The U.S. Open quarterfinals will be set after play concludes on Monday. Among those vying for spots in the last eight are fellow Swiss major winners Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. They are set for respective showdowns with big servers John Isner and Kevin Anderson.
Previews and picks for some of Monday’s schedule:
(13) John Isner vs. (2) Roger Federer
Federer and Isner will be squaring off for the first time in three years. Federer has won four of their five previous encounters, with Isner surprisingly pulling off his lone upset in Switzerland (a clay-court Davis Cup encounter in 2012). Both men are in outstanding form and have not dropped a set or even been pushed to a tiebreaker through three rounds at the U.S. Open. Service breaks will be few and far between in this one. For Isner, in fact, they might be non-existent. This will be Federer’s toughest test to date of the entire American hard-court summer, but it’s one the second-ranked Swiss will pass.
Federer in 4.
(5) Stan Wawrinka vs. Donald Young
Nobody is enjoying a more epic run through the tournament than Young. The unseeded American has twice come back from two sets to love down; first against Gilles Simon and then at the expense of Viktor Troicki. Even in his other match, versus Aljaz Bedene, Young trailed by a set and 2-0 in the second. If he gets off to another bad start, this opponent won’t be so generous. Wawrinka may not be playing his very best this summer, but he has not dropped a set through three rounds in New York. After so much tennis, Young will eventually wear down after putting up one last good fight. [ no pick by Team ]
(3) Andy Murray vs. (15) Kevin Anderson
Murray is 2-0 against Anderson this year, extending his lead in the head-to-head series to 5-1. They most recently met on the grass courts of Queen’s Club, where the Scot prevailed 6-3, 6-4 to capture the title. Anderson should have a better chance on the hard stuff, especially because he is in stellar form right now. The South African triumphed in Winston-Salem a week ago and turned in a great performance to beat Dominic Thiem in straight sets on Saturday. But Murray generally feasts on big servers and he will eventually break Anderson down in a high-quality battle. Murray in 4.
(6) Tomas Berdych vs. (12) Richard Gasquet
Aside from a Gasquet five-setter against Thanasi Kokkinakis in round one and an early scare for Berdych against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Saturday, these two men have progressed in mostly straightforward fashion. Berdych’s draw has been a great one, which is exactly what he needed because he has been a borderline disaster since losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the French Open fourth round. Gasquet, on the other hand, reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and the quarterfinals in Montreal. The Frenchman is coming off an absolute rout of Bernard Tomic and is simply playing too well right now for the Czech. Gasquet in 4.
Topics: Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Donald Young jr, John Isner, Kevin Anderson, Richard Gasquet, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Tennis News, Tomas Berdych, U.S. Open
-@Dimonator’s DAY 8 PICKS AT THE #USOpen #TENNIS, INCLUDING @rogerfederer VS. #ISNER AND #WAWRINKA VS. @Yimlife1313- http://t.co/gDPfAMXksF