By Jake Davies
- Venus Williams [9] vs Petra Kvitova [13]
- Sloane Stephens vs Anastasija Sevastova [16]
- Sam Querrey [17] vs Kevin Anderson [28]
NEW YORK, USA – Some fascinating stories of triumphs over adversity as we start the quarter-finals of the US Open 2017.
Venus Williams [9] vs Petra Kvitova [13] H2H: Kvitova leads 4-1
Venus Williams US Open 2017, Flushing Meadows, New York
The biggest match on the bill on Day 9 of the 2017 US Open is the match between two of the most decorated champions in the world of tennis as No.9 seed Venus Williams meets the No.13 seed Petra Kvitova in the quarter-final.
Williams is having a consistent year at the majors. She made the final of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon and now she tries to make the semi-final or better in three of the four majors in a single season. The last time she did that was back in 2002, where she made three Grand Slam finals in one season.
Kvitova has been on her own personal journey back to the top. Her absence from the tour was felt by everyone involved in tennis and it is fantastic to witness her return to some signs of the same level of tennis that she has always been capable of on a hard-court.
Kvitova leads the head-to-head 4-1, but all the matches have gone to three sets. I think this will be no different. Both can be shaky behind their second serve, but can dominate when they get consistency and continuity around the first serve offering. The key in terms of the groundstrokes is not giving away any area of the court with shorter balls as both players will step in and have their opponent at their mercy with any short ball. I think Kvitova may just win this one in a tight three sets.
Prediction: Kvitova in three sets
Sloane Stephens vs Anastasija Sevastova [16] H2H: First meeting
Two heartfelt tennis stories, two successful comebacks and two players that can play very good tennis on the hard-courts of Flushing Meadows. Sloane Stephens spent nearly a year away from the sport as she recovered from a foot injury that required surgery. We often talk about the comeback journey of Victoria Azarenka, Kvitova and Maria Sharapova, but Stephens has shot up the rankings in a very short space of time, beating very good players along the way.
The question in this match against Anastasija Sevastova is whether Stephens has the patience and concentration to prepare herself for the longer rallies. Her Latvian opponent thrives on the drawn out rallies and uses her variety of shots to really affect her opponents in the American heat. We saw just that against Garbiñe Muguruza at the US Open last year.
I think Stephens will find it hard to adjust to Sevastova’s ball in a first ever meeting. The American may have to take her time to feel her way into the match against a very scrappy but awkward opponent.
Prediction: Sevastova in three sets
Sam Querrey [17] vs Kevin Anderson [28] H2H: Querrey leads 8-6
Never has there been a greater opportunity for one of these players to make a first Grand Slam final. No doubt both players will be thinking that in the back of their mind as they contest a massive Grand Slam Quarter-Final, where the winner is expected to at least progress to the final dance.
Querrey leads 8-6 in the head-to-head, but the reason I think he will overcome Anderson is because of how clear he is hitting the ball at the Open. In his last match he crushed 55 winners to just 8 unforced errors against Mischa Zverev and I think he is playing the best tennis of his career.
Prediction: Querrey in four sets
Main Image: Rob Prange/REX/Shutterstock
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