I do feel some meat has been left on the bone after Day 9 at the tournament, but there is time to turn things back in our own favour and that can begin on Tuesday as the Grand Slam continues.
Novak Djokovic - 2.5 games v Taylor Fritz: Ten matches have been played between Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz on the professional Tour and it is Djokovic who has won every one of those previous matches.
The four time former US Open Champion may not be as beloved as some of his peers in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and that can mean facing some hostile crowds.
It would be a real surprise if Novak Djokovic was going to be enjoying even half of the crowd supporting him for this US Open Quarter Final against the top Ranked American player.
Taylor Fritz finished as Runner Up here in New York City twelve months ago, and he remains one of the top performers on the hard courts. A Quarter Final defeat in Washington was followed by a Semi Final and Fourth Round run at the Masters, but Taylor Fritz is going to have focused on finding a way to win a Major and ensuring he peaks at the right time.
The head to head has to give Taylor Fritz pause for thought- losing all of those matches against Novak Djokovic is a factor that is hard to shift, while Taylor Fritz has lost Grand Slam matches to the former World Number 1 at both the Australian Open (twice) and US Open.
Losing here to Novak Djokovic would have really hurt Taylor Fritz two years ago, especially in the manner it happened.
He has simply not been able to compete with Novak Djokovic as well as he would have liked and it is tough to see how that changes.
There is room for improvement in the Novak Djokovic game and he is going to need that against Taylor Fritz in the form the home player is producing.
However, it is tough to know what Taylor Fritz is going to do in order to change the current tide that Novak Djokovic has built up against him.
Since their match at the Australian Open in 2021, Novak Djokovic has dominated the head to head and the former World Number 1 should have enough in the tank to find a way to secure a solid win in this one.
Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 games v Jiri Lehecka: There really isn't much to say about this selection.
Jiri Lehecka has enjoyed a couple of solid runs at the Canadian and Cincinnati Masters events building into the US Open, and he has looked pretty solid through the opening four Rounds at this Grand Slam event.
The draw has worked out pretty well for Jiri Lehecka, who has not beaten anyone Ranked higher than the World Number 59 position, but he has dropped too many sets in his run and this is a big step up for him.
Much will depend on how well Jiri Lehecka is able to serve.
If he can put his best foot forward, he has shown in previous matches against Carlos Alcaraz that he can serve well enough to put the pressure on the World Number 2.
Without a doubt, that is going to be key to making this a competitive Quarter Final.
Jiri Lehecka is going to be under pressure to serve well and that could be challenging over the course of a best of five set format.
Arthur Rinderknech showed that you can keep the sets competitive if serving at your best against Carlos Alcaraz, and that has to give the underdog some confidence. However, the Alcaraz serve is capable of building up plenty of scoreboard pressure and he has shown he can wear down Jiri Lehecka, even if the latter has the sole win when they have met on the hard courts.
This is expected to be the toughest test for Carlos Alcaraz through a couple of sets, but there is also every chance that the World Number 2 will break the spirit of Jiri Lehecka and that could see him pull away in another set with a couple of breaks. That may be enough for the favourite to eventually cover this big mark, although it is likely going to go down to the wire.
Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 games v Marketa Vondrousova: The upset over Elena Rybakina will have given Marketa Vondrousova the blueprint to what she has to do in order to reach the US Open Semi Final.
A similar performance is going to be needed in what is going to feel like a similar match up against Aryna Sabalenka, although the Czech player has lost her last four hard court matches against the World Number 1.
She was beaten in Cincinnati, but Marketa Vondrousova will take some confidence out of a match in which she created 12 Break Points against the Aryna Sabalenka serve. That is four times as many as she allowed and Vondrousova has played well in her matches at the US Open to believe that she will be able to convert more opportunities after failing to produce a single break of serve against Sabalenka in Cincinnati, despite the chances created.
Of course there will be some mental obstacles to overcome with this losing streak on the hard courts against Aryna Sabalenka to deal with.
However, Marketa Vondrousova has wins over Aryna Sabalenka on the clay courts and grass courts over the last eighteen months and the former Wimbledon Champion has Major success to give her confidence.
Aryna Sabalenka has not looked her dominant best since a disappointing Wimbledon- most players would think a Semi Final run is something to celebrate, but the World Number 1 will have greater expectations on herself.
Losses in the Australian Open and French Open Finals really have hurt too, but Aryna Sabalenka is the defending Champion in New York City and she has had a solid level in her run through to another Quarter Final.
There is no doubt that Aryna Sabalenka has to find another level if she is going to end 2025 with another Grand Slam title in the trophy cabinet, but there should be room for her to do that. Serving well is going to be key against an opponent who will be happy to slice and dice her way into those return games, but Aryna Sabalenka is familiar with Vondrousova's game and that should benefit her in this good looking Quarter Final.
MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)
Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)
Aryna Sabalenka - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)
US Open Update: 20-14, + 4.98 Units (67 Units Staked, + 7.43% Yield)
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