US Open 2013 preview: Women’s quarter-final

3) Roberta Vinci vs Flavia Pennetta(Head to head: 4-4)

Roberta Vinci

With every passing tournament the Italian ladies are making a mark in the world of tennis, whether it is the power hitting of Schiavone or the new sensation in town Camila Giorgi.

This all-Italian encounter promises to be a closely matched encounter with both players knowing each other’s game perfectly well. If being Fed cup partners was not enough, they face-off in the women’s doubles third round encounter as a preview to their highly anticipated quarterfinal clash.

The very fact that Vinci and Pennetta have faced each other eight times shows how informed they are about each other’s style of play. A tied head-to-head clubbed with a semifinal berth at a Grand Slam would act as a big motivation for the two when they gear up for their encounter come Wednesday.

Thus, following in the footsteps of Sara Errani last year, Vinci and Pennetta would want to get their names scripted in the record books by entering the semifinals and possibly add to that by even going further in the tournament.

Prediction: Roberta Vinci wins in 3 sets