The quarter finals of the US Open begin inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows in New York on Tuesday when the bottom half matches in both singles draws takes place across the two sessions of action in the Big Apple.
We’ve seen plenty of shocks and surprises in this tournament to date but despite that there is no shortage of quality taking to the court in the four matches. Both draws look wide open now so competitive tennis looks guaranteed.
Day Session
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Daniil Medvedev
The Tuesday action begins on Ashe with the sole remaining qualifier in the men’s draw in action when the rising Dutch ace Botic van de Zandschulp faces the biggest test of his career when he meets the number two seed Daniil Medvedev.
Van de Zandschulp has got plenty of tennis in his legs in this tournament. All three of his qualifying matches went to a deciding set and he’s twice gone the distance in the main draw, winning his other two matches in four sets. He has seen off Casper Ruud and Diego Schwartzman though and neither of them surrender without a fight which is something that bodes well for the Dutchman. As good as they are though, Medvedev is a step up on both of them and he has looked in awesome touch in this tournament. That probably isn’t a surprise given that in the lead up he won in Toronto and reached the semi-finals in Cincinnati. It is hard to see anything but a Medvedev win here but we’re getting to the stage where his opponents deserve to be respected for their exploits to get to this part of the event. I’m happy to leave this one alone.
Elina Svitolina vs Leylah Fernandez
The day session match in the women’s draw sees the number five seed Elina Svitolina taking on one of the stars of the tournament so far in the unseeded Leylah Fernandez, who has chosen the biggest fortnight of her career to launch herself into the spotlight.
Fernandez arrived here as a talented player who people were waiting to go to the next level and I think it is fair to say she has done that here. She has beaten Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber from behind in the last two rounds and looks incredibly good in the process. Credit must go to Svitolina though. Her Grand Slam form doesn’t live up to her form over the rest of the year but her win over Simona Halep in the previous round suggests she is beginning to warm to the task in the bigger events. I think we’re in for a cracking contest here with two players playing some fine tennis. Over 20.5 games looks good to me here given that these are fairly evenly matched based on their performances this week.
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Night Session
Barbora Krejcikova vs Aryna Sabalenka
The women’s match in the night session sees the only remaining Grand Slam winner in the field in Barbora Krejcikova taking on the highest ranked player left in the competition in Aryna Sabalenka in what should be a cracking quarter final.
Sabalenka has looked very good in this tournament so far but Krejcikova has made it to the last eight without dropping a set and is playing very well as she goes for a second Grand Slam title in her last three outings. There is a sense that power meets finesse in this match and it will be interesting to see which way this one goes. This is the first time Sabalenka has been on Arthur Ashe in this tournament though which could be significant. I still expect the pressure to get too much for her at some point but in fairness there has been no sign of that to date. There are enough doubts on both sides for me to leave this well alone.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Carlos Alcaraz
The match that I think most judges are looking forward to over the course of the day sees the Canadian ace Felix Auger-Aliassime bid to make it through to the semi-final of a Grand Slam for the first time when he takes on the new Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz has been a breath of fresh air in this tournament and has come through two titanic five-setters in the last two rounds, the first of which saw him dispose of Stefanos Tsitsipas. He was a bit more fortunate against Peter Gojowzcyk in the last 16 though as he trailed 2-1 in sets before the German’s legs went. There’s no chance of Felix’s legs failing him here but you have to wonder how full the Alcaraz petrol tank is in this match. It can’t be anywhere near full pelt. I thought Auger-Aliassime put in one of his best ever Grand Slam performances in the last round against Frances Tiafoe, which was a great effort when you consider he was involved in a titanic tussle with Roberto Bautista Agut in the round prior to that. Alcaraz has had a brilliant tournament but FAA could emphatically end it here.
Tips
Back E.Svitolina vs L.Fernandez – Over 20.5 games for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
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Back F.Auger-Aliassime vs C.Alcaraz – Under 39.5 games for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Boylesports
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