Pegula-Kenin and Osaka-Muchova 2024 US Open Previews | TC Live

INSPIRED THIS SEASON AS WELL. YOU KNOW JUST A LITTLE SOME WALKING ON THE SIDE A DAY OFF. >> YEAH. THREE TO SEE EVERY DAY ON TENNIS.COM STEVE TIGNOR BREAKING DOWN THREE DIFFERENT MATCHES. THESE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE TODAY AND WE WILL BREAK THEM DOWN FOR YOU AS WELL, STARTING WITH THAT ALL-AMERICAN MATCHUP. JESSE PEGULA, SOFIA KENIN, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR TENNIS EXPRESS HEAD TO HEAD. AND RIGHT NOW ON TOUR LEVEL MATCHES, IT IS 2 TO 1 OVERALL, THOUGH, INCLUDING A MATCH IN DOTHAN, ALABAMA BACK IN THE DAY. EXCUSE ME. IT'S TWO ALL. WHERE WAS THAT A DOTHAN, ALABAMA I COUNT EVERY WIN. >> STEVE, WHEN YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL. AND SO IN THAT WAY THEY ARE TWO ALL. BUT I THINK MORE IMPORTANTLY IT IS WHEN THOSE WINS FOR KENIN OCCURRED. IT WAS OVER TWO YEARS AGO. CERTAINLY JESSE PEGULA IS IN A DIFFERENT PLACE IN HER CAREER, A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY AND CONFIDENCE, AND I THINK THAT'S GOING TO COME INTO PLAY. ALTHOUGH IT'S AN INTERESTING MATCHUP BECAUSE KENIN IS ONE OF THOSE PLAYERS THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO OPEN UP THE COURT TO CREATE SOME ANGLES. SHE CAN SERVE WIDE, SHE CAN FLICK THE FOREHAND AND BACKHAND, BUT SHE'S GOT A TREMENDOUS BACKHAND AND THAT CAN GO TOE TO TOE WITH PEGULA. IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THEY HAVE HAD SOME TIGHT MATCHUPS BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM. ALL OF THEIR MATCHES HAVE GONE THREE SETS. I GIVE PEGULA THE EDGE JUST BECAUSE THE FORM THAT SHE'S BEEN IN, BUT THIS COULD BE A TRICKY ONE. PEGULA, THOUGH SHE'S BEEN IMPRESSIVE. THE WAY SHE'S HANDLED PRESSURE, THE WAY SHE'S HANDLED PLAYING OTHER AMERICANS AND, YOU KNOW, BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW SHE HANDLES THIS AS WELL. >> THERE ARE A LOT OF INGREDIENTS HERE THAT COULD HAVE THE GREAT HIGH LEVEL SOFIA KENIN SHOW UP. BUT WE JUST WE DON'T KNOW. AND I THINK SOME OF THE TIME SHE DOESN'T KNOW EITHER. AND THAT'S WHY WE'VE SEEN SUCH INCONSISTENCY IN HER RESULTS OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS OR SO. SO SHE COULD COME OUT ALL OF A SUDDEN PLAY THIS LIGHTS OUT MATCH, BECAUSE SHE CAN PLAY RIGHT UP ON THE BASELINE. ROB, YOU OF TIME, USE THAT FAST COURT AND USE THAT POWER. BUT HAVING SAID THAT, THAT IS A LITTLE BIT OF A GAMBLE. JESS. I THINK SHE'S PLAYING CAREER TENNIS COMING IN WITH THE RUN THAT SHE'S BEEN ON, THIS IS HER TIME. SHE LOOKED GREAT IN THAT PREVIOUS ROUND. I'M LOOKING FOR HER TO CERTAINLY COME THROUGH, BUT, YOU KNOW, SOFIA, YOU JUST. YOU DON'T KNOW WHO'S GOING TO SHOW UP. >> JOHN. THE THREE OF US WERE DISCUSSING CAREER RESUMES WITH THESE TWO BEFORE THE SHOW. WHOSE CAREER RESUME ARE YOU TAKING BETWEEN SOFIA KENIN, JESSE PEGULA? WELL, WE LOST THE AUDIO RIGHT WHEN HE'S ANSWERING THE QUESTION. >> I WANTED TO HEAR IT THE WAY HE WAS SMILING. >> IT'S A GREAT, GREAT QUESTION, THOUGH, BECAUSE IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOUR TENNIS VALUES, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT SORT OF SAYS, WHAT DO YOU WHAT DO YOU VALUE MORE? AND HONESTLY, I THINK YOU KIND OF WE PLAY FOR MAJORS, RIGHT? I MEAN, THIS IS THE TENTPOLE. THIS IS WHAT CAREERS ARE MEASURED BY. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHO'S WHO'S MORE CONSISTENT, WHO'S GOING TO HAVE A MORE LONGER CAREER IN TERMS OF TOTAL WINS AND LONGEVITY. IT'S OBVIOUSLY JESSE PEGULA, BUT I THINK GETTING TO A MAJOR FINAL, WHICH KENIN DID, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT ENOUGH IN 2020 AND WINNING A MAJOR AS SHE DID ALSO IN 2020. IN AUSTRALIA. I THINK, GIVEN HOW LARGE MAJORS LOOM IN THIS SPORT, I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SAYING THIS. I KIND OF THINK KENIN'S MY CHOICE. WHAT DO YOU GUYS SAY? >> YOU KNOW, IT'S I THINK YOU WORK THROUGH THE DISCUSSION BEAUTIFULLY, JOHN. I THINK FOR ME, AT TIMES, I THINK CONSISTENCY AS A PLAYER HAS BEEN A BIGGER DEAL. AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE IN THOSE SPACES AND YOU'VE REACHED HEIGHTS AND THEN YOU STRUGGLE, THAT IS A BAD FEELING AND IT CAN BE DEBILITATING. SO I THINK IT'S A DIFFICULT ANSWER. CERTAINLY THE MAJORS YOU WANT A MAJOR AND WHEN YOU GET YOUR YOUR MOMENT AND YOU CAN GRAB IT THAT IS CAREER MAKING. BUT IT'S NOT AS EASY THE CHOICE ON PAPER. >> I THINK WE MAY HAVE TO DEFER AT THE MOMENT, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW I THINK JESS HAS A BETTER SHOT OF WINNING A SLAM IN HER CAREER THAN SOFIA HAS OF PERHAPS GETTING BACK TO THE LEVEL THAT SHE WAS AT. SO I GUESS IF YOU PICK IT RIGHT NOW, IT REALLY IS A TOSS UP. YOU COULD YOU COULD ARGUE IT EITHER WAY, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT IT A LITTLE BIT, FUTURE, I THINK THE ANSWER IS JESS. >> JOHN'S REALLY THE ONLY ONE THAT ANSWERED THAT QUESTION. I FEEL LIKE I REALLY HONESTLY. >> SO CHEERS TO YOU, WERTHEIM. >> THANK YOU. >> DON'T CALL US OUT LIKE THAT, STEVE. YOU DON'T JUST DO THAT TO US. >> YOU ASK A QUESTION. WE'VE HAD YOUR BACK ALL ALL HOUR AND A HALF, RIGHT? >> YOU REALLY HAVE. >> WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA. DEFINITELY CALLED ME OUT YESTERDAY. CALLED YOU OUT THE DAY BEFORE. LET'S BE REAL HERE. STILL LOVE YOU. STILL LOVE YOU NAOMI OSAKA. MUCH DIFFERENT MATCHUP, JOHN THAN SHE HAD IN THE FIRST ROUND. YOU TAKE OUT YOU KNOW OSTAPENKO POWER VERSUS POWER TODAY KAROLINA MUCHOVA. HOW CAN SHE CHALLENGE OSAKA. >> CAN WE JUST THIS IS A NIGHT MATCH. MAYBE THE MOST ANTICIPATED MATCH OF THE DAY. AND IT'S TWO PLAYERS OUTSIDE THE TOP 50, ONE OF THEM A FOUR TIME MAJOR CHAMPION, TWO TIME U.S. OPEN CHAMPION IN OSAKA, THE OTHER MUCHOVA WHO APART FROM GETTING TO THE FINALS OF ROLAND GARROS, LET'S NOT FORGET SHE'S A SEMIFINALIST HERE LAST YEAR, HAS HAD SOME INJURIES. THIS IS A REALLY FUN MATCH. A LOT OF ATHLETICISM, A LOT OF SHOT MAKING. THEY'RE BOTH ROUNDING INTO FORM. I MEAN NAOMI HAS BEEN PLAYING. YOU KNOW THAT FIRST ROUND MATCH AGAINST OSTAPENKO. THAT IS A STATEMENT WIN. AND MUCHOVA LOOKS BACK AS WELL. SHE HAS THE SHOT OF THE TOURNAMENT. THE INTERNET IS YOUR FRIEND. THEY'RE 1 TO 1 CAREER. HEAD TO HEAD. THIS IS A REALLY FUN MATCH. NOT OFTEN THOUGH, YOU GET A THURSDAY NIGHT MATCH AGAINST TWO PLAYERS OUTSIDE THE TOP 50. THAT SHOULD TELL YOU SOMETHING. >> YEAH, IT'S JUST UNFORTUNATE THAT THESE TWO ARE MEETING SO EARLY IN THE TOURNAMENT WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE CONTRASTING STYLES, THE LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE THAT THEY HAVE, BOTH ACHIEVED IN THEIR CAREERS. I THINK IF OSAKA PLAYS THE WAY SHE DID IN THAT FIRST ROUND MATCH AGAINST OSTAPENKO, THE MATCH IS ON HER RACKET. I MEAN, SHE WAS JUST NEARLY PERFECT IN ALL DEPARTMENTS, BUT ESPECIALLY ON SERVE, AND THAT CAN MAKE LIFE TOUGH FOR MUCHOVA. BUT MUCHOVA HAS THAT ABILITY TO CHANGE IT UP TO SLICE, TO COME IN, TO PUT A LITTLE MORE PRESSURE ON OSAKA AND MAYBE EVEN DRAW OSAKA IN ON MUCHOVA TERMS. SO I THINK SHE CAN CREATE SOME HAVOC. BUT OSAKA, SHE LOOKED LIGHTS OUT IN HER FIRST ROUND MATCH AND I THINK FOR ME, I DEFINITELY HAVE TO GIVE HER JUST A LITTLE BIT OF THE ADVANTAGE. >> I'VE ALWAYS BEEN REALLY HIGH ON MUCHOVA STOCK. I LOVE THE WAY SHE PLAYS. I THINK IN TODAY'S GAME, BOTH ON THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SIDE, YOU DO SEE A LOT OF ONE DIMENSIONAL TENNIS. KAROLINA IS ONE OF THOSE PLAYERS WHO SHE CAN DO JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING OUT THERE. SHE DOESN'T HAVE A HOWITZER WHERE SHE CAN BLOW YOU OFF THE COURT WITH ONE SHOT, BUT SHE CAN ATTACK THE NET. SHE CAN BRING YOU IN WITH THE DROP SHOT. SHE CAN SHE CAN DISRUPT VERY MUCH. I THINK IF SHE PLAYS ABC TENNIS TONIGHT, IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY COMFORTABLE THREE AND THREE WIN FOR NAOMI OSAKA. THE WAY SHE'S PLAYING. BUT IF SHE CAN GET OUT THERE AND DISRUPT AND GET NAOMI MOVING FORWARD SIDE TO SIDE OFF BALANCE, MAYBE GOING BEHIND HER INTO THE OPEN COURT, MAKING A RUN THAT IS GOING TO GIVE HER HER BEST SHOT TO CREATE THE WIN. SHE IS FULLY CAPABLE OF WINNING THIS MATCH TODAY, BUT OSAKA IN THE DRIVER'S S