Cape Town - South Africa’s Kevin Anderson faces a tough task attempting to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
The South African No 1 has never reached the quarter-finals at a major championship, having stumbled at the fourth round stage no fewer than seven times.
The 15th seed is playing well at the current US Open in New York, but the odds are against him reaching a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final.
He will face third seed and 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray later on Monday - a player Anderson has struggled against in recent times.
The British No 1 boasts a 5-1 win-loss record against Anderson, with the South African’s lone victory coming at a Masters 1000 event in Canada in 2011.
Murray's wins include the first round of the 2010 Australian Open, the fourth round at last year’s Wimbledon, a 2014 Valencia quarter-final, the fourth round in Miami this year and the Queen's Club final in June.
The winner of the Anderson-Murray match will face the winner of the match between French Open champion Stan Wawrinka and American Donald Young, with a possible semi-final against five-time champion Roger Federer on the cards.
It’s no doubt a tough ask for Anderson, but he has played well in New York this past week and also entered the US Open on the back of a third career title, beating Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the Winston-Salem final.
That title was a major confidence booster for Anderson, considering the fact that he had lost all seven finals he contested since his last tournament victory at Delray Beach in 2012.
Local bookmakers Sportingbet.co.za also have Murray as firm favourite to win, with Anderson considered a 6/1 outsider.
The Anderson-Murray duel is the third match scheduled for the Louis Armstrong Stadium on Monday.