US Open Tennis 2014: Predictions for Men's Semifinals and Women's Final
Six of the world's best players remain alive at Flushing Meadows as the 2014 U.S. Open winds down.
On the women's side, No. 1 Serena Williams is predictably through to the final after discovering top form over the course of the past month and change. She will encounter No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki for the top prize.
Four men remain, with No. 2 Roger Federer through his easy draw, which turned out to not be so simplistic in the quarterfinals. Should he win once more, a date with No. 1 Novak Djokovic may be in the cards in the final.
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It all adds up to a thrilling end to the season's final Grand Slam. Let's break down the three showdowns, which begin Saturday with the men's semifinals.
Men's Semifinals
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 10 Kei Nishikori
After being dealt one of the most lopsided draws in recent history at the event, Djokovic rattled off four consecutive straight-set victories before an encounter that went four sets against No. 8 Andy Murray in the semifinals, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
In that match, Djokovic put on a gritty performance that saw him with better than 70 percent of his points at the net and commit 48 unforced errors to his opponent's 65.
While Djokovic looks great, No. 10 Kei Nishikori's reckless, quick-twitch style figures to give him some problems come Saturday. Just ask his coach, Michael Chang.
”Absolutely,’’ Chang said, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. “He’s beaten Novak before. There’s no reason why he’s not able to do it again. He’s having another day to prepare. Come Saturday, I think it’s going to be a great match.’’
Chang is right in that Nishikori does have a win over Djokovic, but it came in 2011. The two have split their pair of encounters.
Nishikori is not to be underestimated, though. After a trio of straight-set victories, he took No. 5 Milos Raonic to five sets in the fourth round and emerged the winner, 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4. Two nights later, he took No. 3 Stan Wawrinka to five sets and came out on top, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4.
The point is, Nishikori's speed on the baseline will give any player on the globe trouble, including the world No. 1. Really, the only issue for Nishikori at this point is fatigue and whether or not his body can go the distance.
Well, that and he's not the best player on the court Saturday night. Expect a fight, but the predictable result.
Prediction: Djokovic wins, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2
No. 2 Roger Federer vs. No. 14 Marin Cilic
Federer was the inverse of Djokovic in terms of the draw. Outside of a strange dropped opening set to unranked Marcel Granollers in the opening round, his easy draw was just that.
Until the quarterfinals. There, No. 20 Gael Monfils gave Federer all he could handle. His performance was lackluster all around, as he shot just five fewer unforced errors than Monfils and lost the aces battle, 6-5. The only saving grace seemed to be Monfils' 10 double faults, which eventually saw Federer move on, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2.
Should Federer come out flat again, No. 14 Marin Cilic won't be so kind. He himself knows that Cilic and Monfils are very similar players, as captured by ATPWorldtour.com:
"There are different ways to come to the net. It can be serve and volley, it can be serve one shot come in, or throughout the rally. So I think it depends a little bit on who I'm playing. I know that Cilic is going to stay on the baseline and dictate play as much as he can. Otherwise he's actually quite similar to Gaël: he's tall, got a big serve, can return well, got a big reach. From that standpoint, I guess it was actually good playing Gaël tonight ahead of the match against Cilic.
"
Cilic has had a brutal draw to this point. He hardly got past No. 18 Kevin Anderson in the third round, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, before a five-set affair with No. 26 Gilles Simon in the next round. He found his form in the quarterfinals, though, and scored a straight-set victory over No. 6 Tomas Berdych.
The wear and tear over the past week and change, paired with a lack of speed in comparison to Monfils, figures to give Federer a major advantage—not to mention the No. 2 seed is 5-0 for his career against the No. 14 seed.
Prediction: Federer wins, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Women's Final
No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki
At this point, it is quite clear that there is no player who can hang with Williams given her current form.
Right?
Williams has yet to lose a set at Flushing Meadows this time around, and it really has not been close. Her toughest encounter, if one had to choose, came in the quarterfinals against No. 11 Flavia Pennetta—and that ended quickly, 6-3, 6-2.
Friday, she dueled No. 17 Ekaterina Makarova, who entered with upsets over No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard and No. 16 Victoria Azarenka. Williams was businesslike in her approach to the match, and it too was over in an apt manner, 6-1, 6-3. Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press provided a worthwhile comparison:
To her credit, No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki has used the event in New York to showcase that she is back to elite form, and battle tested at that. Four of her six wins so far have been of the straight-set variety, with her biggest stumble understandably coming against No. 5 Maria Sharapova before the eventual 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 outcome.
The women's final is an unfortunate pairing in a sense, with Wozniacki playing the best tennis of her career. But Williams is a buzzsaw at this point given her recent streak, and win No. 18 seems to be right around the corner, especially if she continues to win almost 80 percent of her first-serve points and win all her net points, as she did Friday against Makarova.
Prediction: Williams wins, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2
Note: All info courtesy of USOpen.org unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of ATPWorldtour.com.
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