Fritz Vs Stricker
Stricker just doesn’t care who he’s playing or how tight things get. He will play hard and fast regardless.
Fritz has a much higher profile and a lot of expectations on him. He can get nervy and go home early.
Fritz surprised me in the last round. He’s been underperforming this year and we’ve heard more about his love life than we have his tennis career. He was dialled in for Mensik and didn’t underestimate him one bit.
He’ll certainly be weary enough of Stricker. Ranked 128, a qualifier with plenty of wins under his belt, and upsets, the Swiss has all the tools to knock Fritz out. This match will tell us a lot about where Fritz is right now. Winning it might also give him another shot to face Djokovic in a slam and settle some unfinished business. That’s surely enough motivation to keep your eye on the ball.
Shelton vs Paul
Fun times ahead, here. Labor day weekend. A US Open derby. A clash of styles. Playing for a slam QF. It’s all here for a potentially great match. It could also be a little bit of a letdown. Paul is maybe a little too experienced for Shelton right now and could easily take this in a comfortable three or four.
However, Shelton has proven his run to the AO QFs was no fluke and he dealt with the pressure of beating Karatsev with some ease. He is on a fast learning curve and may be able to surprise us if he can keep his momentum going.
Wozniacki vs Gauff
Gauff has been getting off to error-prone and slow starts while Gilbert chants ‘Make it physical, she’s tiring’ in the background.
Unlike Mertens and Siegemund, Wozniacki is not going to give Gauff a helping hand if things get tight. Miss Comeback will not be offering errors on a plate. Wozniacki is still hitting a quality ball every strike and forcing her opponents to go for broke if they want the point over.
Gauff may just want Gilbert’s chanting to stop and so assist Wozniacki into the last eight.
Swiatek vs Ostapenko
Ostapenko is pretty consistent at slams. She also couldn’t care less that she’s facing the top seed and defending champ. She’s looking fit and she’s ready to give hell to anyone who bothers her – see her chasing a heckler out of the stadium on the social media platform of your choosing.
Swiatek has been decidedly untested this Open. But, courtesy of the 2017 RG champ, a time before Swiatek was even on our radar, that assessment is coming. Swiatek is vulnerable versus big hitters. Sure, she has the skills to negate them but if Ostapenko comes out swinging and believing, that could be the end of the top seed’s title defence.
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