US Open Tennis 2015: Predicting Score, Results for Tuesday's Brackets
Those with tickets for the Arthur Ashe Stadium for Day 9 of the U.S. Open will be in for a treat on Tuesday, as Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams both continue their quest for glory at Flushing Meadows.
In what looks poised to be the standout match of the day, Serena takes on sister Venus Williams in her women’s quarter-final tie. The former remains on course to grab a calendar Grand Slam and has looked in fine fettle at her home tournament. Djokovic will be tasked with overcoming the big-serving Feliciano Lopez if he’s to make it into the semi-finals.
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Here are the standout ties to come in Tuesday’s bracket and a closer look at both matches involving the top male and female players in the world.
| Kristina Mladenovic vs. Roberta Vinci | Mladenovic | 6-4, 7-5 |
| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (19) vs. Marin Cilic (9) | Cilic | 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 |
| Serena Williams (1) vs. Venus Williams (23) | Serena | 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 |
| Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Feliciano Lopez (18) | Djokovic | 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
Full schedule available on the competition's official website.
Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams
It doesn’t really get much bigger than this when it comes to women’s tennis. Serena and Venus are the two finest players of this generation, having won a total of 28 Grand Slam titles between them. But perhaps most intriguingly of all, they have a longstanding sibling rivalry when stepping out onto the court.
It’ll be the 27th time they’ve gone head-to-head in their distinguished careers, with Serena currently holding a 15-11 edge. As noted here ESPN’s Carl Bialik, at this stage, Venus looks like she may be the only player left in the draw who can prevent her sister's completion of the calendar box set:
Facing someone so close to you must pose a unique challenge, though. "I’m playing, for me, the best player in the tournament, and that’s never easy,” explained Serena, per Nick McCarvel of USA Today. “She’s beaten me so many times. She’s a player that knows how to win, knows how to beat me and knows my weaknesses better than anyone.”
Venus has been getting better and better throughout the tournament, too. After toiling to three-set wins in her opening two matches, the 35-year-old has been in sensational form to dispose of Belinda Bencic and Anett Kontaveit in her last two outings, dropping a meagre 10 games in the process.
As noted by BBC Sport, she’s typically fared well against Serena at this tournament, too:
Expect a fast start from Venus and for her to take a tight opening set in a tiebreak. But as the game moves on, Serena’s power and dynamism will allow her to get a foothold in the contest, eventually sneaking a victory in a classic quarter-final encounter and continuing her march toward that historic quadruple.
Prediction: S. Williams def. V. Williams 6-7, 6-3, 6-4
Novak Djokovic vs. Feliciano Lopez
The tournament has been a bit of a grind for Djokovic to this point. But with Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal already eliminated before the quarter-finals get underway, there’s a wonderful chance for the Serb to go on and become a 10-time Grand Slam winner.
The world No. 1 made it through to this point after getting the better of 23rd seed Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets. But as we can see here courtesy of USA Today Sports, there was some frustration creeping in to Novak’s game as he lost the second set:
Lopez will pose a big threat. The Spanish left-hander will be playing in his first U.S. Open quarter-final after a comprehensive straight-sets win over Fabio Fognini last time out. But he has admitted he is unsure whether he has the antidote to get past the imperious Djokovic.
“I will be 34 in September so it's a great feeling to be playing like this and reaching my first US Open quarter-final,” said Lopez, per Dave James of AFP (h/t Yahoo Sports). “If I play Novak then I don't know what I will have to do to beat him. But I want to play him—he's the best in the world.”
Indeed, as noted here by ESPN Stats & Info, when it comes to the big tournaments, Djokovic seems to take it up a notch:
Lopez may feel the pressure bite in this one. As previously mentioned, he’s not been to this stage at this illustrious tournament before, while his opponent has reached 26 slam quarter-finals in succession, per Reuters (h/t the Guardian).
It’s at this point in competitions when Novak really starts to move through the gears, and there’s no player on the planet better equipped to nullify the thunderous serve of the Spaniard. It won’t be a landslide win, but expect Djokovic to battle hard and come out on top in three closely fought sets of tennis.
Prediction: Djokovic def. Lopez 7-6, 6-4, 6-4
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