Spanish await in first-round battle

TENNIS: It will be a case of the Aussies against the Spanish Armada when the US Open starts in New York tonight.

All four Australian players in action on day one will come up against Spanish opposition.

With 11th seed Sam Stosur and qualifier Casey Dellacqua not required until day two, Ipswich teenager Ashleigh Barty will be the sole Australian representative in the women’s draw tonight when she plays world No.101 Estrella Cabeza Candela.

Barty, whose best singles result at a grand slam this year came at the French Open, where she lost to world No.12 Maria Kirilenko in the second round after beating Czech Lucie Hradecka 7-5 2-6 6-1 first-up, was given a wildcard into the event.

If the 17-year-old manages to get past the Spaniard, she would most likely face No.32 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchen- kova from Russia in the second round.

While Barty has the game to rise into the top 100 in the world next year, her best chance at Flushing Meadows may be in the doubles where she will again partner Dellacqua, the pair runners-up at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year.

In the men’s draw tonight, the world’s top-ranked junior, 18-year-old Nick Kyrgios, faces the Herculean task of beating No.4 seed David Ferrer.

Kyrgios, this year’s junior Australian Open winner, played in the French Open on a wildcard and stunned Czech veteran Radek Stepanek with a first-round 7-6 7-6 7-6 victory.

The Canberran, who was the youngest men’s player at the French Open and is the only male teenager competing in New York, came from a set down in the final round of qualifying to beat Tunisian Malek Jaziri 4-6 6-4 6-3.

Marinko Matosevic, chasing his elusive first grand slam singles win, will face 19th seed Tommy Robredo. The Aussie will fancy his chances of an upset after beating Robredo at Indian Wells in their only meeting in March.

Australia’s highest-ranked male player, world No.52 Bernard Tomic, will meet Albert Ramos in his first match at Flushing Meadows since being booed by fans and accused of tanking against Andy Roddick last year.