The quarter finals of the US Open get underway on the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday and with all of the singles matches from here on in on the main show court the status of the event is about to rise considerably.
We were due to get the defending women’s champion and world number one Iga Swiatek on show on Tuesday but her demise on Sunday night leaves us with an open women’s half while three Americans will be looking to progress on the men’s side.
Day Session
Jelena Ostapenko vs Coco Gauff
We begin on Arthur Ashe Stadium with the women on Tuesday and the match where the world number one Iga Swiatek was due to be playing but instead it is her conqueror Jelena Ostapenko who will meet the Cincinnati champion Coco Gauff.
These two women have both had to come through to this quarter final the hard way with a number of marathon three-set matches and I don’t think it would surprise anyone if this one goes the same way. Ostapenko has been her usual self in that her inspired spells are incredibly good and her poor spells are pretty terrible but if beating the world number one doesn’t fill you with confidence I’m not sure what will. Gauff hasn’t looked that good to me at all so far. I wonder if the expectancy of the home crowd is getting to her and if it is then that is only likely to have ramped up some after the demise of Swiatek. I give Gauff a lot of credit for battling her way through to this quarter final but in three of the four matches she has looked like she is waiting to be put out of her misery. I think the Latvian is value to oblige here.
Taylor Fritz vs Novak Djokovic
The first of the quarter finals from the men’s draw sees the leading American player in the world in Taylor Fritz looking to do the seemingly impossible and knock off the former champion Novak Djokovic on the main court.
Fritz has gone about his business in a fairly routine fashion so far in this tournament but he won’t need telling that things ramp up a notch here. Djokovic has already survived a huge scare earlier in the competition and now faces a man who can take the racquet out of his hands. Fritz is one obstacle to Djokovic here but the weather could easily be another one. Djokovic visibly struggled with the humidity in Cincinnati last month and it might be doubled down on another scorching day in New York and this match is scheduled for mid-afternoon when the sun might be at its most intense. That would certainly put me off backing Djokovic to cover any caps but he usually finds a way to get it done so I’m not massively interested in opposing him.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THIS TOURNAMENT! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Night Session
Sorana Cirstea vs Karolina Muchova
The night session begins with the second women’s quarter final which sees the French Open finalist Karolina Muchova going up against the lower ranked player left in the competition in the form of the Romanian ace Sorana Cirstea.
Cirstea is back in the quarter final of a Grand Slam some 14 years after her first one and that already highlights how big this match is for her. The Romanian has been having a decent campaign though and having beaten Elena Rybakina and Belinda Bencic here she certainly merits respect. Her status in the game doesn’t lead her to too many night sessions at venues like this in matches of this magnitude though so that could be something which goes against her. Muchova is much more used to this situation and she is used to competing in Grand Slam quarter finals. This is her second of the year and fifth in total, although it is her first here. Muchova was made to work hard in the previous round and Cirstea comes here without a lot to lose. I’m expecting a close match between these two but as she is my outright bet I hope Muchova comes through. That long-term punt can act as my interest in this one though.
Frances Tiafoe vs Ben Shelton
The last match on the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday is the all-American clash between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, a contest which guarantees that for the second year in succession a home player will be competing in the semi-finals.
Tiafoe was the man who was in the last four a year ago and he’ll be keen to get back to that stage of his home Slam here. He has played some solid tennis in the tournament so far but I think it is fair to say he’ll face his toughest test in this match. That is the case even though Shelton is playing in his first Grand Slam quarter final. He produced some showreel tennis in the previous round, not least those two 149mph bombs on serve and if he serves to that standard here he is going to take a lot of beating here. This is their first meeting and you sense they are going to bring the entertainment for the primetime show. I think Shelton has the game to win this but whether he is a little too inexperienced remains to be seen. Tiafoe is a little short to me but his previous history of this stage of events like this might just give him enough of an edge to get over the line. I’m not interested in him at the prices though.
Tips
Back J.Ostapenko to beat C.Gauff for a 3/10 stake at 3.00 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2023
