In the top half of the draw a semifinal clash between Federer and Nadal seems likely but not certain. In the bottom half the only name that could potentially mesmerize the audience is Dennis Shapovalov, the rising Canadian star. And will the winner of the round of 16 match between Muguruza and Kvitova end up reaching the final weekend?
NEW YORK, FLUSHING MEADOWS – At the end of week 1, we can start drawing a few conclusions about what this year’s US Open has produced so far. On Saturday, 38,327 spectators populated the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the day session, while 24,858 attended the evening session that featured the third-round match between Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez. Despite a couple of lackluster performances in the first two matches of the tournament, Federer’s win against the Spaniard was never in doubt. Lopez’s hard-court tennis is not consistent enough to cause Federer any trouble.
Federer’s victory finalized the men’s round of 16 line-up. In the top half of draw, the following matches will be played on Monday: Nadal-Dolgopolov, Goffin-Rublev, Federer-Kohlschreiber and Del Potro-Thiem. On Sunday, the much weaker bottom half of the draw will feature the following matches: Querrey-Mischa Zverev, Lorenzi-Anderson, Shapovalov-Carreno Busta and Pouille-Schwartzman.
While talking about the wide-open draw, John McEnroe said: “The tournament’s third favorite and finalist in the bottom half of the draw will be Shapovalov.”
Like his friend Mats Wilander, SuperMac is used to surprising his audience with creative predictions and unconventional analyses, but many people are probably hoping that this time his prediction will come true. Besides Shapovalov, all the other names in the bottom section of the draw have very little appeal. If the much-anticipated Federer-Nadal semifinal materializes the worldwide audience will certainly be intrigued by a final between one of the two legends and the new kid on the block.
Federer is the overwhelming favorite in his round of 16 encounter against Kohlschreiber: Roger has never lost in eleven previous matches with the German. Nadal’s record against Dolgopolov is instead less straightforward, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head 6-2.
The top section of the draw is on paper the most difficult. Besides Federer and Nadal, Thiem and Del Potro are two world-class players. Del Potro, who defeated Federer in the 2009 US Open final, seemed very close to his best in his third-round match against Bautista Agut, while Thiem is now a solid top ten player. Dolgopolov is the type of performer that can always put on a show, Rublev is a young and up-and-coming talent and Goffin is a gifted player that relies more on finesse than power. In conclusion, Kohlschreiber is probably the only player that doesn’t seem particularly equipped to capture a Grand Slam title.
In the women’s draw, the No.1-seeded Pliskova has already flirted with elimination twice. After rallying from behind against Nicole Gibbs in the second round, on Saturday the Czech had to save a match-point against Zhang before clinching a hard-fought victory. Svitolina, who is in the top half of draw with Pliskova, has been winning her matches convincingly but without making an impression.
Unlike the men’s tournament, the ladies’ champion might emerge from the bottom section of the draw, where multiple Grand Slam champions such as Venus Williams, Muguruza, Kvitova and Sharapova will battle for a spot in the final.
Muguruza has only dropped nine games in three matches so far, including a convincing 61 61 victory over Rybarikova in the third round. In her post-match press conference, the Spaniard seemed happy with her level: “All my shots were working today,” she said.
Muguruza will clash against two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in a blockbuster round of 16 encounter. After looking a little rusty in her 75 75 first round victory over Jankovic, the Czech seemed unstoppable in her two following matches defeating Cornet 61 62 and Garcia 60 64. Despite being ranked No. 14 at the moment, Petra is a streaky champion that can perform as the No. 1 player in the world when she is at her best.
Speaking of the No. 1 ranking, at the beginning of the tournament we had eight women that could potentially become world No. 1 by doing well in New York. With Garbine’s win in the third round, Venus Williams and Simona Halep are now mathematically out of the race. The current world No. 1 Pliskova, No. 3 Muguruza and No. 4 Svitolina are the only three that still have a shot at sitting on top of the world when the tournament ends.
Without underestimating Sloane Stephens, who has enjoyed a great summer after coming back from foot surgery, in my opinion the winner of the match between Muguruza and Kvitova will eventually contest a potential semifinal against Maria Sharapova.
(Article translation provided by T&L Global – Translation & Language Solutions –www.t-lglobal.com )
