Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz are two of three teenagers to reach the US Open quarterfinals, along with Emma Raducanu, who will play on Wednesday. It was only two years ago when a then-19-year-old Bianca Andreescu won this title. Will another teenager become champion this week in New York?
Fernandez and Alcaraz have two well-established stars standing in their way: Elina Svitolina and Felix Auger-Aliassime. They are joined on Tuesday’s schedule by another improbable quarterfinalist, qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp, who will face 2019 runner-up Daniil Medvedev. And the day’s most blockbuster matchup sees two top 10 seeds square off, in Aryna Sabalenka and Barbora Krejickova.
Daniil Medvedev (2) vs. Botic Van de Zandschulp (Q) – 12:00pm on Arthur Ashe Stadium
What an effort by the 25-year-old Dutchman, ranked 117th in the world, to advance to the quarterfinals. Botic dropped the first set in each of his three qualifying matches, as well as his first three matches in the main draw. He’s taken out two top 15 players in Casper Ruud and Diego Schwartzman, the two best wins of his career. But what could be possibly have left after 18 sets played across four main draw matches, and 27 sets played over the last 13 days? Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev has been purely dominant through four rounds, dropping only 32 games through 12 sets. This should be a straightforward victory for the World No.2, who is looking to advance to the US Open semifinals for the third straight year.
Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Leylah Fernandez – Second on Arthur Ashe Stadium
Can Leylah Fernandez upset a third consecutive top player? Her shocking wins over Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber, each after losing the first set, exhilarated the New York crowd. The Canadian will be the underdog again on Tuesday, and will certainly have the audience behind her. If she can maintain her level from the last two sets of her last two matches, while taking balls early and using her lefty-ness to create sharp angles, she has a legitimate shot of becoming a semifinalist. However, Svitolina is yet to drop a set this fortnight, and is playing with supreme confidence coming off her Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo. She’s also on a nine-match winning streak, dating back to her title run two weeks ago in Chicago. Svitolina claimed their only previous meeting in straight sets, last year in Monterrey, which incidentally is the event where Fernandez won her first WTA title this year. Elina’s speed around the court will counteract some of Leylah’s offense, and her experience should prove to be a crucial asset. Svitolina was a semifinalist in her last appearance here two years ago, and I like her chances to repeat that feat.
Aryna Sabalenka (2) vs. Barbora Krejcikova (8) – 7:00pm on Arthur Ashe Stadium
The biggest question in this match could be the condition of Krejcikova. At 6-5 in the second set of the last round against Garbine Muguruza, Barbora took an extended medical timeout off court, later describing that she couldn’t breathe and felt dizzy. Once returning to court, Krejcikova would close out the match in a second set tiebreak, much to the chagrin of Muguruza and her team, who were not happy about the long break, or the time Barbora was taking between points. If the French Open singles and doubles champion is fully recovered, she’s the favorite on this day. Krejcikova has now won 29 of her last 32 matches, and is another player who has not dropped a set thus far. Notably, Sabalenka did take their only prior meeting in three sets, last fall in Linz. But Barbora is a completely different player now, with few holes in her game, and more variety than Aryna.
Felix Auger-Aliassime (12) vs. Carlos Alcaraz – Last on Arthur Ashe Stadium
This is the only singles quarterfinal of the day where neither player has previously reached a Major semifinal. Auger-Aliassime was one match away from doing so at Wimbledon, but lost in four sets to eventual runner-up Matteo Berrettini. Alcaraz only debuted at the Grand Slam level this year, and is now the youngest men’s singles quarterfinalist of the Open Era, and the youngest man into the quarters of any Major since Michael Chang at 1990’s French Open. These two men both find inspiration in the Nadal family. Carlos idolizes Rafa, while Felix is currently coached by Rafa’s uncle and longtime coach, Toni. Felix’s considerable edge in experience, as well as his superior serve, should enable him to achieve his first Major semifinal. However, this is another case where the crowd will be firmly cheering on the teenager, and Carlos has embraced that energy and used it to propel himself to victory. Alcaraz plays with a level of belief rarely found in players his age, while Auger-Aliassime has been known to tighten up under pressure. But the Canadian has displayed impressive composure in recent wins over Sascha Zverev and Frances Tiafoe, and I think he’s ready to take his career another step forward.
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.
