US Open Day 9 Preview: Four Must-See Matches - UBITENNIS
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US Open Day 9 Preview: Four Must-See Matches

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Venus Williams (zimbio.com)

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.

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Ons Jabeur Admits Rushing Back From Injury After Roland Garros Exit

Ons Jabeur has admitted she rushed back from injury just to play Roland Garros as she exited the tournament in the quarter-finals.

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Ons Jabeur (@rolandgarros - Twitter)

Ons Jabeur admitted to rushing back from injury during the clay court season after exiting Roland Garros.

 

The Tunisian is out of the second Grand Slam of the season after a three set defeat to Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Jabeur had control of the majority of the first two sets but a third set capitulation saw her clay court season end in disappointing fashion.

After the match Jabeur admitted it was disappointing to lose but is proud of her tournament in Paris, “We always want to do better, unless we win the title, you know,” Jabeur said in her post-match press conference.

“Yeah, I mean, I think it is a great tournament. I honestly wasn’t expecting to be in the quarterfinals. Especially this is kind of my first tournament after being injured.

“I think it was good. I was trying to push myself until the end, but I think pretty satisfied with the results. You always want to push for more, but I mean hopefully next time will be better, and no more quarterfinal here at the French Open.”

Despite the result Jabeur can be proud of her efforts as she looks to build on a positive week and a half in Paris ahead of the grass court season.

Jabeur also commented on her physical state after a gruelling tournament in Paris.

The Tunisian said nothing is hurting but admitted she wanted to rush back from her injury in order to be back for Roland Garros, “Yeah, thank God, there is nothing hurting. I didn’t have much time to prepare for especially clay season because it’s more physical than any other surface,” Jabeur admitted.

“I’m feeling okay. I think I rushed my way back on tour, but that’s because I wanted to be ready for the French Open. You know, like all the training and the physical training, maybe I didn’t have enough time to prepare for that, but I did my maximum. I did what I could do in a short time period.

“But, yeah, she probably played longer than me, but she’s a beast, and I wish her all the best. I mean, honestly, what she’s doing for — I feel like my story and her story are a little bit similar. I’m very happy for her and for Brazil, and hopefully she can do much more for her country.

“But, yeah, for me now I’m going to try to rest a little bit and be ready, but I’m good for now.”

Jabeur will look to be physically fit ready for the grass court season where she looks to defend her performance from last year where she reached the final.

The Tunisian outlined her grass court season towards the end of the press conference and admitted she’s hoping to play doubles with Venus Williams having played with Serena Williams last year, “Yeah, for now I think I’m going to have the same schedule. Berlin, Eastbourne,” Jabeur said.

“Maybe Venus wants to play doubles there. I’m not sure. She didn’t ask me yet. Then Wimbledon. Just trying to play as much matches as I can. To be honest with you, I want to enjoy playing on grass because I do enjoy a lot. I have my brother’s wedding before, so I’m going to party for a bit and just be ready.

“I’m hoping to go and get the title really in Wimbledon. I’m dreaming about it. It’s something that I always wanted. Last year was unfortunate because I was very close. When I put something in my mind, I know I can do it, so it’s definitely here.”

Jabeur will look to achieve her dream when Wimbledon takes place on the 3rd of July.

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Iga Swiatek Downs Gauff To Set Haddad Maia Semi-Final At Roland Garros

Iga Swiatek reaches her third Roland Garros semi-final with a straight sets win over Coco Gauff.

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Iga Swiatek (@WeAreTennis - Twitter)

World number one Iga Swiatek is into the semi-finals at Roland Garros for a third time after defeating Coco Gauff 6-4 6-2.

 

The Pole extended her head-to-head over the American to 7-0 and 14-0 in sets as her title defence will continue into the final four.

It was a valiant effort by the American but ultimately fell short of reaching the semi-finals for a second consecutive year.

Next for Swiatek is Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, who defeated Ons Jabeur in the quarter-finals.

It was a positive start from Gauff as she played aggressive, smart tennis from the beginning to test Swiatek from the baseline.

However the Pole edged to a couple of service holds and would break to love in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead as her returning quality showed.

Gauff provided an immediate response in the next game to break back as she tested Swiatek’s rally tolerance and tested the Pole’s defensive rustiness.

The American was holding onto her service games despite producing below 40% of her first serves.

Swiatek continued to find big points in pressure moments as Gauff was producing some big shots on pressure points.

In the end the Pole’s returning presence and quality showed as she broke for the set with Gauff producing a number of errors.

There was a slight moment of hope for the American at the start of the second set as she overcame the poor end to the first set with some effective point construction.

Last year’s finalist set up three break points but made some fairly erratic errors as any hopes of a comeback were snuffed out.

Swiatek remained aggressive, proactive and produced world-class depth to take advantage of Gauff’s error-prone game.

The Pole’s level of play intensified and improved as she sealed too late breaks of serve in impressive fashion as she claimed victory in 90 minutes.

Speaking after the match Swiatek said the match wasn’t easy but was happy to get through, “For sure, it wasn’t easy – the first set, especially, was really tight and Coco was really using the conditions here,” Swiatek was quoted by the BBC as saying.

“I’m pretty happy I was able to work on it and win this match because quarter-finals are sometimes the toughest matches. Even though Coco is young, she is experienced so I’m pretty happy to be in the semi-final.

“We play many tournaments in the year where we have to play day after day but I’m pretty fresh because, as you saw in previous matches. I didn’t really spend too much time on court so I’m actually happy today was a tighter match.

“I will be ready no matter what and not having a day off was something that I knew since the beginning of the tournament so I am ready for this situation.”

Another tough loss for Gauff to take as Swiatek seals her place in the semi-finals in Paris for a third time.

Next for Swiatek will be Beatriz Haddad Maia tomorrow.

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Beatriz Haddad Maia Produces Stunning Comeback Over Jabeur To Reach Roland Garros Semi-Finals

Beatriz Haddad Maia is into her first Grand Slam semi-final after stunning Ons Jabeur.

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Beatriz Haddad Maia (@rolandgarros - Twitter)

Beatriz Haddad Maia produced a stunning comeback to defeat Ons Jabeur 3-6 7-6(5) 6-1 to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

 

The Brazilian was outplayed for most of the first two sets but ultimately took advantage of an erratic Jabeur.

Too many unforced errors from Jabeur in the third set spoiled an extremely impressive first set and three quarters for the Tunisian.

Haddad Maia now awaits either world number one Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff in the last four.

The match was split into two halves with Jabeur dominating the first half with an impressive first set.

Jabeur was extremely efficient on serve and used her slice to set up effective winners with Haddad Maia having very little answer to the 14th seed.

The Tunisian broke twice in the opening stages but was broken for a second time in the seventh game as Haddad Maia continued to remain consistent on return.

However Jabeur continued to use her forehand to force Haddad Maia out of position as the seventh seed broke in the eighth game and wrapped up the opening set in 44 minutes.

In the second set Jabeur was flawless on serve, holding to love on four occasions as she looked supremely confident in her baseline play.

Tennis is a strange sport though and it’s all about quality not quantity and about when you are producing your best tennis not for how long.

That was the case as Jabeur had two break points to serve out the match but was too passive and produced a flurry of errors.

Haddad Maia held and never looked back as in the second half, was far the better player as she forced a second set tiebreak.

The Brazilian stormed to a 5-2 lead in the tiebreak and a stunning forehand winner down the line sealed the second set.

From there Jabeur was all over the place with her decision-making and committed the simplest of unforced errors.

As a frustrated Tunisian slammed her racket in frustration, Haddad Maia took full advantage hitting winners from both sides with ease as she secured six of the seven games to secure victory.

A stunned Haddad Maia was in shock as she couldn’t believe her luck as she enters a first Grand Slam semi-final.

Next for Haddad Maia will be either be world number one Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff in the last four on Thursday.

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