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(WC) Juan Martin del Potro vs. (11) David Ferrer
It may be odd to call former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro the dark horse in this year’s men’s draw, but given his wild-card status, a ranking of No. 142 and his recent comeback from a three-year injury absence, it’s safe to say that he is. Despite his long hiatus, becoming an Olympic silver medalist just two weeks ago, which included wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, is enough to prove that the Tower of Tandil has made an emphatic return. And his unforgiving forehand has made its presence known, as well. So far this US Open, del Potro has not dropped a set en route to the third round, taking wins over countryman Diego Schwartzman before dismissing American favorite Steve Johnson. His opponent in the next round, David Ferrer, may not be so quick to bow out.
The tenacious Ferrer is known for his dogged ability to track down everything that falls on his side of the net. He’s also had a habit of stretching opponents to five thrilling sets, just as he did with Fabio Fognini in Thursday’s second-round match. Expect a grueling, hard-hitting match as these two battle it out from the baseline in a test of wills and endurance. Without a doubt, this match will go the distance, with del Potro taking the edge in five sets and offering a warm embrace at the net as consolation.
(8) Dominic Thiem vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
If you could talk about a player who has had a breakthrough year on tour in 2016, you might include Dominic Thiem at the top of that conversation. Thiem has posted one of the most successful seasons on the men’s tour this year, winning four titles and breaking the Top 10 for the first time in his career. In the third round, he will meet Pablo Carreno Busta for the third time in their career. Though Thiem has the 2-0 edge, Carreno Busta is no slouch on hard courts. He dropped only one set en route to his Winston-Salem title last week, and he made the semifinals at the inaugural Los Cabos Open this summer. Thiem should take this contest in four, giving him a chance to reach the quarterfinals here for the first time in his career.
(21) Ivo Karlovic vs. (Q) Jared Donaldson
The hopes of American tennis certainly looks bright with a teenager like Jared Donaldson coming up the ranks. In his first two rounds at the US Open, the 19-year-old qualifier has already defeated No. 12 seed David Goffin and Viktor Troicki, neither of whom are easy competition on the hard courts of New York. During the summer hard-court swing, Donaldson secured victories over Nicolas Almagro, Fabio Fognini and big-server Sam Groth, proving that he can hang with top players. In Saturday’s third-round match, he’ll face perhaps the biggest server of them all. No. 21 seed Ivo Karlovic, who also had a solid summer by winning the title in Los Cabos and finishing runner-up in Washington, is fresh off a straight-sets win over American Donald Young. Though he had a rough first-round win over Yen-Hsun Lu that went to a triple-tiebreak five-set match, he was much sharper in his victory over Young. This will be the first time the two go head to head, but give the edge to the more experienced Karlovic in four.
WOMEN
(6) Venus Williams vs. (26) Laura Siegemund
America’s favorite Venus Williams is always a strong contender on the courts of the US Open, and despite being the oldest player in the draw at 36, this year is no different. Just last year she reached the quarterfinals in Flushing, and the next opponent standing in the way of a repeat performance is No. 26 seed Laura Siegemund. The German is coming off a successful summer that saw her reach the quarterfinals or better in each of her three previous tournaments, winning the title in Bastad. Such results have catapulted her nearly 100 spots up the WTA rankings this season. In fact, at last year’s US Open, she was ranked No. 126 and had never passed the first round in New York. It’s a momentum that will be tough to stop.
But Williams has played at the US Open 17 times before and won the title here twice. These are the courts where she feels the most comfortable, especially on the big stages of the main courts. In this first-time contest against Siegemund in the third round, Williams may struggle early, but once she can figure out the German’s game and find a rhythm, tip the scales in Williams’ favor for this one in three.
(4) Agnieszka Radwanska vs. (25) Caroline Garcia
Winning the Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge can add a little bit of extra pressure for a player to do well in Flushing Meadows. And that’s just what Agnieszka Radwanska must be feeling as she makes her way through the draw this year. Radwanska took the title at New Haven just before the start of the US Open, giving her a comfortable win streak heading into Saturday’s third-round match against No. 25 seed Caroline Garcia of France. Thus far, she has yet to drop a set, her unorthodox and crafty play giving her an edge when she takes the court. Garcia will face her toughest opponent yet this week, having defeated Pauline Parmentier and Katerina Siniakova each in three sets to reach this point. She’ll have to summon her best tennis of the season to stall Radwanska and reach the fourth round. Bidding for her fifth career round of 16 appearance at the US Open, Radwanska advances in straights.
(31) Timea Babos vs. (5) Simona Halep
Two seeded players go head-to-head in a third-round match between No. 31 Timea Babos and No. 5 Simona Halep, but only Halep has experienced the pressures of having a Grand Slam round of 16 on the line. Babos had an easy road to the third round, taking wins over two qualifiers to get here. But make no mistake, Babos has trumped top players before with her powerful game, as she did over Belinda Bencic and Dominika Cibulkova in Cincinnati last month. If she can summon that kind of tennis on the stage of a Grand Slam, she will have a chance. Halep’s semifinal appearance here last year bodes well for her, and her play thus far has been solid, especially against a formidable Lucie Safarova in round two. Halep will continue in straight sets.
