US Open picks: women’s semifinals

Coco Gauff
Mel Taam/MALTphoto

Coco Gauff over Karolina Muchova

This should be a very tight match, as the American is playing as well as she has over the past two months. Rapidly, Gauff improved her forehand, her first serve, and her return. After she lost against her good friend, Jessica Pegula , 7-5 in the third set, she continued to focus, and then,  she rose.

Yes, she is on the blaze, but she still has to understand what she has to do, point to point. The great Serena Williams did, and that is why she has won 23 Grand Slams. Gauff has won five titles, but no Slams, yet. It is time to try, again.

Believe it or not, in Cincinnati, in the final, Gauff beat  Muchova 6-3, 6-4. It was some what close, but the Czech missed a bunch of easy shots. However, at least she made the final at Roland Garros, and she nearly beat Iga Swiatek, but she lost  6-4 in the third. Close, but no cigar.

She has only won one title, a small place, so while she is much more suitable, she can lose control.
Because of that, deep in the third set,  Gauff will hit a few gigantic winner and she will win 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Madison Keys over Aryna Sabalenka

At Wimbledon in the quarters, the Belarus took her down,  somewhat easily 6-2, 6-4. She will attack early, and with her forehand and her backhand, she will rein. Yes, the new No. 1 can still throw in a decent amount double faults, but it is a lot better now, this year.

Keys knows that if she wants to beat her, she has to jump her early, and while the American can assault her immediately, it also is that when she is running, side to side, and she hits it, then she will try to hit it on the lines. Keys  has gone deep before, reaching the final the 2017 U.S. Open, and she lost against Sloane Stephens, but she did have a terrific event. As she said: “I think I just find another gear when it comes to Slams. Part of it is that I put a little bit more pressure on myself, which is a good thing and also a bad thing sometimes. But I’ve just peaked at the right time. I haven’t had too many disappointing exits at Slams.”

Can she beat  Sabalenka on Thursday night?  I would say yes, a real upset, winning it  2-6, 6-4, 6-4.