US Open Tennis 2016: TV Schedule and Tuesday's Afternoon Draw Predictions
Roberta Vinci, last year's runner-up, will take on No. 2 seed Angelique Kerber on Tuesday in the women's quarter-finals of the 2016 U.S. Open.
The match will kick off the day's action at the Arthur Ashe Stadium before Lucas Pouille and Gael Monfils face off in an all-French matchup for a place in the final four of the men's draw.
Later in the day, Caroline Wozniacki will go head-to-head with Anastasija Sevastova, and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
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In the U.S., ESPN will be broadcasting live coverage of the action starting at 12 p.m. ET. Coverage in the UK will begin at 7 p.m. BST on Eurosport and 8:30 p.m. BST on Eurosport 2.
Read on for a closer look at Tuesday's early matches at Flushing Meadows and how they might play out.
Roberta Vinci (7) vs. Angelique Kerber (2)
Kerber has cut an imposing figure in the competition thus far, making short work of her opponents in the early rounds.
Her first real test came in the form of 14th seed Petra Kvitova in the last round, but as ESPN Tennis revealed, the German passed it with flying colours:
"Kerber In Control
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 5, 2016"
World No.2 notches her 20th #USOpen match win, ousting two-time Major champion Kvitova 6-3 7-5. pic.twitter.com/qJBt7DiJCf
The 28-year-old was the epitome of calm and composure during the match—which is reflected in her statistics—and she could be set to take Serena Williams' ranking at the Open, as noted by Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times:
She is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows this year. It will take a monumental effort from Vinci to come out on top.
The Italian's route to the quarter-finals has also been straightforward, save for a three-setter against Carina Witthoft in the third round.
Last time out, she overcame Lesia Tsurenko, racing comfortably through the second set after narrowly winning the first on a tiebreaker.
Vinci was a surprise finalist at the U.S. Open last year, but based on current form, only Serena Williams looks capable of beating Kerber right now.
Prediction: Kerber wins in straight sets.
Lucas Pouille (24) vs. Gael Monfils (10)
Pouille has enjoyed an incredible run to the quarter-finals and produced one of the upsets of the tournament in phenomenal fashion in the last round, per ESPN Tennis:
"WHAT. A. MATCH.
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 4, 2016"
22yo @la_pouille wins 4hr 7min thriller over two-time champ Nadal 6-1 2-6 6-4 3-6 7-6(6). #USOpen pic.twitter.com/nMCYuuBeeY
His epic battle with Rafael Nadal was not his first at this year's tournament, though. As noted by ESPN's Brad Gilbert, he has been made to work throughout the tournament:
Even in the first round, Mikhail Kukushkin took him to four sets. Eighteen-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert hailed his resolve:
Indeed, the Frenchman has shown tremendous endurance and resilience—both mentally and physically—in each of his matches.
He'll take on Monfils, who swept aside Marcos Baghdatis in the fourth round, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. The 30-year-old has not dropped a set so far.
ESPN's Chris Fowler believes he could win the Slam outright:
As FiveThirtyEight's Carl Bialik noted, he has struggled at this stage in Slams throughout his career, though:
Nevertheless, Monfils is playing confidently, and he'll be much fresher than his opponent on Tuesday.
Pouille has been magnificent at Flushing Meadows, but sooner or later, his time on the court will take its toll. Monfils can take advantage of that.
Prediction: Monfils wins in four sets.
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