US Open Tennis 2015: Predicting Final Results for Saturday's Bracket
Two of the men's title favourites are in action on Saturday as Roger Federer and Andy Murray look to progress from the third round of the U.S. Open.
Federer dropped just four games in his straight-sets win over Belgium's Steve Darcis, and he looks in sensational condition before his match with the dangerous 29th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Murray had to endure a scare against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the last round, falling 2-0 sets behind, but the British No. 1 rallied well to win the match.
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Here are the matches scheduled for Saturday's tennis, with result predictions:
| Third | Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) [29] vs. Roger Federer (SUI) [2] | Federer |
| Third | Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) [30] vs. Andy Murray (GBR) [3] | Murray |
| Third | Andrea Petkovic (GER) [18] vs. Johanna Konta (GBR) | Petkovic |
| Third | John Isner (USA) [13] vs. Jiri Vesely (CZE) | Isner |
| Third | Varvara Lepchenko (USA) vs. Mona Barthel (GER) | Lepchenko |
| Third | Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [5] vs. Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) | Wawrinka |
| Third | Bernard Tomic (AUS) [24] vs. Richard Gasquet (FRA) [12] | Tomic |
| Third | Viktor Troicki (SRB) [22] vs. Donald Young (USA) | Young |
| Third | Tomas Berdych (CZE) [6] vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) [31] | Berdych |
| Third | Kevin Anderson (RSA) [15] vs. Dominic Thiem (AUT) [20] | Anderson |
| Third | Petra Kvitova (CZE) [5] vs. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) [32] | Kvitova |
| Third | Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [20] vs. Angelique Kerber (GER) [11] | Azarenka |
| Third | Shelby Rogers (USA) vs. Simona Halep (ROU) [2] | Halep |
| Third | Sara Errani (ITA) [16] vs. Samantha Stosur (AUS) [22] | Stosur |
| Third | Barbora Strycova (CZE) vs. Sabine Lisicki (GER) [24] | Lisicki |
| Third | Flavia Pennetta (ITA) [26] vs. Petra Cetkovska (CZE) | Pennetta |
Federer and Murray To Illuminate Arthur Ashe Stadium
There is almost an air of expectancy for Federer and Murray to stroll through their matches on Friday, but the No. 2 and 3 seeds will have their work cut out.
Fed is on first against a tough opponent in Kohlschreiber, who can beat any foe on his day. The 31-year-old is a former quarter-finalist at Wimbledon but has only progressed as far as the fourth round in the U.S. Open in the last three years.
The German has never really impressed in the big showcase events at Grand Slams, and Federer will be hoping he doesn't buck the trend on Saturday.
Federer destroyed Darcis in just 80 minutes in the previous round, rolling back the years and proving he is still one of the alpha males on the tour.
The Swiss machine was happy with his performance, saying, per the ATP World Tour website: "I was able to mix it up, was attacking, was also staying back some. I was pretty much all-out attack as much as I could. Obviously I have to manage that against different players when the scoreline isn't maybe so one-sided.”
Federer won 86 per cent of first-serve points and clocked 46 winners, per ATP, leaving his opponent on the back foot for the whole contest. It was a vulgar display of power from the five-time U.S. Open champion.
Murray had to produce one of his typically rousing performances against Mannarino after getting himself in trouble in the early sets. The Scot talked about his "pride" in his comeback but admitted his energy levels might be damaged if he carries on in this vein, per Piers Newbery of BBC Sport:
"I'm proud of the way I fought.
It was not an easy match to come through at all. He was making it extremely difficult for me.
I've come through many tough matches in my career and I think that's why, when you are behind like that in the scoreline, you have the belief that you can come through and do it again. That definitely helped me here today.
"
Murray now faces the seeded Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil—but the 27-year-old would be journeying through uncharted waters if he wins, having never progressed beyond the third round at Flushing Meadows.
However, Murray has been concerned with his health during the competition, as highlighted by Newbery: "Murray has been suffering with a slight head cold in New York but said that had not affected him against Mannarino. More significant was the soaring temperature and humidity he had to withstand for more than three hours."
Federer looks a safe bet to crush Kohlschreiber on Friday—his form is simply too hot, and the German has lost some of his intensity from previous seasons. The Swiss tennis star looks set to travel deep into the competition without breaking too much of a sweat.
On the other hand, Murray showed the best and the worst of his game against Mannarino, and his illness might affect him in the coming days. He sounded incredibly congested in his post-match interviews, but he still had the power to overcome his opponent when the chips were down.
Murray should have enough to make easy work of the Brazilian, but he will have to start faster in his next matches to have a chance of winning the title.
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