The round of 16 is upon is, and with so many upsets taking place thus far on Louis Armstrong Stadium, top seeds may want to avoid the US Open’s new graveyard court.
Kevin Anderson vs. Dominic Thiem
This will open the day’s play on Armstrong. For the majority of his career, Kevin Anderson had trouble getting over certain hurdles. A year ago, he was 1-9 in the fourth round at the Majors. And six months ago, he was 0-10 in the quarterfinals of Masters 1,000 events. But the South African has turned his career around over the past 12 months, reaching two Major finals and two Masters 1,000 semifinals. He’s now at a career-high ranking of No.5. Dominic Thiem finds himself with a similar roadblock he’s yet to overcome. At non-clay Majors, he’s 0-6 in the fourth round. A year ago, he was up two sets against an ill Juan Martin Del Potro, but wasn’t able to close out the match. One year later, he’s back in the same round, trying to make his first non-clay Major quarterfinal. His head-to-head against Anderson is not in his favor, as Thiem has only defeated him once in seven tries. But he did win their last match, on the clay of Madrid earlier this year, in Anderson’s first Masters 1,000 semifinal. And Kevin has already played two five-setters this week, most recently a real tough battle against Denis Shapovalov on Friday. The slower court speed this year in New York will play to Thiem’s strengths, as he needs a little extra time to set up his big-swinging groundstrokes. Still this will be an uphill climb to take out a finalist in two of the last four Majors. The winner’s reward? A likely quarterfinal appointment with Rafael Nadal.
Sloane Stephens vs. Elise Mertens
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Their only previous meeting was just a few weeks ago in Cincinnati, where Mertens upset Stephens in straight sets. However it’s worth noting Sloane was coming off an epic and draining final in Montreal from just a few days before. I’m sure Stephens will be eager to avenge that loss. These women are two of the WTA’s strongest performers of the past 12 months. Stephens of course won in New York last year, as she did in Miami earlier this year, and was a finalist at both Roland Garros and the previously-mentioned Rogers Cup. Mertens is one of the winningest players on the WTA tour this year, with 43 match wins. The 22-year-old from Belgium already has three titles in 2018, from Hobart, Lugano, and Rabat. And Elise is 13-3 at the Majors in 2018, highlighted by her first Major semifinal in Melbourne. Stephens struggled through her second round match here, but played excellent tennis to take out an in-form Victoria Azarenka on Friday. Mertens is a dangerous opponent though, so Sloane cannot afford for her level to dip back down again here.
Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Borna Coric
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In the past few years, Del Potro struggled to have much left in his tank during the second week of Majors due to playing extended matches in the first week. But now at a career-high ranking of No.3, Juan Martin is taking advantage of having more protection within the draw. He has been extremely sharp through his first three rounds, playing like the Del Potro that won in New York nine years ago. Coric has more quietly made his way through the draw, though he’s done so almost as efficiently. While Del Potro is yet to drop a set, Coric has only dropped one, though Borna is also yet to face a seeded player. Coric has become a reliable performer on the ATP tour in 2018. With 29 match wins, he finds himself ranked inside the top 20 for the first time. After giving Roger Federer a stern test in the Indian Wells semifinals, the 21-year-old upset Federer to win the title on the grass of Halle. But he’ll be severely outgunned against Del Potro. Coric will need to be as steady as possible, with very few unforced errors, to stay competitive considering the way Juan Martin has been playing. Coric will likely push Del Potro more than the Argentinian’s previous opponents, but in their first-ever encounter, Del Potro is a strong favorite.
John Isner vs. Milos Raonic
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The winner of this serving spectacular will face either Del Potro or Coric on Tuesday. Out of the 13 sets played between Isner and Raonic, nine of them have been decided by tiebreaks. Isner is 4-1 against Raonic, with Milos’ only victory coming two years ago in Cincinnati. They just played two months ago in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, a match Isner won in four sets to advance to his first Major semifinal. It’s been a great year for the American, who also won the biggest title of his career six months ago in Miami. Raonic though has played better and better as the summer has progressed. He gave Novak Djokovic all he could handle in Cincinnati, and took out a resurgent Stan Wawrinka in straight sets on Friday. Of course this match will come down to just a few decisive moments, so the player with the most confidence will likely prevail. The New York crowd for this late-afternoon match on Armstrong will be strongly behind Isner, which could also be a deciding factor.
Serena Williams vs Kaia Kanepi
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Wow, Serena played just ferociously against her sister in the last round. As she herself proclaimed, it was the best level of tennis she’s played yet in her 2018 comeback. And Williams is 4-0 against Kanepi, having never dropped a set. So this should be smooth sailing for the 23-time Major champion. However, let’s not completely discount Kanepi’s chances. It’s going to be hard for Serena to maintain her quality from Friday through four more rounds. And Kanepi is a six-time Major quarterfinalist, most recently just a year ago in New York. The Estonian has only lost once in the fourth round of a Grand Slam event. And when she’s on, as she was against world No.1 Simona Halep on Day 1, her strokes are hard to withstand. Still, Serena is 14-2 at this stage of the US Open, having not lost in the fourth round since 2006. She should win here as well.
Other notable matches on Day 7:
- Rafael Nadal, coming off an almost four-and-a-half hour thriller with Karen Khachanov, vs. Nikoloz Basilashvili, through to a Major fourth round for the first time.
- Elina Svitlona, who is yet to get farther than this round in New York, vs. Anastasija Sevastova, a US Open quarterfinalist in both of the past two years.
- 2016 US Open Finalist Karolina Pliskova vs. Ashleigh Barty, in her first Major round of 16.
ORDER OF PLAY DAY 7 – FULL SCHEDULE
Play begins 16:00 GMT unless otherwise stated
Arthur Ashe Stadium Day session (5pm UK start)
R. Nadal (ESP) [1] vs. N. Basilashvili (GEO)
K. Kanepi (EST) vs. S. Williams (USA) [17]
Night session (Midnight UK start)
S. Stephens (USA) [3] vs. E. Mertens (BEL) [15]
J. Del Potro (ARG) [3] vs. B. Coric (CRO) [20]
Louis Armstrong Stadium Day session (4pm UK start)
D. Thiem (AUT) [9] vs. K. Anderson (RSA) [5]
A. Barty (AUS) [18] vs. Ka. Pliskova (CZE) [8]
J. Isner (USA) [11] vs. M. Raonic (CAN) [25]
Grandstand
Not before 10pm
A. Sevastova (LAT) [19] vs. E. Svitolina (UKR) [7]
