By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday August 31, 2024

 

The stage is set for a dogfight in the lower half of the men's draw, as round of 16 action begins on Sunday in Queens.

Photo Source: Getty

Day 7 of the US Open kicks off round of 16 action in Flushing Meadows… Here’s what we’ll be watching on a blockbuster Sunday at the US Open as the top half of the men’s and women’s draws compete for coveted quarterfinals spots.



Foe Real?

How will Frances Tiafoe manage to back up his enthralling five-set victory over Ben Shelton on Sunday? And how will the American deal with the fact that the draw has been cracked up by the losses of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic on successive nights at the Open?

Tiafoe will bid for his third consecutive US Open quarterfinals against Alexei Popyrin, the man who slayed four-time champion Djokovic in four sets on Saturday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The pair have never met before. Given the magnitude of the match, and the fact that the bottom half of the men’s singles draw is a land of opportunity, expect the player who can manage the moment to have an edge. Tiafoe will have the crowd, and he loves the big stage, so the onus will be on Popyrin to deliver the type of tennis that can quiet the Ashe faithful.



Olympic Rematch

A few weeks ago in Paris Qinwen–aka Queenwen–Zheng had a crowning achievement at the Olympic games. She made history for China, becoming the first player to win an Olympic gold from her nation. Her victim in the final, Croatia’s Donna Vekic, also had a pivotal moment, capturing silver despite the fact that she fell in straight sets to Zheng in the final.

On Sunday they will meet for the fourth time, with Vekic feeling confident that she can make an impact on the rising Chinese star on the New York hard courts – a surface the 28-year-old prefers.

She’ll also benefit from the fact that her spectacular summer, which also featured her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon, has given her a newfound sense of belief.

Zheng is the higher seed, and the more decorated player, having reached her maiden Grand Slam final at this year’s Australian Open, but this promises to be a hotly contested battle between two of the most in-form players of 2024.



Revenge for Coco?

Coco Gauff was rudely blasted off of Centre Court by compatriot Emma Navarro at Wimbledon earlier this summer, 6-4, 6-3, in the round of 16 in July. On Sunday the pair of talented Americans will meet for the second consecutive major, with Gauff eyeing a taste of revenge as she bids to keep her title defense alive in Queens.

“I feel like that match at Wimbledon I think I mentally just literally collapsed on the court,” Gauff recalled on Saturday, after stretchin her US Open win streak to ten. “I was very frustrated, and she played well. That was, I think to me, the best tennis she played.”

Navarro, meanwhile, hopes she can come up with a suitable encore to her Grand Slam coming out party at Wimbledon.

“I think it's so exciting to have two Americans playing in the fourth round,” said the No.13 seed. “I'm assuming we'll be playing on Arthur Ashe. That's kind of an experience that is something I could have never even dreamed of. I'm playing the defending champ.

“I think it will be a great match, and I'm just really excited for the opportunity.”