round opponent, Kiki Bertens.

Williams and her fans could be forgiven if they dismissed the odds of Bertens causing the upset.  There is a wide disparity in terms of their experience and accomplishments.  Williams is one of the most decorated players in the history of No. 1 and has only lost two matches thus far in the season.  Bertens on the other hand is ranked outside the top 100.   Prior to this event, she had only ever advanced beyond the first round of a major three times in her relatively young career, and she has spent the bulk of her time playing the smaller ITF tournaments and qualifying.

Bertens is not apt to find much comfort in how her game matches up against the American's either.  Both are powerful ball strikers, but Williams is able to couple her power with more consistency.  The current No. 1 also possesses the better serve, especially off her second delivery.  Furthermore, Williams is easily the better mover of the two, which not only allows her to call upon her defense when she needs it, but it puts her in a better position to turn that defense into offense.  If there is anything positive for Bertens in relation to how her game will stack up in this contest, though, it is that she is a naturally aggressive-minded player.  It is imperative that look to grab control of the points as soon as possible, which equates to her having a good serving day, as well as looking to tee off when she gets a glimpse of a second serve from Williams. 

Of course, recognizing opportunities and capitalizing on them can be a difficult proposition when playing a legend of the sport.  That said, Bertens should be able to find some glimmer of hope that she has a chance in this match.  These two have never played before, so Williams is going to be less familiar with the Dutch woman's game than Bertens will be with the top seed's.  Bertens also has the luxury of being the underdog, and given that two years ago she was ranked No. 41, she is clearly capable of playing above her current ranking of No. 110.  She has also been to the second week of a major once in her career, and she played well in three ITF events coming into the US Open, including winning a title in Belgium.  Granted, these are not the kind of accolades that will intimidate Williams, but they do suggest that when at her best, Bertens could potentially make this interesting, particularly if Williams is off her game.  After all, Williams has a lot of pressure on her shoulders, and ironically, that pressure may have only increased with her draw opening up the way that it has.

Monumental pressure or not, it is hard to see this second round ending in anything but a victory for Williams.  Her overall experience and game should see her through comfortably.  Strange things have already happened in Flushing Meadows, though, with a number of seeds having been sent packing. 

One of the more important factors in determining the success of a tennis player is how effective he is at capitalizing on his opportunities.  It is that type of opportunity that awaits Milos Raonic and Fernando Verdasco.  Cast in the same quarter as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, these two men are flying under the radar, but one of them will advance to the third round with a decent look at wreaking havoc on the draw in the days to come.

It is difficult to discern which of the two combatants is better equipped to walk away with the victory on Wednesday, since there is not a whole lot to choose between the two in spite of the more than 30 places that stretch between Raonic's ranking of No. 10 and Verdasco's ranking of No. 42.  They have split their previous six meetings at three apiece, and three of those contests have gone the distance.  Additionally, while it has not come here in New York, both have also been to the final four of a major.  Neither has played overly well this summer coming into the US Open, with Raonic being slightly more hampered by niggling injuries. But both men also arrived in New York knowing that a deep run was not out of the realm of possibility, given that they have each reached the second week of the US Open on more than one occasion.

For all that these two are equal in many ways, an advantage goes to the young Canadian.  Both men are generally aggressive in their style of play.  Each goes big from the baseline and serve, and Verdasco does enjoy the perks that come with being a lefty.  The problem for Verdasco is that, although he is hardly slight of build, it is Raonic who is the more physically imposing.  He gets more pop on his serve and on his groundstrokes, which should pay dividends on these fast courts.  He also does a better job of getting into the net and is arguably the more effective in the forecourt.  Provided he is able to execute his strengths on a consistent basis, it should get him across the finish line against the Spaniard on this surface.

Playing on a hard court should also give Raonic the mental edge in this match.  As previously mentioned, the head-to-head between Raonic and Verdasco is all even, but all three of the Canadian's wins have come on hard courts, while all of Verdasco's have come on clay.  Additionally, Raonic will be well aware that his game translates better to this surface, and that with his greater power, he is the one in a more favorable position to control proceedings.  Finally, as evidenced by his higher ranking. Raonic has simply been playing the overall superior brand of tennis during the last several months, which brings its own amount of confidence.  None of this is to say that Verdasco will be lacking in belief.  He knows how fine the margins are between him and the 10th seed, but he is also aware that the onus is more on him to come up with something special if he wants to grab his first victory over Raonic on something other than clay.

If ever Verdasco were looking for an ideal time to get such a victory over Raonic, Wednesday would be a good one.  Injuries have put a damper on his season on more than one occasion, and Raonic's preparation coming into the US Open was not nearly as successful as he would have hoped.  But it is still hard to bet against the 10th seed, given his record against Verdasco on this surface and the way his game translates to the hard courts.