We are down to eight men and eight women remaining in the singles draws, as quarterfinal action gets underway on Tuesday.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Diego Schwartzman
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What an amazing opportunity for both of these men to make their first major semifinal. Carreno Busta has not dropped a set on his road to this quarterfinal, though he’s had a dream draw as he’s faced nothing but qualifiers until this round. Schwartzman had a more impressive run to this stage, defeating former US Open champion Marin Cilic as well as a quarterfinalist from last year, Lucas Pouille. Schwartzman though received treatment to his right leg during his win on Sunday. At 5’7”, Schwartzman is the shortest major quarterfinalist in 23 years, and he can ill afford to have his movement hampered by a leg injury. This will be the first meeting between these two surprising quarterfinalists. Carreno Busta is the more accomplished player and will be the favorite on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see how both men handle the pressure in the biggest moment of their careers, as that will undoubtedly impact the outcome.
Anastasija Sevastova vs. Sloane Stephens
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Here’s another quarterfinal where the players have never before faced each other. This is Sevastova’s second straight year in the US Open quarterfinals, coming off her victory over Maria Sharapova on Sunday. Sloane Stephens has had a fantastic summer after missing almost a year due to a foot injury. She is now 12-2 in her last three tournaments, with her only losses coming to top 10-ranked players. This is the farthest Stephens has advanced in her career at her home major, though she’s a former Australian Open semifinalist and Wimbledon quarterfinalist. Sloane is such a great mover on the court, which may make the variety in Sevastova’s game less effective than it was against Sharapova. I like Sloane’s chances here to reach the semifinals at her third straight event.
Venus Williams vs. Petra Kvitova
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This is a big-time matchup to headline the night session. After struggling with her form this summer, Kvitova’s groundstrokes have been so strong during this fortnight, especially in ousting tournament favorite Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round. Meanwhile Venus Williams has also played very solidly through four rounds, just as she has at all the majors this year. Kvitova leads their head-to-head 4-1, with their most notable match being a memorable encounter at Wimbledon in 2014, which Petra won 7-5 in the third. Also notably, every match they’ve played has gone to three sets, and I expect another tight contest here. If Kvitova hits the ball as sharply as she did on Sunday, it will be extremely difficult for Venus to prevail. But it’s hard to expect Kvitova to maintain such a high level – she’s always been a streaky player, and has only been back on tour for a few months. Her hand is still not fully recovered from the attack she suffered in her home late last year, and this is actually her best career showing in New York. I expect Venus to be the steadier player and to return to the US Open semifinals for the first time in seven years.
Sam Querrey vs. Kevin Anderson
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The night cap on Arthur Ashe Stadium will be the fifteenth meeting in what has become an intriguing rivalry between these two big men. Overall Querrey leads Anderson 8-6 in their careers. Most recently, Querrey outlasted Anderson in a five-set battle in the fourth round of Wimbledon in July, though Anderson gained revenge a few weeks later on the hard courts of Montreal. Querrey has been in stellar form thus far in Flushing Meadows, especially in dropping just five games to Mischa Zverev in Sunday’s night session. Querrey will try to recapture that same night session magic in this match, though this is a much tougher matchup as both men play very similar styles. This is Querrey’s third major quarterfinal, and he’s 1-1 in this round. Anderson is 0-1, as he lost in the US Open quarterfinals two years ago to Stan Wawrinka. As noted by Simon Cambers on Twitter, Anderson will be making his Arthur Ashe stadium debut, as his US Open quarterfinal two years ago was actually played on Louis Armstrong Stadium. That could be a big factor here. This could easily be a four or five set battle that goes late into the night, or technically the next morning. Both men will be feeling a ton of pressure, as they’ll know this is a golden opportunity to make a major semifinal. They’ll also know whoever wins this match will be the favorite against either Carreno Busta or Schwartzman in the semifinals. The statistics seem to slightly favor Querrey, but I would not be surprised if Kevin Anderson pulls this one out.
