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US Open picks: day 13, the women’s final

September 7, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Naomi OsakaFROM THE US OPEN – Noami Osaka is playing almost lights out. She has a big first serve — 120 mph — she runs fairly quickly, and she can rip her forehands and her backhands. She has been very focused over the past 12 days, and while she almost lost against Aryna Sabaenka, she had to bear down and she did, grabbing it 6-4 in third.

Then in the semis, Osaka played substantially better, hitting the corners, showing some variety and out-hitting Madison Keys.

We all know that Serena Williams getting better every match. Her  forehand is hefty, and her backhand is blunt. Plus, her serve is vicious.

Serena has won the Grand Slams 23 in titles and she is very close to tying Margaret Court, If Serena wins it on Saturday, then she might be the best player ever.

However, she hasn’t won it yet, so she has to wait.

Two months ago, at Wimbledon, Serena reached the final, and it looked like she had a legitimate chance for getting no. 24, but Angie Kerber beat her, as the German controlled her and she was faster and stronger.

However, Serena is practicing a lot, so she can move her feet, and sprint when she needs to.
 
But so does Osaka, who is pretty swift. The 20-year-old does like the 36-year-old, and she really wants to play her.

“It feels a little bit surreal,” Osaka said. “Even when I was a little kid, I always dreamed that I would play Serena in a final of a Grand Slam. Just the fact that it’s happening, I’m very happy about it.”

I am sure she is, but when she walks on the court, then she will lock in early, or she can become very nervous, as this is the first time that she has reached at a Grand Slam final. She knows that she needs to go toe-to-toe, as much as possible. I would think that she will, but she has to return against Serena. Serena can handle the Japanese’s servers while Osaka won’t be able to return enough of Serena’s bombs. It could be close, but Serena will win it again, in two big sets.  

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US Open men’s semifinal pick: day 12

September 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment


FROM THE US OPEN – Well, that was some kind of a match. We’re talking about the quarterfinal clash between Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem.

The Spaniard was so close to losing, but he kept hanging in there, running and running. He simply never gives up. He may not play particularly well, but he will continue to push himself to a level beyond other players.

At the end, against the now fantastic Thiem, Nadal looked in deep down and found the solution, winning 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5). Good enough.

Now, the 17-time Grand Slam champion has to face Juan Martin del Potro, who won it nine year ago, in 2009. 
 
The 32-year-old Nadal has also won the US Open three times in 2010 and 2013. Last year, he won again over Kevin Anderson, somewhat quickly. 

Recall back in 2009, when DelPo crushed Nadal in the semis. The Argentine was red hot, as he shocked the famous Roger Federer in five sets in the final. At that time, Nadal said that DelPo played amazing tennis, but it won’t happen again. Well, he has, once in a while, but not against Nadal again. The Spaniard has beaten him 11 times, while DelPo has won five. 
Last year at the USO, in the semis, Nadal beat him 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. Clearly, DelPo was exhausted after a couple hours, but Nadal nailed his forehand all the time. 

This year at Wimbledon, in the quarters, on Nadal edged him, 7-5, 6-7(7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. That was a toss-up, but Nadal served extremely well.

However, DelPo has improved this year, a lot. He is now ranked No. 3 and he could go further. He now can hit his two-handed backhand, where for many years, he couldn’t, because his left leg was almost destroyed and broken. It is hard to predict how long he will continue to be healthy. Hard to say month to month. No one really knows, but on Friday here at Flushing Meadows, he shouldn’t be tired or hurt when he walks on the court. 

DelPo does love to slice his one-hander. When he is on top of it, he will hit it very low. But look, Nadal can knock it with his huge forehand, time and time again, and that is why he has won many matches. He belts the ball.

Nadal has played very long contests in the last three matches. His serves are very good, but over the past 11 days, he is not crushing it. I am not sure exactly why, but against DelPo, if he can, Nadal has to nail it on the Ts. 

DelPo has to find away to break him, which means that he has attack on his backhand, and keep him off the baseline. Even if he does, he has to be patient. Of course, this will go five, with a long service game. In the end, DelPo will figure him out and win it, say 6-3 in the fifth. Just one break and hold on.

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US Open picks, day 9: Serena vs Sevastova, Keys vs. Osaka

September 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment



FROM THE US OPEN – Serena Williams is pretty locked in now. Over the past 10 days, she has been focused and moving well. She is concentrating, and her big serve and returns are very sharp. She has had some errors, here and there, over the first four matches. When she had to play extremely well, she has. That’s why she has won 23 Grand Slams. Serena focuses, takes a long, deep breath, and then raises it up, and punches until she knocks them down.

Anastasija Sevastova is having a blast, when she is in to it. She mixes it up, all the time, everywhere, especially her with her amazing drop shot. She might have the best one in the field. She can run, and she has a lot of creativity.  
She did upend Sloane Stephens, but the American was pretty ill. Still, Sevastova played a fine match. Can she out-hit Serena, or really bother her? Possibly, yes, if she is on track and she can confuse her, but Serena will knock on her early and win in two simple sets.
 
Keys vs. Osaka
Well, well, look at Madison Keys, who was up and down all year, but now, she is being assertive and thoughtful. That’s why last year at the USO, Keys reached the final, beating Elina Svitolina, Kaia Kanepi and Coco Vandeweghe, before she became super nervous and she was crushed by Sloane Stephens. But, this time around, she should be calmer.

The 23-year-old Keys has been doing it again over the past 10 days. Her huge first serve, as well as her forehand and backhand have all been reliable weapons. 

The same thing goes with Naomi Osaka, who is so forceful. The 20-year -old can hit her first serve around 115 mph, and she can bomb her flat forehand and backhand. Yes, all players can spin it, but still, when she want to pull off a winner, she can flat it out and smoke it.  

Keys and Osaka have played each other twice. Two years ago here, in the third round, Keys edged her 7-5 4-6 7-6(3). In 2017 at Indian Wells, Keys won in straight sets.

However, Osaka has become much better. This year, she won the title Indian Wells title.  

Is this a tossup? No, not yet. While I realize that Keys was hurt a lot this year and she was struggling mentally, right now, she is healthy and driven. Without a doubt, there will be many short, hard rallies. At the end of the third set, Keys will win, happy that she will go to the final once again.

 

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US Open picks, day 8: Stephens vs Sevastova, Nadal vs. Thiem

September 3, 2018 by Leave a Comment

FROM THE US OPEN – Can we call Tremendous Tuesday? Sure were can, with four fantastic matches.

Let’s start with the 2017 US Open champ Sloane Stephens, who will face Anastasija Sevastova. In her last two matches, Stephens was super steady, strong and fast. Mentally, she is focused. When she gets an opportunity, she runs forward. Sevastova has incredible variety, especially with her drop shots. She can be fairly quick, she can run ahead or back, and she is very emotional. They will split sets, they will have numerous rallies, and then it will be finished, with Stephens raising her arms and smiling. She will advance into the semis.

Who knew that John Isner was able to take down Milos Raonic in five sets? The American is playing so much better than he did last year. Currently, he is analyzing his options and he is going for it, with his huge serve. At the net when he is on top of the ball. However, he has to play against Juan Martin del Potro, who is on fire, and his backhand is substantially better than he was a couple years ago. His serve is massive, as is his gigantic forehand. Like Isner, del Potro is pretty clean at the net. He bends down to put it away. This has to be a five-setter, and both of them want it very badly. There won’t be a lot of rallies, but here and there, they will go side-to-side and hope they can strike winner. To me, the former US Open champ del Potro has been better over the years — when he wasn’t injured — and this week, the Argentine is playing amazing ball. He will win 7-6 in the fifth set. 
 
Serena Williams is playing better than she has since she returned in March. Her serves are very hard, her first serve and the second serve are bombs, her backhand down the lines is very clean, and her forehand is deep. Almost out of nowhere, Karolina Pliskova is confident again and she is cracking the ball. Pliskova has had a mediocre year, but when she feels good, she will put together her first serves, ace after ace, and she will immediately go for the lines. Two years ago, the Czech beat Serena 6-2, 7-6(5) in the semis. That was then, that is now. They have changed, both of them got married last year, and Serena had a baby. Times change, and off court, they are very happy. Pliskova will immediately attempt to out-hit Serena, but the American is steady now, and she is returning very well. Serena will win 7-6, 7-6, but it will be a tough contest. 

Rafa Nadal is the No. 1. In the last two matches, he looked very good at times, and so-so at other times, too. The thing is though, even when he is not serving the right way, his backhand is too short, and he isn’t attacking enough when he was returning, still, he is so smart and he readjusts. The key is that he wins. 

Can he best Dominic Thiem on Tuesday night? I would think so, because Nadal has beaten him seven times against three losses — all on clay, especially at the 2018 Roland Garros final, when the Spaniard won 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Nadal is just better than he is. However, Thiem played well last week, he likes to hit heavy spin, he has a terrific first serve, and he is fast, too. But on the hard courts, I just can’t see a Thiem victory. Nadal has won Flushing Meadows three times, while Thiem has never reached the semis. It should be a fun match, with some wonderful rallies, but Nadal will win in straight sets.

 

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Sharapova ousts Ostapenko; the picks, US Open, day 7

September 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Jelena Ostapenko
FROM THE US OPEN – Maria Sharapova went on the court and she knew that she had to focus all the time, or she would lose. She didn’t, and she was very smart, beating Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2.

It appeared this could be a close contest. In fact, it should have been, because in Madrid in May, Sharapova outlasted her 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-5. Both of them are huge hitters, from the forehand and the backhand, down the line, deep, and right on the lines. They are incredibly powerful, but this year, both of them have produced a lot of errors. On Saturday, Ostapenko had a ton of errors, and that is why she lost. She lost her concentration, and she sunk.
  
Believe it or not, Sharapova has won the night sessions at the US Open, 22-0, and counting. She has only won the title just once, in 2006, defeating Justin Henin. Since then, she has had a few chances, but she didn’t convert.

 
Can the 31-year-old do it again? Perhaps, but this year, I would be pretty surprised if she grabbed it. She has been hurt a lot this year and, while there are days when she looks very good, but there are also events when her serves are surprisingly weak, with many double faults. But she was fairly clean on Saturday night. She can nail her forehand and backhand, but she still can be erratic, and a little bit slow. 
Sharapova always practices; she loves the sport; she wants to add to her game. Maybe she will, but her right shoulder is sore. It has been for years, and she cannot use a lot of spin when she is serving. But once the rallies begin, she can rake it.

Ostapenko swings away, blasting her strokes, crosscourt, extremely hard, and down the line. The Latvian has won one at a Slam, at the 2017 Roland Garros, but now the 21-year-old makes so too errors and she insults herself. Eventually, though she can calm down and she can return to the top 5 very soon. 

Sharapova was pleased after she won and now she will face Carla Suárez Navarro<, who topped Caroline Garcia 7-6 in the third. The Spainard has lots of topspin with her heavy, one-handed backhand. However, Sharapova can hit threw her, and knock her onto the wall. Sharapova will win in two sets. 

More picks
American Madison Keys rose up when she had to, and she jumped over Aleksandra Krunic in three sets. Last year, she reached the final. Keys has not played extremely well this season, but now, she is forceful. She will face Domi Cibulkova, who overcame Angie Kerber. That’s a toss-up, but I think that Keys will take a breath in the third and win it.  

On Sunday there are two tight matches: Ash Barty versus Karolina Pliskova, and Sloane Stephens against Elise Mertens. Pliskova is totally unpredictable, but she can hit a little hard against the Aussie. However, Barty can grind her, but Pliskova will out together a number of huge first serves and win in two sets.  

Mertens is very steady, but Stephens rarely misses the ball, that is why she won the US Open last year. She will pound Mertens into the ground.

Here are two fine contests: Kevin Anderson vs. Dominic Thiem, and John Isner versus Milos Raonic. The tall Anderson is mentally stronger now, all the time. Thiem is battling, trying and push himself forward, but I am not sure that he can return frequently. Anderson will win in four sets.

Do you want a fifth setter? Well, here it is, with Raonic versus Isner. Neither of them return well, but they can serve hard and smoke their forehands. Isner will pull it off, 7-6(7) in the fifth.   

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The picks from the US Open, day 5

August 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment

FROM THE US OPEN — Serena and Venus Williams will face off in the third round at the US Open. That is pretty unusual, because over many years, they were ranked extremely high — such as No. 1 and No. 2 — so they would not meet until late — very late, in the final, or in the semis. 

But this time, their face-off is in the first week of the Grand Slam. Serena had a baby, and she returned in March, and she is ranked No. 26. Venus is ranked No. 16, and while the 38-year-old is aging, she still is a huge hitter.

Listen to Matt on US Open radio!

Many, many years ago, around 2002, I was asked to write a big newspaper piece, as to who would have more Grand Slams when they retire. I voted for Venus. I thought, she would improve her forehand, her second serve and her volley. She did, over the years. Still, Venus’ second serve is somewhat weak, and her forehand can be erratic.

But, Serena grew much better. She became faster, her serves are supersonic, she cracks her forehand and her backhand, and is focused all the time.

Today, Venus has won eight Grand Slams, while Serena has won 23 majors. Many of those victories were at her bigger sister’s expense.

When they retire, maybe in two years, Serena will likely be considered the best player ever, while Venus will be called a great champion. In general, though, both of them, Serena pushed a little harder, and employed a better strategy.

But on Friday, it should somewhat close. They have played 29 times, 17 wins for Serena and 12 for Venus. At the USO, in 2001, Venus whacked her 6-2, 6-4. But that was it in Flushing Meadows. In 2002, Serena beat her 6-4, 6-3. In 2008, Serena edged her 7-6(6), 7-6 (7), a wonderful contest. In 2015, Serena beat her again 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. 

On Friday, it will be close, too. They last time they played, when Serena returned at Indian Wells this year, Venus won 6-3, 6-4. As Venus said, she is just getting back on the court. That was correct, because Serena was pretty slow. However, now, she is getting faster and faster, which helped her reach the Wimbledon final.

So who wins? Venus looked pretty decent, upending Sveta Kuznetsova and Camila Giorgi, while Serena won easily, smoking her serves. Perhaps Venus will club her backhands and her 120-mph first serve and win it, but Serena is just too strong, and she will win in three tough sets. 
 
Men’s picks
Here is a terrific match, with Stan Wawrinka versus Milos Raonic. The Swiss is rising, while the Canadian is battling. There should be tremendous rallies, back and fourth, side-to-side and swinging away. The former USO champ Wawrinka will win in four sets.

Juan Martin del Potro will be able to attach Fernando Verdasco’s backhand, but the Spaniard is forceful. It sounds like a five-setter, and the Argentine will win it with his heavy forehand.

 

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The heat is on as Cilic, Djokovic, Kvitova triumph

August 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment


FROM THE US OPEN — Yes, we all know that the heat was stifling. It was very hot and super sticky. It happens in August, everywhere in the United States. Plus, each year, throughout the world, it will continue to become hotter and hotter. Not very quickly, but it is coming and all of you should know that. So if you like to exercise outside, get up early so you can avoid the hard sun.

Even though six men retired today, they should be used to dealing with the weather. So even if it felt brutal, as Marin Cilic (who won, BTW) said, if you want to play tennis, you have to realize that some days, it is going to stink. But in many others days, on court, it is somewhat comfortable.

Novak Djokovic won today, beating Martin Fucsovics 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. In the second set, and in the third set, he was down 4-1. He looked tired and slow; he was missing everything. Then all of a sudden, he picked it up and ran again. He drank as much as he could, he was fast and powerful and then, Fucsovics faded, he began to be sick. Djokovic crushed him, quickly. Djokovic is confident and he can be thoughtful. He is back, and he believes that he will improve even more.
 
“It’s a process. After surgery I actually thought that I’m ready to compete on a high level, which I wasn’t,” Djokovic said. “Surgery is quite an aggressive way to eliminate the issue that you have. But, it was inevitable. When you say ‘aggressive,’ that means it takes quite some time to actually recuperate all the confidence and comfort on the court, of striking the ball the way you did before that. I could feel that firsthand actually how long it takes to bring back that flow in the game.

“It took me about three, four months really to start playing consistently well match after match. I struggled in those three, four months. I’ve never faced this particular situation before, so for me it was something new but something I had to face. I’ve learned a lot in the process. I managed to grow and understand, what it takes really to get to the desired level. So last couple months have been really good for me on the court. Wimbledon win was a huge relief, more than anything else, because I just personally put a lot of expectations and pressure on myself. I’ve usually done that in the past. I think it also taught me a lesson to be more patient, to be less hard on myself and understand that some things take time. You just have to accept that and embrace it.”

He should win in three sets against American Tennys Sandgren.

Petra Kvitova won, beating Yanina Wickmayer. She has won Wimbledon twice, and she has gone deep in the semis at Roland Garros and the Australian Open, but she was never rose up at the US Open, only reaching the quarters in 2015 and 2017. But, as she says, in August in New York, she can get tired pretty quickly. 

However, even though she was disappointed when she lost in the first round at the 2018 Wimbledon, she continued to work and strive. On the hard courts, the No. 5 looked decent, but not spectacular. We will see if she gets better and better this week. And next week, if she gets there.
    
“Wimbledon was just kind of disaster for myself. But always when you’re lost, you are trying to learn something from it, and of course it’s not that easy,” she said.

“But luckily I played good in the tournaments before, so I think the pressure kind of fell down a bit. I know it’s not the strongest part of the year and still I played good tennis. I think that’s maybe it can help a little bit free here. But, of course, that as a seeded player, the pressure is always there. So far I had a great season, so of course that everyone is watching, but I don’t really feel it here.”

She will face against Yafan Wang, and Kvitova will win in three long sets.

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The Picks, US Open, Day 1

August 27, 2018 by Leave a Comment

 


FROM THE US OPEN — On Monday, on the US Open radio (listen to Matt), we talked about everything, who is playing, why, when and how?  We talked about Rafa Nadal, the favorite, in my opinion; Andy Murray (who won today)[ Stan Wawrinka (who beat Grigor Dimitrov); Juan Martin del Potro, Marin Cilic, and another two favorites: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. All of them have won championships.However, Federer and Djokovic could face each other in the quarters. The Serbian beat the Swiss in Cincinnati, in straight sets, on the hard courts. While millions of people love Federer, they have to realize that Djokovic is getting better every week. He was hurt for months, he rose up at Wimbledon, which he won, and now he is definitely one of the favorites. Don’t forget that he beat Nadal 10-8 in the fifth in the semis at Wimbledon. Here in New York, he wants to do again.

If Federer and Djokovic are not playing well this week, someone else can seriously push them. Assuming he is healthy enough, Nick Kygious could reach the third round to play against Federer and that should be a terrific contest. But first, they have to get there. Yes, Kyrgios and Federer can out dance them, but the Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Benoit Paire can threaten them, too.

Djokovic is pretty safe. Of course, either Lucas Pouille or Pablo Carreno Busta, (who reached the semis last year at the US O;en) can threaten or frustrated him, but the 13-time Grand Slam champion will hang in there. A few months ago, he couldn’t. Now he can.
 
Both Federer (against Yoshihito Nishioka in the 1st round) and Djokovic (versus Martin Fussovics in the first match) will move into the second round. And then?

Guess who is playing tomorrow? The 5-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova against the former top-10 er Patty Schnyder. Over the past year and a half, Sharapova has been hurt frequently. When she feels healthy, she is still pretty good. She is not great yet, but she always tries very hard, and soon enough, she will rise again. However, with all that said, she has to find a way to feel just fine. That includes her sore body.

Schnyder retired in 2011, she was done, but four year slater, she decided to play again. However, she can’t escape the years and now, she is 39 years old. The older you get, the harder it is to sprint. You just can’t be super fast, running and stringing. However, you can mix it up and be very patient. That is why she qualified at the US Open, beating three players. A very smart cookie. 

Can she out-hit Sharapova? I doubt it. They played eight times, from 2004-2008, and Maria won seven times. They had a classic contest at Roland Garros in 2007 and Sharapova won 9-7 in the third. Maria smiled, and Patty cried for a long time.  

They have played six, three-setters, which has been darn close. So, it should last for a solid two hours. The Russian always figures it out and will attack the Swiss, again and again. I would think that Ms. Maria will win in three fun sets. 

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Steady, powerful Djokovic downs Federer to win Cincinnati

August 20, 2018 by Leave a Comment

So many peo­ple love Roger Federer: his game, his personality and his influence. But on Sunday in Cincinnati, he was off, while Novak Djokovic was totally locked in. He won 6-4, 6-4, hitting with so much depth, with aggression and thoughtfulness.

Federer had held 100 holds, but early in the first set, the Serbian pushed him back, cracked it and finally, the Swiss was broken. From right then, you knew that Djokovic would continue to mix it up, back and forth, nailing his backhand and hustling. Now the former No. 1 is totally back, and while on Monday, he will “only” be ranked No. 6. The three favorites at the US Open will be Djokovic, Federer and of course, Rafa Nadal, who just won Toronto. Perhaps those three players are the best players, ever. That should be a hell of a match in Flushing in a week’s time.

Djokovic is not serving as well as he could, and sometimes, he gets angry. He stopped playing over most of the end of last year because he was heavily injured. During the first five months in 2018, he was hesitating and missing. He grew frustrated and ticked off. But every day, he kept pushing, battling, changing and practicing. At the beginning of July, he was finally healthy and he won Wimbledon, edging Nadal 8-6 in the fifth in the semis and besting Kevin Anderson in the final
    
This week in Cincy he was not perfect, but he would re-boot. He won three setters over Grigor Dimintrov, Milos Raonic and Marin Cilic. In the final, he was almost perfect, with his high, spinning forehand and his powerful backhand. He is certainly back and after he won, he smiled very wide.

“This seems to be a bit unreal, to be honest, to be back at this level,” Djokovic said. 
 
Bertens’ surprise jump to the title
Who would have thought that Kiki Bertens would win this event? Sure, she improved a lot this year, but she’s 26 years old, so she was not a top 15 player for a decade. Now she is, beating the No. 1 Simon Halep 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-2 in the Cincy final. She is now ranked No. 13, and should go higher in the next month.

Halep had a match point in the second-set tiebreak, but she hesitated and hit it soft. She missed and then Bertens flew away. She wasn’t tired at all, while Halep was worn out. She won Montreal, and she was so close to winning big titles back-to-back, but she slipped, with 13 unforced errors in the third. Halep gave Bertens a chance to pull away.

“I had a match (point), so I was there,” Halep said. “I didn’t take my chance. In the third set, I was empty and I couldn’t fight anymore I need a little bit of rest because I’m exhausted,” Halep said. “But I also take the positive from these two weeks. It’s a great confidence (boost).”
Bertens has been very steady, but until this season, she rarely went for winners. This time, she was hitting close to the lines, spinning it around, changing things and focusing. That is the biggest tournament she/s won, besting Caro Wozniacki, Anett Kontaveit, Elena Svitolina, Petra Kvitova and then upsetting Halep. 

Bertens almost stopped playing in November and maybe ever quitting tennis, but she decided that she would try extra hard and be patient. And now, she is more calm, patient and better.

“You can achieve everything. Like, if you really work hard, a lot of things are possible. I think you see that with me,” Bertens said. “I would have never believed, that I would have come so far, but it is still happening.”

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Federer overcomes Wawrinka: ‘I was clear with my game plan’

August 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment


The 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer was angry. In the first tiebreak, he couldn’t swing the right way and Stan Wawrinka was on top of it. The Swiss Wawrinka was cracking the ball, deep and down the line.  Wawrinka won the first set tiebreak 7-6. in t

In the second set, Federer began to concentrate, move forward and he was pretty steady.
In the second-set tiebreak, the three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka blinked just a little bit, he missed a couple key swings, and all of a sudden, they were tied, as Federer took the second set 7-6 (6).
 
Then the rain came, in Cincinnati — again — and the thunder storm was gigantic. Eventually, more or less at midnight, they came back on court. Federer was even more self-assured, and Wawrinka was confused. He smashed his rackets on the ground.

Federer won 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-2 and he will play on Saturday. They are very good friends, but clearly, as Stan has said, “I can beat him on occasion, but Roger is better than me.”

“I got my energy back for the third set, a momentum shift was good for me. It was also good that I was serving first,” Federer said. “I played a cleaner third set. I was clear with my game plan.”

Federer will face David Goffin at night, while in the afternoon, Novak Djokovic will play Marin Cilic.
 
The Women
Every day, Aryna Sabalenka is getting substantial better. The 20-yearz-old has already reached the semis, and win or lose, at the US Open, she will be seeded for the first time. She is a big, strong player. Assuming she stays healthy, she will crack the top 10 next year and after that, she will charge even further. ..
By the way, she beat Madison Keys. The American is hurt a lot and she is hoping that she will feel healthy at the USO. Last year, she reached into the final, but she lost easily to Sloane Stephens. Can Keys play consistent and not get so frustrated?  That is way up in the air…

Simona Halep is so thoughtful and poised. She won Montreal last week and although she must be a little bit tired, still, she runs and runs. On Friday, she beat Ash Barty and then Lesia Tsurenko in straight sets. If she wins Montreal and Cincy, back to back, that would be unreal. The true No. 1…

Once against, Petra Kvitova is into it, beating Elise Mertens in three sets. She rarely backs off and she is faster than she did years ago. Plus, the two-time Grand Slam champion focuses. She will face Kiki Bertens, who is pretty solid. It will be the battle of forehands and who wants it inside the lines.

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