US Open Tennis 2019: TV Schedule and Wednesday's Afternoon Draw Predictions
September 4, 2019
The quarter-finals of the 2019 U.S. Open will continue on Wednesday afternoon with Gael Monfils and Belinda Bencic in action.
The former will take on Matteo Berrettini, while the latter faces off against Donna Vekic.
In the United States, TV coverage at Flushing Meadows runs from 12 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. and from 7 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. on ESPN, while viewers in the UK can stream the action on Amazon Prime.
Wednesday's Afternoon Predictions
Men's Singles
(13) Gael Monfils to beat (24) Matteo Berrettini
Women's Singles
(13) Belinda Bencic to beat (23) Donna Vekic
Visit the U.S. Open website to see the draw in full
Preview
Monfils and Berrettini's quarter-final will be the first meeting between the pair, and it will also be the first time either has met a fellow seed at Flushing Meadows this year.
Berrettini is only making his second appearance at the U.S. Open—outside of qualifying—and last year he did not make it past the first round.
The Italian reached the fourth round at Wimbledon earlier this year, though, and he's gone a step further this time around after he beat Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (6):
As for Monfils, he was a U.S. Open semi-finalist in 2016, and he also made the quarter-finals in 2010 and 2014.
The Frenchman comfortably dismantled Pablo Andujar 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the last round:
ESPN's Robert Bartlett was impressed:
If the 33-year-old is in similar form on Wednesday, it's difficult to see Berrettini coming out on top.
Bencic and Vekic have met before, with the former leading their head-to-head record 2-1.
The Swiss player will be out to avenge her 6-4, 6-1 defeat to the Croatian at this year's French Open, though.
Bencic comes into their quarter-final having knocked out world No. 1 and defending champion Naomi Osaka in the last round, as Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times observed:
Ben Rothenberg @BenRothenbergBelinda Bencic notches her third win over Naomi Osaka this year, beating the defending #USOpen champ and #1 seed 7-5, 6-4 to reach her first Slam QF in five years. Not a bad match by Osaka, who finished with a +5 winners/unforced differential, but Bencic (at +17) just too good.
Meanwhile, Vekic survived a match point as she beat Julia Goerges 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3.
Tennis writer Carole Bouchard gave her take on the match:
Carole Bouchard @carole_bouchardAnd a match point that sums up this match pretty well: Goerges does all the job but misses the overhead. She was the best player out there but Vekic had the biggest heart on the biggest moments. Donna kept going for it, stayed in her bubble and took the chances when they came.
It's likely to be an amiable encounter between the two on Wednesday:
WTA Insider @WTA_insiderDonna Vekic on facing Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals. “We always joke that we are playing each other in the draw. We practice together often. I know her very well. She's such a nice girl. "I'm really looking forward to share the court with her on Wednesday.” #USOpen https://t.co/cZF4k8JGhi
Bencic is in the quarter-finals in New York for the second time, having made a run to the last eight in her first appearance at the U.S. Open in 2014.
Although Vekic won their meeting at the French Open comfortably, Bencic was playing her first full clay court season since 2015.
On her more favoured hard court, she should be more than a match for the Croatian.