US Open 2013 Day 8 preview

1. Roger Federer vs Tommy Robredo

Head to Head Statistics:

Match Winner

Sydney ATP (2002) R. Federer 7-6(5), 7-6(5)

Vienna ATP (2002) R. Federer 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4

Rome Masters (2003) R. Federer 6-1, 6-1

Montreal Masters (2003) R. Federer 6-4, 6-3

Dubai Open (2004) R. Federer 6-3, 6-4

Hamburg Masters (2005) R. Federer 6-2, 6-3

Australian Open (2007) R. Federer 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-5

French Open (2007) R. Federer 7-5, 1-6, 6-1, 6-2

US Open (2009) R. Federer 7-5, 6-2, 6-2

Australian Open (2011) R. Federer 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Roger Federer has looked to be in very good touch so far in this year’s edition of the US Open. Federer is undoubtedly one of the best players in the history of the game. The Swiss legend has been struggling to find his best form, but even so he is always a dangerous opponent for anyone in the court on any given day.

Federer has displayed good quality of tennis for which he is known for, in his previous matches. It would not be wrong to say that he has dominated in all his previous three matches. He has not dropped any set until now and this is a worrying sign for Tommy Robredo, Federer’s opponent in the fourth round.

The Spaniard has faced Federer ten times in the past but adding to his disadvantage is the fact that he has lost to the Swiss in all those previous encounters, including a three-set loss at the US Open in 2009.

Robredo is having a good season and the World No. 22 has had a decent run in the Open so far. He might have had a comparatively easy draw in the initial rounds, but to his disappointment, he has not looked convincing, having dropped a set each in the first and the third round.

There’s no doubt that Federer will be the top favourites to advance to the quarters. However, Robredo too is a talented player and he cannot be totally ruled out, but one look at their past records and their current forms suggests that the odds are very much in favour of the five time US Open champion.

2. Victoria Azarenka vs Ana Ivanovic

Head to Head Statistics:

Matches Winner

French Open (2009) V. Azarenka 6-2, 6-3

Rome Masters (2010) A. Ivanovic 6-4, 6-4

Western and Southern Group Open (2010) A. Ivanovic 2-6, 7-6, 6-2

Madrid Open (2012) V. Azarenka 6-4, 6-4

Wimbledon (2012) V. Azarenka 6-1, 6-0

Carlsbad Open (2013) V. Azarenka 6-0, 4-6, 6-3

Former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic is set to clash with the reigning Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round match of the US Open.

The two have met six times in the past, but this will be their first clash at the Flushing Meadows. If we go by the head-to-head statistics, Azarenka has the edge over her Serbian opponent Ivanovic with a 4-2 margin. Also, the fact that the Belarusian has dominated in their encounters in the last three years indicates that the Azarenka is the favourite.

Both Azarenka and Ivanovic are highly talented players, but going by their recent performances, the former is enjoying a better run of form. Being a finalist in the last year’s edition, Azarenka is expected to go all the way through this time. Moreover, her recent performances in the hard court which includes winning twice over Serena Williams is a clear indicator that she will be a really tough competitor.

As far as Ivanovic is concerned, she has the talent and the ability to beat anyone, but in the recent times, she has been inconsistent. She almost lost to Christina McHale in the previous match, but the way she fought back and turned the match around to ultimately enter the fourth round showed what she can do if she gets going.

3. Richard Gasquet vs Milos Raonic

Head to Head Statistics:

Matches Winner

Cincinnati Masters (2012) Milos Raonic 7-6(4), 6-3

Richard Gasquet of France and Milos Raonic of Canada will face off in one of the fourth round matches of the ongoing US Open. It will be their second encounter after their first clash in Cincinnati in 2012. It was Raonic who came out victorious in that encounter.

Raonic has never entered the quarter finals in a Grand Slam and he will be looking for a berth this year. But the Canadian has been going through a rough patch this season, although he has shown signs of improvement in Montreal where he reached the final. The first three matches in the Open saw him doing well and it seems he is regaining his lost form.

Gasquet on the other hand has been doing quite good in the Open with straight set wins in the first two matches. He faced tough competiton from Dmitry Tursunov before the latter pulled out due to injury.

He is the eighth seed and has a slight edge over Raonic. But it would not be an easy task for him as Raonic will definitely put up a tough fight. Also, adding to the Frenchman’s woes is his terrible record in fourth rounds with an awful 1-15 win-loss record in the fourth rounds of the slams. A tough match can be expected from this two.

4. Janko Tipsarevic vs David Ferrer

Head to Head Statistics:

Matches Winner

Indian Wells Masters (2007) D. Ferrer 6-1, 6-3

Monte Carlo Masters (2008) D. Ferrer 6-4, 6-0

Beijing Olympics (2008) J. Tipsarevic 7-6, 6-2

Barclays World Tour (2012) D. Ferrer 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

World Tenns Championship (2012) D. Ferrer 7-6, 6-2

US Open (2012) D. Ferrer 6-3, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6

In yet another fourth round match of the US Open, two highly talented individuals Dvaid Ferrer of Spain and Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia will fight it out to grab a a berth in the quarter finals.

They have met each other on six different occasions prior to this one and it is the Spaniard who dominates 5-1.

Ferrer is the fourth seed player in the tournament and is the favourite over a struggling Tipsarevic. The Serbian has failed to strike form this season which includes ten first round losses. As a result, he has dropped from World No. 9 to 21.

However, given Tipsarevic’s experience and his impressive past record on the hard courts, he certainly cannot be easily ruled out. He has shown glimpses of his brilliance in the previous three matches, but he has to come up with his best if he is to overcome a player of Ferrer’s class.

The Tipsarevic-Ferrer game promises to be an exciting match-up but all eyes will be on Ferrer, expecting the Spaniard to go up 6-1 against the Serbian.