US Open 2020: Petra Kvitova vs Shelby Rogers preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Petra Kvitova vs Shelby Rogers
Date: 6 September 2020
Tournament: US Open 2020
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $39,024,000
Match timing: Not before 3 pm EDT, 12.30 am IST
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Petra Kvitova vs Shelby Rogers preview
Petra Kvitova has safely made her way through to the second week of the 2020 US open, after a comfortable straight-sets win over American Jessica Pegula.
The Czech, who is looking to better her quarterfinal finishes at Flushing Meadows in 2015 and 2017, has looked in fine touch this week. Despite having faced some difficult moments in her last two matches, she has managed to score straight-sets wins all week.
Next up for Kvitova is another talented American Shelby Rogers, who entered this year's tournament on the back of a big upset win over Serena Williams.
Shelby Rogers had a slow start to the season, losing in the early rounds of her first few tournaments. She picked up some form after coming back from the break though, and scored a slew of solid wins in the run-up to the US Open.
The American stunned Serena Williams in a three-set quarterfinal at the Top Seed Open in Lexington. She then lost to out to Jil Teichmann - an opponent who would again beat her the Western & Southern Open the next week.
A renowned clay-court specialist, Rogers wouldn't have come into the US Open series expecting a lot. Her matches in Lexington and New York, however, have given her opponents a lot think about.
Petra Kvitova vs Shelby Rogers head-to-head
Shelby Rogers, 27, surprisingly has an upper hand in the head-to-head against Petra Kvitova; she leads 1-0.
The American upset Kvitova in their only previous meeting, which came in the third round of the 2016 French Open.
Petra Kvitova vs Shelby Rogers prediction
Shelby Rogers definitely has the power and baseline consistency that can trouble Petra Kvitova. If the underdog can stay in rallies long enough to extract a few early errors, she could set herself up nicely.
But that will not be an easy task, given that Kvitova has had strong starts to almost all of her matches here in New York. Rogers will just have to stay positive and pounce at any opportunities that come her way, or else Kvitova will run away with the match.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in three sets.