US Open: Quarter-final Preview: Williams clash, Serena, Djokovic, Cilic favourites
After eight days of sizzling tennis action at the 2015 US Open, we have finally arrived at the quarter-finals. It’s three more wins away from the coveted title. Who are the names favoured to progress?
We preview the four quarter-finals on Day 9.
Women’s Draw
(1) Serena Williams v (23) Venus Williams
Head-to-head: Serena leads Venus 15-11
The script could not get more exciting than this. World No. 1 Serena Williams, within sniffing distance of completing the much-desired Calendar Grand Slam, has the big obstacle of facing her elder sister and former champion Venus in the quarter-finals. There’s much anticipation and trepidation over this one and needless to say, this match has got the primetime evening slot on Tuesday.
23rd seeded Venus, the 2000 and 2001 winner, weathered three-setter storms in her first two rounds. But since then she has found a new lease of life. In her third and fourth rounds, she dropped a combined total of just 10 games and one of her victims was the talented teenager Belinda Bencic.
Has Venus peaked at the right time ahead of her 27th meeting with her sister? The answer is probably yes. Will it be enough to upstage her sister as she chases history? The answer is a resounding no.
If anything, the top-ranked Serena has given us a glimpse of how much solid she can be off the ground when she played her sister at the Wimbledon fourth round this year. Serena’s defense, movement and returns were terrific and she will apply the same strategy again on Tuesday. And the 21-time Slam champion played a superb match against Madison Keys in the US Open fourth round which leaves little doubt about her form.
Prediction: Serena in straight sets.
Roberta Vinci v Kristina Mladenovic
Head-to-head: First meeting
This match is the quarter-final of opportunity. Two unseeded players advanced from the Maria Sharapova-vacated portion of the draw and both are looking to utilize this splendid chance to progress to their maiden career Grand Slam semis.
This is a contest of sheer contrasts – Mladenovic and Vinci are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. While the ebullient Frenchwoman is just starting out to climb the higher echelons of the sport, the veteran Italian is in the twilight of her career. Their games too could not be more antithetical as Vinci relies on slices and variety while Mladenovic’s forte is powerful groundstrokes with occasional forays into the net.
The 22-year-old Frenchwoman – ranked 40th – has stunned two seeds en route to the quarters. But it was her fiery display in the fourth round against last year’s semi-finalist Ekaterina Makarova where she brought out her full repertoire of strokes. With a final appearance at Strasbourg and a semi-final showing in Birmingham, Mladenovic is bubbling with confidence. But her ability to deliver under pressure has always been questioned.
That is where the experience of Roberta Vinci can come in handy. The 43rd ranked Vinci has been slowly re-building her season after a disastrous start. Back-to-back quarter-finals at Istanbul and Toronto, besides the final at Nurnberg have helped to rekindle her fire. This is her third quarter-final at New York and even though she did not have to beat any seed this time, the familiarity with the conditions and her slices might be enough to unsettle Mladenovic.
Prediction: Vinci in three sets.
Men’s Draw
(1) Novak Djokovic v (18) Feliciano Lopez
Head-to-head: Djokovic leads Lopez 5-0
18th seeded Feliciano Lopez has been making some confidence-boosting wins since the Cincinnati Masters, where he beat Rafael Nadal en route to the quarter-finals. At New York, Lopez has dropped sets only in one match – against the now-retired Mardy Fish in the second round. His dismantling of the struggling 10th seed Milos Raonic in straight sets, no doubt, has been a spectacular effort. At 33 years and 11 months, the Spaniard has reached his first ever quarter-final at the US Open.
Unfortunately, he will be locking horns in the last-eight stage with a man from whom he has managed to take just one set in five meetings. Novak Djokovic will be playing his 26th consecutive Slam quarter-finals on Tuesday and except just the one set loss against 23rd seed Roberto Bautista Agut, the top seed has not really shown any weakness that Lopez can capitalize upon.
Prediction: Djokovic in straight sets.
(19) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga v (9) Marin Cilic
Head-to-head: Cilic leads Tsonga 4-1
With the fall of the two highest-ranked players in his quarter of the draw – fourth seed Kei Nishikori and seventh seed David Ferrer – ninth seed and defending champion Marin Cilic remains the highest-seeded player. After a shoulder injury-marred beginning to the season due to which he missed the Australian Open, Cilic has had moderate success on the ATP Tour this season, reaching the semi-finals just twice – at Mercedes Cup on grass and at the Citi Open on hardcourts.
Quite naturally, the 2014 US Open champion was flying under the radar and that evidently worked in his favour. Returning to the Flushing Meadows has admittedly brought back special memories and has helped him to relax even when he had lost three sets. The quicker surface of the Arthur Ashe Stadium has also aided Cilic’s game and his serve has so far boomed 82 aces.
Much like Cilic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga too had an inauspicious start to the 2015 season, missing a chunk due to arm injury and getting to begin the season only at Miami. But his return had seen even brighter spots with the Frenchman reaching the semi-finals at his home Slam in June. The highest ranked player that the 19th seeded Tsonga has so far faced at the 2015 US Open is 41st ranked Benoit Paire. The 2008 Australian Open runner-up has dropped 36 games so far and has looked quite confident.
But would that be enough against a player who holds a 4-1 record against him on the main ATP Tour and has won their last three meetings?
Prediction: Cilic in four sets.