Damien Kayat takes a look at selected quarter and semi-finals taking place at the US Open between 9-10 September.
2021 ATP and WTA Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
US Open
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre
Selected Quarterfinals and Semi-Finals 9th-10th September
Quarterfinals- 9th September
Novak Djokovic 2/15 | Matteo Berrettini 48/10
It’s amazing to think that Novak Djokovic will be aiming to reach the Flushing Meadows semi-finals for the first time since 2018. The calendar Grand Slam. A record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title. Is there anything else to say about Djokovic at this point? We all know what’s on the line here. He looked tentative in the opening stages against Brooksby before finally imposing his dominance on the fatigued American. It will be fascinating to see how he takes on the ultimate one-two punch in men’s tennis at present: Matteo Berrettini. The Italian’s serve and forehand have operated with Del Potro-like ruthlessness. Excluding the Olympics, Berrettini is 16-2 since losing to Djokovic in the French Open. He reached the semi-final here in 2019 and played his maiden Grand Slam final at this year’s Wimbledon Championships. I backed him prior to this event and he will always stand a chance should those two prime weapons operate.
Verdict: Berrettini to win at 48/10– This is an excellent price for Berrettini in this form. I’m going for the surprise here (and not just for shock value). Djokovic leads the Italian 3-0 in their head-to-head matches. But this will be their first meeting on an outdoor hardcourt. Berrettini’s added power could give him an edge in this arena. He also led the Serbian by a set at Wimbledon earlier this year. Djokovic has already blown one golden opportunity earlier this year by losing in the Olympic semi-finals. He’s not inhuman.
Karolina Pliskova 73/100 | Maria Sakkari 21/20
I’m quite torn with this clash of two of my pre-tournament selections. On one hand, you have the venerated veteran Karolina Pliskova. The 2016 US Open finalist has been exceptional thus far in New York, dropping just one set in that nail-biting 3rd round tie against Anisimova. This has been a year of resurgence for the Czech (despite not winning a title). She reached her 2nd Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and also reached the final in Canada. As I noted prior to this event, I think she has benefitted from slightly diminished expectations this season. She has a laser-focus oddly reminiscent of Alex Zverev at present. Her quarterfinal final opponent this year will be the 26-year-old Greek Maria Sakkari. She just picked up a devastating come-from-behind win against the seemingly indestructible Andreescu. But how much will it cost? The match was 3 hours and 30 minutes of physically arduous tennis: she actually ended up doing her post-match press conference at 2:30 a.m.! They share the head-to-head record at 1-1 but this will be their first career meeting on a hardcourt.
Verdict: Sakkari to win at 21/20- I’m tempted to go for the straight-sets Sakkari victory at 23/10. I know I have been bigging up Pliskova this year. But I can’t help but shake the feeling that Sakkari is on the brink of something exceptional. That semi-final run at Wimbledon showed that she has all the tools to compete at this level. And then she ended Andreescu’s ten-match US Open unbeaten winning streak with such sangfroid. She’s already eliminated two giants in Kvitova and Andreescu. I think a 3rd could be on the way.
Semi-final- 10th September
Leylah Fernandez 29/10 | Aryna Sabalenka 24/100
Canadian ingenue Leylah Fernandez has reached the US Open semi-finals a day after turning 19. Just look at her trio of three-set victories coming into this semi-final. She beat Osaka, Kerber and Svitolina in three titanic struggles. It seems as if she has access to some inner power when faced with the abyss of defeat. It’s been mesmerizing to watch. Her ferocious ball-striking and competitive zeal has been one of the standouts of this fairly crazy US Open. The way that she channels the frenzy of the crowd is akin to Connors in his pomp. Next, she faces Aryna Sabalenka who once again gave a dominant display against Barbora Krejcikova. I thought that she may be troubled by Krejcikova’s durability. But she swatted her aside with disdain, making it four consecutive straight-sets victories for the Belarusian. This is her 2nd Grand Slam semi-final of the year (which is fairly amazing considering she hadn’t gone beyond the 4th round of a Slam until Wimbledon this year). The perennial underachiever now looks set to join the likes of Barty and Osaka as a Grand Slam staple.
Verdict: Sabalenka to win in straight sets at 64/100- This looks like some real cowardice on my part. I’ve basically been doubting Sabalenka’s credentials for the entire tournament. How dare I back her against the giant-killing Fernandez? I just guess I have to eat some humble pie and say that Sabalenka looks ready. I just think there’s a raw simplicity to her power that could overwhelm Fernandez.
