Previewing Day 6 and Third Round of the 50th Edition of the US Open
Though tennis fans and talking heads continue to consider how chair ump Mohamed Lahyani apparently coached Nick Kyrgios to his second round victory, they will witness the toughest test ahead for Kyrgios. The Australian will square off on Saturday, in the second match in the daytime session on Center Court, against 5-time US Open champion and #2 player in the world, Roger Federer. The match is expected to be played after the showdown between Aleksandra Krunic and last year’s runner up Madison Keys.
Inclement weather throughout Saturday will mean that the match will play more like one played indoors. Luckily for fans, despite the reduced airflow from a bunkered down Ashe Stadium, the ambient temperature will be much cooler for their enjoyment.
Nick Kyrgios To Clash Against Roger Federer
Federer is the favorite across the board on oddschecker.com with the implied odds of Federer winning around 74-77%. Nick Kyrgios has a chance to even up his head to head record against the swiss superstar with a win. A victory may go further in regard to whether he is deserving of credibility and performing under scrutiny. No doubt a loss for Kyrgios will fan the flames and keep the infamous conversation on everyone’s mind for years to come.
The USTA issued a statement on Friday that they will not ban Lahyani for acting beyond protocol, adding that “his performance will continue to be evaluated, as will that of all chair umpires.”
The night session matches inside Arthur Ashe Stadium will feature Jelena Ostapenko and Maria Sharapova (Sharapova’s odds are priced at around 64-66% chance of winning on oddschecker) ; the nightcap will be showcasing Richard Gasquet and the decisive favorite Novak Djokovic.
The In-laws Are Coming Over… To The Outer Courts:
Christian Harrison and his sister-in-law Christina McHale are set to face-off against Mate Pavic and Gabriela Dabrowski in the second round of the mixed doubles bracket. Their match is the third to take place on the Court 12 docket. The pair won their Round 1 appearance against the veteran duo of Nicholas Monroe and Vania King, who played for the World TeamTennis championship winning team, the Springfield Lasers. Christina’s sister, Lauren, is married to Christian’s brother Ryan. Christian finished as runner-up to Hugo Dellien in the Savannah Challenger. Christina had a respectable run in the WTA circuit in 2016, winning a singles title in the Japan Women’s Open and two women’s doubles titles at the Hobart International and the Tianjin Open.
Anna-Lena Groenefeld Will Pull Double Duty
Court 7 will unofficially become the Anna-Lena Groenefeld show.
Our next contestant in the hula hoop division of the #WTT43 Supertiebreaker Challenge is @SDAviators standout @Annagroenefeld! How does Anna-Lena handle naming three Disney characters, rhyming a word with volley and getting one chance to get time back in our bowling bonus? Watch! pic.twitter.com/j0C4MBlTWc
— World TeamTennis (@WorldTeamTennis) July 29, 2018
The doubles specialist from Nordhorn, Germany will partner with Raquel Atawo to face Taipei’s Latisha Chan and her partner Victoria Azarenka for the second match of the day session. (The USOpen’s official site features an article about Azarenka’s promising return to the grand slam scene written by Victoria Chiesa).
The winner gets to face Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos in the third round of the Women’s Doubles bracket. Groenefeld will partner with Santiago Gonzales to play against Oliver Marach and Wimbledon mixed doubles champion Nicole Melichar. The Marach-Melichar pairing is the 2nd seed and the 1st seed belongs to the aforementioned Pavic-Dabrowski duo.
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