– In the women’s grid, two Russians qualified for the fourth round. Veronika Kudermetova seems to have had a fairly easy path, and only now will her serious opponent be Ons Zhaber, who has shown the best tennis of her career this season. What are the chances of reaching the quarter-finals?
– Of course, Ons is the favorite, but Veronica has everything to win. Kudermetova plays very powerfully and has a great first serve. Naturally, it will all depend on how often she makes unforced errors, but she will have many more winners than her opponent. At the same time, Zhaber is experienced, showing combined smart tennis. She will force the Russian to move around the court and play in awkward positions. A very interesting match, but if Veronica succeeds, then she has a good chance.
– Lyudmila Samsonova’s path to 1/8 by names was more thorny, but she’s also going through the tournament with a lot of confidence so far: she beat last year’s runner-up Leila Fernandez.
– He is probably the fastest growing tennis player in Russia in the last two years. During this time, she had so many events in her career that some have not happened in 10 years. She’s great, I really like the way Lyudmila plays. She has a nice strong tennis.
And I’m calm before the match between Samsonova and Tomlyanovic, although Ayla has a lot of experience. The Australian has been on the circuit for many years, stopped Serena Williams herself – had an incredible fight and showed her will to withstand the pressure from the stands. However, after a rough night meeting, you need to recover. It’s one thing to go to center court against Serena, it’s another to play with Samsonova in a not so big arena with a completely different vibe. It may also affect the Aussie’s performance. I look forward to a good game, and Lyudmila is very likely to go further.
– Do you believe that one of the Russians will be able to reach the final?
– I do not want to say too strong words, but there are such thoughts. I’ve said more than once that the women’s grid at Grand Slams is very unpredictable. Moreover, the quarterfinals may already be Russian, then one of the girls will be in the semifinals, where anything is possible.
The most important thing is that they have game, service and character. I would say that almost any female tennis player who has reached the fourth round can win the US Open: Corey Gauff, Zhaber, Petra Martic and Iga Sventek, of course, it is not for nothing that she is the first classification number.
– Let’s go back to the subject of Serena, who most likely played the last match of her career. Are you a bit sad that the 23-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out so soon or was it indifferent?
“Williams had to leave at some point. Many wanted to see a fairy tale: Serena’s victory at her last US Open. But it was very difficult for her to win the title both physically and psychologically.
Yes, the fact that she beat such a serious opponent as Anette Kontaveit in the second round says it all. But still, in recent months she has not won major victories over the representatives of the top 10, each match was hard for her.
Too bad, of course, that the great champion is ending her career, but it is inevitable. Thanks to Serena for the years she gave us on tour, for the inspiration she gave everyone, how she motivated us and showed us that we have to go to every game like it’s was the last: to fight and win, despite the classification and the injuries. She’s an amazing athlete, person, mom. Let’s not forget that she returned to the circuit after the birth of a child and deserves nothing but admiration and best wishes.
– Do you agree with the opinion that in the women’s circuit there is not even an athlete as close as Serena, in terms of the breadth of her personality?
– Of course, the same Schwentek, with her game this season, has been talked about, but in terms of charisma and presentation of tennis in the world, everyone is still far from being American. Serena and Venus Williams changed the game, breathed new life into it, and it was something incredibly spellbinding: power, pressure, power punches!
Yes, Iga now plays good tennis, very nice. I also love her game, but the very appearance of Serena and Venus on the circuit was a phenomenon that changed the outlook on women’s tennis forever. The benchmark they have set for so many years… I wish Schwentek would go in that direction, but it will be very difficult.
– Let’s move on to the men’s grid. Andrey Rublev will be the last of the Russians to fight for a place in the fourth round, but for that you need to defeat Denis Shapovalov. Are there any fears in meeting such a difficult opponent, given that the start of the tournament was not easy?
– It’s good that in the second round, Andrey treated Kwon Seong Wu very confidently. It made me very happy after the match with Laszlo Djere, where Rublev seemed very nervous and somehow moved every moment negative about himself. He has this character trait: he is emotional, explosive and constantly wants to be perfect on the pitch. Mr. Perfect. It’s impossible. However, with the defeats, he acquires the necessary experience and is now going through a difficult period where he must confirm his class. Last year he received a lot of advances, they said that Rublev could and should become number one or even win the Grand Slam tournament.
– How do you rate Yevgeny Kafelnikov’s opinion that his potential is even higher than Medvedev’s?
– I can’t say that yet. Still, Danya is now at the top of the leaderboard and her game is generally amazing and unlike anyone else. But Andrei has a great chance of reaching all the heights, he is a great player and his tennis is a pleasure to watch.
A very difficult match awaits him with Shapovalov, they are about the same age, they know each other very well, they have faced each other many times, trained together. Denis is also left-handed, which will add to Rublev’s difficulty. However, there are not many games on the circuit where you have to meet left-handers. So for a Russian, it’s a kind of challenge: you have to show your status, your level of play. It will be very difficult for him, but let’s hope he can manage his nerves first: he will simply go out and start enjoy tennis.
– You mentioned Andrey’s perfectionism. Doesn’t it seem to bother him sometimes?
– And here. You don’t need to be perfect, there are no such people even in ordinary life. It is a sport. Here it is important to focus on taking points. You always have to fight and try to win, and indulge in self-flagellation because of certain mistakes and thinking that you are not entitled to it is wrong.
Rublev learns to overcome such moments, he is gradually moving towards this. He had an incredible last season, and often after that you have more responsibility and more competition on the circuit. There are more and more guys who want to beat Andrey, because the motivation against top players is only higher. He is faced with this, and he must be ready for such scenarios, to grow above himself.
– Khachanov will meet Pablo Carreno-Busta, with whom he has positive stats in one-on-one matches. Is this the best opponent to reach the ¼ finals?
– Khachanov has always been trained in the tournament for a long time, but it happens to many tennis players. It takes time to catch up, to wake up. Karen has every chance of beating the Spaniard, he has met him several times, he has won. We can even say that in his own way, Pablo is comfortable for a Russian. Nevertheless, he managed to win in the last matches and also does not forget their duel in the semi-finals at the Olympics. Here, everything will depend on Karen herself, her game, unforced errors and the first serve. If Khachanov has the first serve, he can easily take plays on it, then the whole pattern of the match, as a rule, looks good.
Has he gained confidence this season?
– Of course, this year there are more stable matches. He grows, trains, progresses. Yet he has been playing with the same opponents for so many years, in the same tournaments. It’s not easy psychologically, but it’s important to get the job done. Karen accepts herself as she is. It’s just. It is not necessary to look at others, it is important to focus on your career. Khachanov in this regard, well done, continues to develop.
– Medvedev started the tournament with a bang, but now Nick Kirios is waiting for him, with whom it is always difficult for him to play. Will losing three weeks ago against the Australian be an extra motivation or do tennis players usually not think about it?
– I think it’s even great that Danya lost to Kyrios at the start of the Masters in Canada. Such defeats are always a small upheaval, set up psychologically. It’s better to play like that in Montreal to draw conclusions and avoid the mistakes that were made in the previous game. Medvedev is showing himself to be very confident at this US Open, he is already a mature and mature player. The right attitude emanates from him. He’s not the same youngster who turned the crowd against him in the 2019 US Open final with Rafael Nadal. He is a completely different tennis player who has grown in every aspect.
– So, game-wise, Russian is better for me than Kirios. Yes, Nick is very lively, passionate and brilliant, but will he be enough against an athlete of this level? It should be noted that he often beats those who are higher in the rankings than him. In such confrontations he has a charge and a desire to show his full potential, but let’s hope that Danya can cope with his wick and his lead at 200 km/h. It is important for Medvedev to keep his game, to act confidently at the reception and to keep the serve, especially the first. Otherwise, there is nothing to catch up against Kirios.
– Many fans are waiting for Medvedev to meet Nadal in the final. Do you too or would you like an easier opponent in a possible title match?
– Indeed, everyone says that the decisive meeting will be like that, but it is impossible to predict. Nadal’s play this season isn’t something surprising, but you’re starting to treat him with even more respect. The way he plays, fights injuries, endures many hours of matches at any Grand Slam tournament, is to be admired. Rafa is brilliant in this regard.
When you go out to play with him, you understand that you will not be spoiled. No one will give points, because on the other side of the court, one person knows how to play TSH Finals and knows how to win them. Therefore, I want Daniil to reach the final, if there is a game with the Spaniard then you will have to take advantage of it. This confrontation has been going on for several years and has become a symbol of the generational change in tennis: youth against experience. If Daniil reaches the final for the second year in a row it will be a huge achievement, but for now we have to win the next game. It is better to think gradually and not think of anything yet for the final.
Source : MatchTV
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