Soderling, Del Potro kick off U.S. Open campaigns

Soderling, Del Potro kick off U.S. Open campaigns Robin Soderling will take the court for the first time on American hard courts this summer when he plays his first-round match at the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Juan Martin Del Potro is also in action.

Robin Soderling vs. Louk Sorensen

Soderling will be in action for the first time since winning the Bastad title in mid-July when he contests his opening-round match at the U.S. Open on Wednesday. The sixth-ranked Swede has been sidelined from the hard-court summer with a wrist injury, really the only thing that has slowed him this season. Soderling owns an awesome 38-9 record, which also includes titles in Brisbane, Rotterdam, and Marseille in addition to a French Open quarterfinal. Up first for Soderling is Sorensen, a 26-year-old Irishman who registers at No. 618 in the world. Sorensen is 4-4 lifetime at the ATP level and he is set to play his first main-draw match of the entire season. He announced his retirement from tennis earlier this year in May but quickly changed his mind. Sorensen came through qualifying last week without dropping a set, but Soderling is a different beast and the No. 6 seed should prevail in straight sets if he is close to 100 percent.

Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Filippo Volandri

Del Potro and Volandri will also be squaring off for the first time in their careers when they do battle in first-round action on Wednesday. This should be a walk in the park for Del Potro against an opponent who does by far his best work on clay. In fact, Volandri's aversion to hard courts is so intense that it is almost legendary. The 29-year-old Italian is 0-3 on hard courts this season and he is coming off a blowout loss to Dudi Sela in Winston-Salem.

While Volandri is 1-5 lifetime at the U.S. Open and has not made an appearance since 2007, Del Potro is a former champion of this event (2009). The 18th-ranked Argentine missed most of 2010 due to a wrist injury, but he is a stellar 38-12 this season. Del Potro has not been at his best this summer, but that won't make any difference--at least not right now. Count on the No. 18 seed cruising in three routine sets.