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There were some excellent results at the 2021 U.S. Launch in most recent days. And there could perchance well be heaps more upsets serene to realize aid at the USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Center in Current York City.
The final be aware shock within the males’s singles tournament came Friday, when No. 3-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas misplaced to unseeded Carlos Alcaraz in a third-round match. Tsitsipas changed into expected to be one amongst the head challengers to No. 1-seeded Novak Djokovic, who has rolled during the first three rounds in his pursuit of a calendar Gargantuan Slam.
Even more surprises obtain occurred in ladies’s singles play. On Friday, No. 3-seeded Naomi Osaka misplaced to unseeded Leylah Fernandez. Then on Saturday, No. 1-seeded Ashleigh Barty misplaced to unseeded Shelby Rogers, leaving the discipline wide-originate.
Sunday’s U.S. Launch coverage will air on ESPN from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. ET and on ESPN2 from 7-11 p.m. ET. Right here are some predictions for loads of principal suits from the early slate as the round of 16 will get underway.
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These ladies obtain heaps of historic previous with each other, having gone head-to-head eight events sooner than. And even supposing Elina Svitolina leads the series 5-3, don’t decrease tag Simona Halep in what ought to be a competitive round-of-16 matchup.
Svitolina hasn’t faced any adversity at the U.S. Launch. The Ukrainian received each of her three suits in straight units, with her most spectacular showing coming within the third round, when she defeated No. 25-seeded Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 6-2.
As for Halep, she received her first two suits in straight units sooner than going through a field within the third round. The Romanian outlasted No. 19-seeded Elena Rybakina 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3.
Although Svitolina has been more dominant, Halep’s shield over Rybakina changed into spectacular and showed that she’s in a position to constructing a deep drag at the U.S. Launch, the put she reached the semifinals in 2015. Ask a aid-and-forth match that goes the gap, with Halep beating Svitolina for the first time for the reason that semifinals at Wimbledon in 2019.
Prediction: Halep wins in three units.
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Leylah Fernandez is coming off the final be aware shield of her tennis profession. After winning her first two suits in straight units, the 18-year-frail upset Osaka within the third round, winning 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4. But things have to no longer going to be easy from here on out despite knocking off closing year’s U.S. Launch champion.
Actually, every matchup for Fernandez the leisure of the diagram is going to be a field, starting with her round-of-16 meeting with Kerber, a three-time Gargantuan Slam winner and the 2016 U.S. Launch champ.
Kerber has been tested to this level, having fun with three units in two of her first three suits. But the German frail retains discovering systems to shield. Within the third round, she defeated Sloane Stephens, a fellow vulnerable U.S. Launch champion, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
This has already been Fernandez’s easiest showing at a principal tournament, and he or she made a repute for herself by taking down Osaka. She in overall is a contender to shield Gargantuan Slams in due route. Alternatively, Kerber’s skills can be too extraordinary to overcome, and Fernandez’s surprise drag will end Sunday.
Prediction: Kerber wins in straight units.
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Daniil Medvedev remains one amongst the head contenders to prevent Djokovic from winning this tournament. Alternatively, the rivals is going to bag more difficult for the 25-year-frail, who’s serene having a peek to shield his first Gargantuan Slam title.
Through the first three rounds, Medvedev has yet to lose a role. Not most productive that, however none of his opponents obtain received more than four video games in a role. After reaching the closing at the Australian Launch earlier this year, Medvedev is yet again having a ton of success at a onerous-court docket predominant.
Dan Evans can be Medvedev’s toughest rivals yet, as the Brit regularly is the first seeded participant he’s faced. Despite the indisputable reality that Evans hasn’t performed any seeded avid gamers, either, he’s performed 13 units over his first three suits, including three that were determined by tiebreakers. So he’s been tested a bunch to this level.
This time, though, Evans could perchance well no longer be having fun with a lengthy match. Medvedev can be sure it would no longer walk previous three units. The Russian is showing no indicators of slowing down and could perchance well no longer face a staunch field until later within the tournament.
Prediction: Medvedev wins in straight units.
