Thankfully, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center now has two stadium courts that can be shielded from the rain. And with all eight singles matches scheduled on those two stadiums, play should not be interrupted for any considerable length of time. Arthur Ashe Stadium will be the place to see the day’s best matchups, which include 18-time Major champion Rafael Nadal, defending champion Naomi Osaka, and Canadian sensation Bianca Andreescu.
Rafael Nadal (2) vs. Marin Cilic (22)
It’s a three-time US Open champion against the 2014 champion. Nadal owns a 6-2 record over Cilic, with Marin’s only victories coming 10 years ago in Beijing, and last year at the Australian Open. Nadal retired down 2-0 in the fifth set of that quarterfinal in Melbourne, though it was still a thoroughly deserved win where Cilic showed a lot of grit. That’s something that’s been missing from Marin’s game of late, as he’s struggled to hold leads in matches. Cilic is just 25-20 since last year’s US Open, and hasn’t gone beyond the quarterfinals of any event during that time. His serve has been quite a liability of late, as evidenced on Saturday as he served 17 double faults against John Isner. He was lucky the No.1 American let him off the hook by only converting one of 14 break points in the match. But a service performance like that won’t hold up against a healthy and in-form Nadal, who is a strong favorite to advance to his ninth quarterfinal in New York.
Naomi Osaka (1) vs. Belinda Bencic (13)
Enough can’t be said regarding Osaka’s classy and touching behavior after her dominating win over Coco Gauff two days ago. Naomi played aggressive and decisive tennis in that match, but Bencic should provide a bit more resistance today. The 22-year-old from Switzerland has put together a solid year after her career was sidetracked by injuries at a young age. Belinda started the year by winning the last Hopman Cup with Roger Federer, then won the title a month later in Dubai, where she defeated four top 10 players. And she is 2-0 against Osaka, with both of those wins coming this year (Indian Wells, Madrid). She’s on the verge of returning to the top 10 for the first time in over three years. But Belinda hasn’t had the strongest of summers. She was only 2-2 in the US Open Series, and had to retire at the Rogers Cup due to a left foot injury. Bencic also benefitted from Anett Kontaveit withdrawing ahead of their scheduled third round match on Saturday. Based on all that, as well as Osaka’s level from two days ago, Naomi should finally get her first win over Belinda.
Bianca Andreescu (15) vs. Taylor Townsend (Q)
What a tournament it’s been for 23-year-old American Taylor Townsend. She was a few points from not even getting into this event in qualifying. Just a few days later, she upset the Wimbledon champion on the sport’s biggest court in a third set tiebreak. And as hard as it must be to come back and play after the biggest of your career, Townsend followed it up by defeating Sorana Cirstea in straight sets. Her serve-and-volley play harkens back to yesteryear, and is refreshing at a time when baseline rallies are so common. But today she runs into the best WTA hard court player of 2019. 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu already claimed titles this year at Indian Wells and the Rogers Cup, and eased her way through this draw. This will be the first Major round of 16 for both women. The late night crowd in Ashe will surely be rooting for Townsend, though I doubt it will be enough to overcome the all-court game and fighting spirit of Andreescu.
Sascha Zverev (6) vs. Diego Schwartzman (20)
Sascha Zverev must be exhausted. He’s played 14 out of a possible 15 sets to survive this far, and has already spent 10 hours on court through three rounds. With little confidence and some serious serving issues, he deserves credit for battling his way to this stage. And while his opponent today is nearly a full foot shorter than him, he’s one of the best battlers on tour, who rarely defeats himself. Schwartzman has clocked nearly 50% less time on court than Zverev, and Diego is yet to lose a set. That being said, he’s also yet to face a seeded opponent. They’ve split two previous meetings, though Schwartzman’s victory was over five years ago on clay. More relevantly, Zverev prevailed last year at the Paris Masters on a hard court. However, I just don’t see Sascha having one more great escape in him this fortnight. I like Diego to reach his third Major quarterfinal.
Matteo Berrettini (24) vs. Andrey Rublev
Berrettini has rather quietly made his way through the draw, and into this second consecutive round of 16 at a Slam. As per the ATP, Matteo is playing to become only the second Italian man to reach the US Open quarterfinals, and the first in over 40 years. The 23-year-old missed out on the hype of being one of the ATP’s much-hyped Next Gen stars, having only made his Major debut last year. Berrettini has really come into his own in 2019, with 37 match wins at all levels (including five at the Challenger level). And he’s proved to be a threat on all surfaces: he won the Phoenix Challenger on a hart court, Munich on clay, and Stuttgart on grass. He was suffering from an injury after Wimbledon and didn’t win a match this summer on a hard court. By contrast, Rublev only rediscovered his form this summer after battling an injury of his own, which sidelined him for much of 2018. He hasn’t looked back since upsetting Roger Federer in Cincinnati, taking out both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios at this event. They’ve played twice before, and each been victorious once. In a very open section of the draw, where the winner will face either Gael Monfils or Pablo Andujar to make the semifinals, the difference today may be Rublev’s experience. He’s the one who’s been to a Major quarterfinal before, and that was right here two years ago.
Other notable matches on Day 8:
Donna Vekic (23) vs. Julia Goerges (26). Vekic is yet to drop a set, and is vying for her first Major quarterfinal. Goerges was a semifinalist last year at Wimbledon, defeating Vekic in the fourth round of that event. Julia leads their head-to-head 3-0.
Gael Monfils (13) vs. Pablo Andujar. Monfils survived a thrilling five-setter on Saturday night against Denis Shapovalov. This is Andujar’s first time in a Slam fourth round. The 33-year-old Spaniard only owned two match wins on a hard court this season prior to this run. The ATP has a great look at Pablo’s inspiring journey here. Monfils leads their head-to-head 3-0.
Elise Mertens (25) vs. Kristie Ahn (WC). The 27-year-old American had never won a match at a Major before last week, but defeated two French Open champions to get here, and hasn’t dropped a set yet. The WTA details her journey here. Mertens is not only yet to drop a set, but hasn’t dropped more than three games in a set.
Cocomania may be over, but McCocomania is still running wild. In a blockbuster women’s doubles match, it’s the undefeated team of Coco Gauff and Katy McNally (WC) vs. Victoria Azarenka and Ash Barty (4), two Major singles champions.
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (7) vs. Jack Sock and Jackson Withrow. Mike Bryan and Jack Sock were the men’s doubles champions here a year ago, but only one will advance to the quarterfinals.
Order of play (singles matches only)
Arthur Ashe Stadium (5pm BST start)
Naomi Osaka (1) vs Belinda Bencic (13)
Alexander Zverev (6) vs Diego Schwartzman (20)
From 12am
Marin Cilic (22) vs Rafael Nadal (2)
Taylor Townsend vs Bianca Andreescu (15)
Louis Armstrong Stadium (4pm BST start)
Donna Vekic (23) vs Julia Goerges (26)
Andrey Rublev vs Matteo Berrettini (24)
From 12am
Kristie Ahn vs Elise Mertens (25)
Gael Monfils (13) vs Pablo Andujar
