It’s already time for the quarter-finals at the US Open Championships, and there is some blockbuster action on Day 2 of this stage! Several top seeds are playing tonight, with Serena Williams, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro all ready to take to the court.
Murray will be playing for glory, Serena to hold her title, and Del Potro, perhaps, for redemption, for his comeback.
Here’s what you should expect:
Andy Murray vs Kei Nishikori
This one promises to be a riveting game. Both players have been playing excellent tennis this year, but it is quite obvious Murray has the upper hand here. Not only is he World No. 2 to Nishikori’s No. 7, the Scot comes in on back-to-back wins at Wimbledon and singles gold at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 – where he beat Nishikori in the semi-finals.
And it’s looking like an uphill battle for Nishikori tonight – the pair have met 8 times in the past with Murray winning seven of those matches.
That said, Nishikori won his own maiden Olympic medal this year – the bronze, pulling off a strong win over Rafael Nadal en route. He also seriously taxed Novak Djokovic this year and has more than proven he can fight the best.
Nishikori and Murray’s rivalry, although one-sided from a distance, is not as lopsided as it appears. In the pair’s Davis Cup singles tie earlier this year, Nishikori took Murray to five sets – one of which Murray won in a tiebreak, showing just how close that match was.
All but one of the pair’s matches have been on hard courts. The pair have only played each other once before on the Grand Slam stage, at the Australian Open in 2012, with Murray ousting Nishikori in straight sets in the quarter-finals.
Murray has already significantly bettered his performance from 2015, where he lost in the fourth round to former top-10 player Kevin Anderson.
One cannot discount Nishikori’s tenacity and clean shot-making, and the Japanese has long had the ability to hold on through long, taxing matches even against power-hitting – as evinced in the semi-finals of the Rome Masters this year.
Given the stage, Nishikori won’t go down without a fight.
Prediction: Andy Murray to win this in four sets.
Serena Williams vs Simona Halep
World No. 1 Serena Williams. GOAT. The American, 34-years-old, is fresh off her 22nd Grand Slam singles title, which saw her equal Steffi Graf’s Open Era record; she has also surpassed Graf’s record for longest streak as the top-ranked women’s tennis player.
That aside, Williams is on the back foot in terms of keeping her ranking, which is precariously perched, with World No. 2 Angelique Kerber closing in on it. Wililams now must win the title if she is to keep her ranking.
The American is, however, yet to drop a set going into her quarter-final today. She finished in the semi-finals last year, ousted by Italian Roberta Vinci, the eventual runner-up at the tournament.
She also has six titles at her home tournament already, and has rarely ever been taxed here at the US Open.
Simona Halep will not be very hopeful going into this match – of the 8 times the two have played against each other, Halep has won once. The only total win she had over Williams was by walkover at Indian Wells last year.
It thus goes without saying that Williams is the better player across all surfaces. Although Halep can put up a tenacious fight, she is unlikely to take a win over a powerful Williams fighting to defend her No 1 title and serving as powerfully as ever.
Prediction: Serena Williams to win in straight sets
Juan Martin del Potro vs Stan Wawrinka
One top seed – one wild card, and one of them has an Olympic silver medal this year. No prizes for guessing that it’s the wild card Juan Martin del Potro has been in the better form lately. After having struggled with injury for a number of years, Del Potro, who has undergone several surgeries, came back in brilliant fashion to do well at WImbledon; he finished in the third round against Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who has also been nothing short of impressive this year.
Del Potro took a dream win over Novak Djokovic at the Olympic Games this year. Playing each other in the first round, Del Potro decimated Djokovic in straight sets, leaving the Serb with a first-round exit.
The tall Argentine would go on to take several brilliant victories – and in the semi-finals ousted an also in-form Rafael Nadal, putting up a solid fight against Andy Murray in the final.
Stan Wawrinka may be the third seed here, but he has struggled in matches that did not merit a ‘struggle’. Italian journeyman Alessandro Giannessi, following which Briton Daniel Evans took Wawrinka to five sets.
It has not been smooth sailing for the Swiss, who pulled out of the Olympics this year with only a few days to spare for the tournament, speaking about a back injury that had hampered his progress.
Del Potro, meanwhile, has been having a dream run despite not having been seeded at the tournament. Although he has been slightly taxed by a few opponents, Del Potro has not dropped a set so far into the tournament, and his characteristic forehand has been on singularly fine display since before the Olympic Games.
The Gentle Giant also leads Wawrinka 4-2 in the pair’s head-to-head, and Del Potro has also taken victory in the pair’s most recent match – at the Round of 64 at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Psychologically too, the advantage here rests firmly with Del Potro. He has already won the US Open before – his only Grand Slam title so far, in 2009.
With both body and mind in top form for the tall Argentine today, he should have no problem defeating his higher-ranked rival.
Prediction: Juan Martin del Potro to win in straight sets
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