Tuesday at the US Open will see two of the women’s quarterfinal matches. As always, LWOT writers will share their thoughts on both of them with you. Who do you think will win? Predicting these matches are Jakub Bobro, Jack Edward, Damian Kust, and Johnny Connell.
US Open Women’s Quarterfinal Predictions
Ons Jabeur vs Ajla Tomljanovic
Jakub:
Jabeur has been very impressive on her run here so far, overcoming some adversity in her past two matches. The Tunisian came back from a set down against Shelby Rogers before defeating Veronika Kudermetova after losing all three of their previous meetings in straight sets. Tomljanovic has been even more impressive, putting out a cutthroat performance to send her idol Serena Williams into retirement before taking out the in-form Liudmila Samsonova. It is a very tough match to call but I will lean towards the Australian; her groundstrokes incredibly effective on this fast hard court in New York.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 3
Damian:
Ons Jabeur didn’t have a great warm-up campaign, but she’s managed all her issues in the main event very well. The Tunisian is the favorite in this quarterfinal, but it’s mostly on merit as Ajla Tomljanovic has been capable of raising herself to incredible heights recently. She enjoys these balls and the conditions and seems to have improved her ability to build up rallies of late. Jabeur can definitely trouble her with her variety, but the Australian can hit through it all here if she maintains that mental composure from the last two rounds.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 3
Jack:
Ajla Tomljanovic has proved she deserves to be in a second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. Defeating Serena Williams on Arthur Ashe is no mean feat at any stage of the GOAT’s career and her win over dark horse Luidmila Samsonova was extremely impressive.
The Australian will probably have the shots to beat Ons Jabeur on paper but, in the full context of a match, who possesses the greater weight of shot isn’t all that’s required. Jabeur has shown this in abundance, coming back from a break down in her first-set against Kudermetova, recovering from a set down against Rogers and surviving Mandlik serving for their first set in her second-round.
It was difficult to trust Jabeur going into this tournament but, for all her ups and downs, she’s shown she is willing to fight harder than anyone else. If things get tight, I trust the Tunisian to take the initiative.
Prediction: Jabeur in 3
Johnny:
Ajla Tomljanovic has impressed a lot of people over the last couple of days, myself included. However, take a closer look and it must be noted that Liudmila Samsonova was clearly injured in their fourth round matchup and basically gave the match away with unforced errors. Playing a confident Ons Jabeur is going to be a much, much tougher task for the Aussie. Jabeur is quietly going about her business, continuing to break new ground. I suspect Jabeur will be a class above in this matchup. Tomljanovic has reached her limit. Jabeur has the capability to go all the way, she should be able to navigate her way through this one without too much stress.
Prediction: Jabeur in 2
Coco Gauff vs Caroline Garcia
Jakub:
Garcia, now on a 12-match winning streak has been a woman possessed in New York so far, ripping through the draw without dropping a single set. Gauff, also yet to drop a set, has not had quite the same air of dominance around it, most recently beating Zhang Shuai in two close sets. The young American has won their previous two meetings, both in the past 12 months on hard courts but I believe something special is happening with Garcia here, now my favorite to reach the final out of this section.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Jack:
Of all the players remaining in the women’s draw, it’s tough to pick which player has looked the most impressive. For me, it’s a toss-up between Coco Gauff and Caroline Garcia, neither player having dropped a set enroute to their quarterfinal match.
With both playing near the peak of their powers, choosing a winner comes down to how the pair match-up. Whilst Garcia is great at taking on the return early, Gauff should be able to tame this strength somewhat with some huge first-serves. She’ll also be better than Garcia’s previous opponents at dealing with deep returns to her toes. The one advantage Garcia will have over Gauff however is her ability to rush the American’s forehand with her own forehand cross-court (though Gauff has looked very reliable on this wing over her past four matches).
It will be much harder for Garcia to put together a sequence of shots that earns her the point than it has been in her previous matches. If the match goes on for a while as well, I’d fancy the fitness of Gauff to see her prevail.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
Damian:
Caroline Garcia is a machine right now and she’s giving her opponents a very unique kind of pressure with how early she intends to wrap up points both on serve and return. It’s a risky style, but it makes the matches be almost only on her racket and her level of execution. Cori Gauff’s 2nd serve will be under fire here and so will be her forehand, which does have a longer backswing and doesn’t react to pace that well. Garcia should like this matchup and it’s up to her to deliver.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Johnny:
Caroline Garcia continues to be the hottest player on Tour. Garcia has strolled through the draw at Flushing Meadows without dropping a set and has now won 12 matches in a row, having become the first qualifier to win the 1000 level title in Cincinnati a few weeks ago. Coco Gauff is showing some fine form of her own but hasn’t faced anyone playing anywhere near as well as the Frenchwoman is right now.
I suspect Garcia will be too strong in this matchup. Garcia’s first strike tennis is better than Gauff’s, Garcia is also more consistently efficient coming forward. Gauff can win if it turns to a baseline scrap and Garcia is errant, but Garcia seems to be playing too well for that to happen.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
