- The first four quarter-finals take place as we get to the business end of the tournament.
NEW YORK, USA – The first four quarter-finals get underway but will we say any big shocks after the last couple of days?
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Jennifer Brady [28] v Yulia Putintseva [23] | H2H: Putintseva leads 2-0
In the first US Open quarter-finals for both players, a clash between the tricky and feisty Yulia Putintseva and America’s Jennifer Brady will set the scene for today’s women’s quarter-finals.
Putintseva has reached this stage of a Slam twice before, at Roland Garros, so if nothing else, she should take some confidence that she could add to that tally once more. Take away all the theatrics we generally are treated to in a Putintseva match and she is a solid player, who adds patience with an aggressive play and can construct points as well as finding ways to get under players’ skins.
Brady has a decent serve and has an aggressive game but, in this tournament, has showed a dogged resistance and her serve-forehand combination has caused some real problems for players this tournament.
Brady has yet to drop a set on her route through to the quarter-final, but Putintseva has had to deploy every ounce of her fighting spirit with her last two matches going the distance.
Prediction: Putintseva in three sets.
Borna Coric [27] v Alexander Zverev [5] | H2H: Coric leads 3-1
There might never be a better time for Alexander Zverev to make a play for a maiden Slam, but he will have to flip around a losing record to the canny Croatian Borna Coric. He and Zverev were both part of the ill-fated Adria tour with Coric testing positive but seemingly exhibiting no symptoms, compared to the draining effects that Grigor Dimitrov felt.
It has been a tough campaign in parts for Coric, with a couple of five-setters to his name, and he will grind away all day long make him a steady opponent, solid off both wings, and a wall at the baseline.
Zverev managed to avoid draining five setters, getting all but one of his matches done in four sets. Having come into press immediately after the chaos surrounding Novak Djokovic’s demise, he noted that this makes things interesting indeed – and knows this is a golden opportunity.
What should make the difference is that Zverev can be precise at the net when he chooses to, but somehow has only once managed to shake off Coric, who got the better of him at the US Open in 2017.
Prediction: Zverev in five sets.
Naomi Osaka [4] v Shelby Rogers | H2H: Rogers leads 3-0 (1-0 at WTA tour level)
In the only match that does not feature a remaining seed, Shelby Rogers has another chance to upset an apple-cart when she takes on former champion Naomi Osaka. Despite having won all three encounters against Osaka, two of them were at ITF level and her last win came on the clay of Charleston, three years ago. A lot has happened since then – two Slam titles going to Osaka being key.
However, Rogers is enjoying a real purple patch at the moment. Her grit and determination against a still rusty Serena Williams saw her halt the 23-time Slam champion in Cincinnati, and she claimed the scalp of Petra Kvitova to earn her spot in the quarter-final.
Osaka, who had to withdraw from the Cincinnati final with a hamstring injury, and has been sporting some heavy strapping has been made to work hard a couple of times for her spot in the last eight, but was in very impressive form against Anett Kontaveit.
Prediction: Osaka in three sets.
Pablo Carreno Busta [20] v Denis Shapovalov [12]
The question will be whether Pablo Carreno Busta can pick himself up after the chaotic end to his campaign against Djokovic and focus on the task in hand when he takes on Denis Shapovalov.
The Canadians have enjoyed a real surge, but he is the last man standing in the singles, and has really seemed to mature into his game.
Carreno Busta is a player who tends to play consistently but is hard to get off the baseline, despite the fact he is perfectly capable of finishing off his point at the net. Shapovalov seems to be rounding into the talent he showed from a young age, and his athleticism and power have been harnessed well during this tournament.
However the Canadian’s only win over the Spaniard has been on clay (yes, think about that for a moment!) and Carreno Busta, despite having slipped down the rankings and seedings, could well be eyeing up another trip to the semi-final to match his 2017 exploits.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in four sets.
Play starts on Arthur Ashe Stadium at 12pm (5pm BST).
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