Damien Kayat previews Katie Boulter vs Peyton Stearns, Liudmila Samsonova vs Madison Keys and Marketa Vondrousova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova in selected 3rd round matches of the US Open Women’s Tennis Championships on the 2nd of September 2023
2023 WTA Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
US Open Women’s Championships
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, New York, USA (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected 3rd Round Matches – 2nd September
Katie Boulter 21/20 | Peyton Stearns 74/100
There appears to be a real British invasion at this year’s US Open and Katie Boulter is one its most compelling narratives. The 27-year-old was oft-criticised for focusing more on off-court pursuits than improving as a player.
Her career was also seriously hampered by a spinal stress fracture sustained at the 2019 Fed Cup. She struggled to recover from that injury but 2023 has seen her play the best tennis of her career. She won her maiden title in Nottingham before a 3rd round run at Wimbledon.
And she has now progressed to the 3rd round here despite never winning a main-draw match before. She needed all her grit to see off in-form Chinese Wang Yafan- though she will need to eradicate those double-faults if she wishes to progress much further (she served nine against Wang).
21-year-old American Peyton Stearns has enjoyed a similarly successful campaign, reaching her maiden WTA final at the Copa Colsanatis. She also reached the 3rd round of a Slam for the first time in Paris. She has played with real authority in New York, brushing aside Tomova and Tauson in one-sided affairs.
The former collegiate star understands how to play in these pressure-cooker conditions and I actually give her the edge over Boulter. She has been hitting the ball extremely crisply and I think she could wreak havoc on the Boulter delivery. She also snuck by the Brit when they met in Austin earlier this year.
Verdict: Stearns to win in straight sets at 16/10
Liudmila Samsonova 98/100) | Madison Keys 8/10
This promises to be a brutal slugfest between two of the harder hitters out there. These were actually my two mid-tier picks ahead of last week’s draw. So, this is kind of a win-win for me. Russian Samsonova has emerged as one of the most consistent hard-court players in the game over the last year or so.
She won three tournaments last season and reached another final in Abu Dhabi during this campaign. But it was her recent run in Montreal that truly announced her arrival as a force in the women’s game. She reached her maiden WTA 1000 final, accounting for current powerhouses Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina along the way.
She has an outstanding serve that allows her to set up easy points (think Kvitova in her prime). She eased past Liu and Korpatsch but up next for the Russian is a Grand Slam heavyweight: Madison Keys.
Big-hitting Madison Keys is a perennial threat in these elite events. The American won her 7th career title in Eastbourne and she is fresh off an excellent quarterfinal run at Wimbledon (her 9th Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance). She lost in the 2017 final here and followed that up with a semi-final the following season.
She blew Rus and Wickmayer off the court in devastating fashion and her forehand looks like it is in perfect working order. These two share the head-to-head spoils 1-1 and both of those matches went to three sets. This should be another tight encounter but I’m giving the edge to in-form Samsonova. That serve is ticking over beautifully and it could be the difference here.
Verdict: Samsonova to win in three at 38/10
Marketa Vondrousova 7/20 | Ekaterina Alexandrova 43/20
Marketa Vondrousova’s previous best result here was a 4th round in 2018. I think it’s fair to say that expectations have risen somewhat since her all-conquering run at this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
The Czech lefty has been beset by injuries throughout her career and she’s finally getting the chance to fulfil all her glorious potential. She has served exceptionally this year and her court-craft is on another level.
She prepared for this event with a quarterfinal run in Cincinnati and she has been utterly serene in Flushing Meadows, destroying Trevisan and Sherif in straight-set dawdles.
Ekaterina Alexandrova survived a tricky first-round tie with former finalist Leylah Fernandez before a commanding straight-sets win over Lesia Tsurenko. The hard-hitting Russian hit some nice form on the eve of this year’s championships, reaching the final in Cleveland to highlight how dangerous she can be if she finds some rhythm.
She will look to flatten out her groundstrokes while Vondrousova employs plenty of topspin. I just feel that Vondrousova is returning brilliantly at the moment and is going to create plenty of chances on the Russian’s delivery. She will also deploy that famed drop-shot liberally and take Alexandrova outside of her comfort zone.
The Czech player leads the Russian 3-1 in their head-to-head meetings and she should run out a comfortable winner.
Verdict: Vondrousova to win in straight-sets at 84/100
