Rain has again wreaked havoc on the scheduling this week in Cincinnati, leaving the majority of players with four matches to complete in the next three days. Nevertheless, these are the matches to follow at the Western and Southern Open on Friday.
Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Nick Kyrgios
This is a third round match that did not even get started on Thursday evening. It will be the first time these two huge hitters ever face each other. Both players pulled out of tournaments within the past few weeks due to injury, but both have looked healthy this week in Cincinnati. Nick Krygios saved a match point in his opening round against Denis Kulda with a 134 mph second serve, then went on to defeat Borna Coric despite dropping the second set 6-0. Del Potro meanwhile had a solid win yesterday against Hyeon Chung. Currently at a career-high ranking of third in the world, Del Potro has to be favored here simply due to the inconsistency of Kyrgios. But Nick is capable of beating just about anyone on just about any day, and he was a finalist here last year. If both players are freely firing their forehands, this should be fun to watch.
Other notable men’s matches:
- Kevin Anderson vs. David Goffin
- Roger Federer vs. Leonardo Mayer
- Stan Wawrinka vs. Martin Fucsovics, in a rematch from last week, when they played deep into a third set tiebreak
- Plus the winners of these matches playing again on Friday.
Madison Keys vs. Aryna Sabalenka
Keys had the best win of her 2018 yesterday, coming back from a set down to take out Wimbledon Champion Angelique Kerber, an opponent she’s struggled mightily against in the past. On Friday, she’ll meet the 20-year-old Sabalenka for the first time. Aryna is in the midst of a breakout summer. Last week in Montreal, she upset the number two player in the world, Caroline Wozniacki, in a third set tiebreak. She’s followed that up this week by defeating in impressive list of former and current top 10 players: Johanna Konta, Karolina Pliskova, and Caroline Garcia. All three of those matches went deep into a third set. That exhibits the young Belarusian’s composure, but it also shows how much tennis she’s already played this week. Does she have another upset in her? Though Keys is coming off a tough battle of her own, she should be the fresher of the two, and should feel confident coming off her big victory yesterday. This is a good draw for Madison Keys to make a run in Cincinnati.
Other notable women’s matches:
- In a battle between two of this year’s winningest WTA players, Petra Kvitova vs. Elise Mertens
- World Number One Simona Halep vs. Ashleigh Barty, in a rematch from the Rogers Cup semifinals
- Elina Svitolina vs. a young American making some noise this week, 16-year-old Amanda Amisimova
- Plus some players will be scheduled to play again on Friday.
