Top seed Carlos Alcaraz begins his title defense against German lefty Dominik Koepfer at the 2023 US Open. The match will be played on Tuesday, August 29, 2023.

Carlos Alcaraz is the second-favorite to retain his US Open title after Novak Djokovic according to the oddsmakers and the latest Power Rankings generated by the AI models currently in use at this year’s tournament. That probably sounds right, and the Spaniard is powerless to prevent Djokovic from taking over as the World No. 1 at the end of the tournament. Alcaraz, however, will focus on what he can change and what he is in control, of as he begins his 2023 campaign against German lefty Dominik Koepfer. Alcaraz has the best winning record on the ATP Tour this season, with 53 wins from 58 matches.

Dominik Koepfer hit a purple patch on hard courts in the lead-up to the 2023 US Open. The World No. 75 began his US swing with a quarterfinal run in Atlanta where he pulled off stonking wins over John Isner and Dan Evans. A week later, Koepfer had an even better run, reaching the semifinal in Los Cabos – his first on Tour in 2023 – where he fell to Australia’s Alex de Minaur. The lefty did not sign up for the Masters doubleheaders in Toronto and Cincinnati, electing to play in Winston-Salem this past week where he lost in the Round of 16 to Jiri Lehecka. Can the Koepfer record the upset of the day?

Even though these two players haven’t played each other beforehand, that won’t matter for the top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz who is steaming with confidence entering the 2023 US Open. The 20-year-old finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the Cincinnati Masters a couple of weeks ago, in a match he came within a whisker of winning. Such fine margins though will be a learning experience for Alcaraz who will undoubtedly be one of the favorites to reach the final in New York. Back Alcaraz to record an emphatic win in his first outing at Flushing Meadows this week.