US Open previews + WTA Race: Swiatek-Pegula; Haddad Maia-Muchova; Sabalenka-Zheng; Badosa-Navarro

ready play well no rushing this time there's a net cord she puts her in control forehand volley could have been better though I don't think Sam son makes the pass missed the pass though wasn't the best could have been better close certainly wasn't the best volley certainly wasn't the best approach but she manages to get it done and in the end I mean we still kind of have to call it a relatively routine Victory could have been much more tricky though the first eight games really really good performance from samsonova but Shion just locked in from start to finish and uh things kind of unraveled after that one poor game that the Russian had at 45 oh so that is 90 minutes for EA and she plays pugula just like she did in the 2020 2 Us open quarterfinal so and2 quarterfinal so yeah she's she she would be responsible for three out of seven of Jesse's um grandon quarterfinal losses for the for the male Andre rublev if you may uh do we watch the minor Thompson the fourth set at least and then see what happens yeah but can we just do just do a couple of minutes on oh of course we will of course we will yeah um yeah I mean it looks promising for her honestly I think she's going to have a very tough set of opponents from here Pula maybe the best chance that we kind of have very competitive high quality match I I expect the paga match to be very competitive um yeah just the way that P has been playing the way she she kind of likes these conditions medium to fast and you know the way she can also hang with EA and break serve a lot and you know just the confidence that she has from having won all those matches I expect it to be a tight battle I like how Pula just kind of took herself from you know a mediocre season no expectations really going into the North American hardcour swing and suddenly she's in better form than she was last year when we were thinking like is she gonna win the US Open like is it is it actually possible and suddenly she's even better this year two metrics that Samson of one today uh one was that she won more points on second serve than eager uh and they have relatively similar like 20 20 second service for ego and 22 for Samson and the other one was distance covered which is not the not the metric you want to be winning pretty much you don't want to win that probably read fewer books today as well I don't know what read fewer books Yeah well yeah but then that's a that's a metric there for the eagle one I guess if you want yeah I guess I guess probably that would be you know Green um green number would be on the EA side yeah um but there's one thing I want to highlight which is 88% of points won on first serve from eager that may have been samon of iring I don't know but it is something that's been sort of highlighted at various points this year that the eager serve was something that she adjusted over the the winter and people were very quick to jump on it in Australia going oh I wish she hadn't you know made these adjustments because it's not working in fact it's got worse well 88% uh of first serve points w is this an area of the game that EA has taken a step forward in 2024 either of you can answer that I think she's been serving like in terms of the the pace um she's serving maybe on average 5 to 10 miles per hour faster so she is like maybe hitting more effective body serves it is more kind of a the the motion itself like at first when I saw it in Australia I was a little more critical of it but I think in the play season it actually paid dividence like the match against Sab Lanka and Madrid and some big points she was getting threee points on the first serve in some matches but also like the way that she's been it's also a stat that really shows like how well she backs it up I don't think it's the serve itself but also the plus one also the like you know the error she was getting from s sonova and the Baseline relies in the second set makes it maybe that one-sided but uh but yeah I think it's a very gradual change definitely like you know there's never been a moment where like you're oh yeah this is completely different now after about a month um so maybe it's not that noticeable generally but I do think she's serving better for sure the one against KOCO go right she was hitting like like her average for serve speed was pretty high in Rolling G I mean you know she can beat KOCO go serving at 60% Pace but but and generally like in Cincinnati it was helping her before the suben match right it's more of a question to me like what happens in a match where that's not doing as much damage where she's facing like a total like top tier of position opponent because in Cincinnati she was also serving very well it was kind of the Saving Grace at first for her event then she kind of gets into the rhm but of course savena just well just destroys her on the day but yeah against Sams sonova probably not the most meaningful St though because Luda is just GNA be trying to like you know hit massive returns anyway of whatever is coming at her so but of course it was so important today because yeah if if some Son of alls an early break in the first set maybe we got a completely different match no break points ultimately as competitive as those first eight games were and I think we did have a love 30 at1 point I think it was the eager serve that got her out of trouble um and yeah no big point so eager goes through Pula as Fon um preview yeah I mean we've already said things right that like we expect it to be very competitive and it might be one of the best matches we get out of that rivalry given how Jesse is playing yeah I'm expecting it to be their most competitive match so far like in terms of you know quality and yeah I mean I mean Pula definitely has a chance at beating eer right now the way that she's been the way that she's been playing the kind of the kind of tenis that we know can trouble EA but at the same time you know these last two matches have made me feel pretty good about IGA as well you know the way she uh she beats Pavo chova and Sam son similar type of opponents but and we know pigula hasn't won a s quarterfinal but you know she's played eager twice party once um vusa match is probably the one that got away for her um but I but I feel like this is she she she'll really come in confident and she'll like her chances um but I'm curious to see is it a day match or a night match cuz of course don't know yet but um yeah not sure what's going to be the next um what's going to be the other quarter hadat Maya against um mova mova yeah should be a KN match then I guess maybe the same the same slot as today yeah actually think Knight helps uh Knight helps EA night will will still help e a little bit more I think during the day a little bit more it's a bit faster like in the sun she Pula likes those conditions more yeah could be could be the same today I think and in fact yeah Jesse in this match up probably likes it faster I mean the way she played in Sydney for example of course there was also that um that argument that like the Polish team had to fly over change conditions but but still and I I I still keep I keep talking about this by the way but like there was I don't remember who it was and I don't want like shame that person or anything but I just remember like a month or so ago before Montreal anyway or before um Toronto that was for the women this year someone on this stream like just posted a comment that like Pula is surely losing round three at the US Open or something like that but like Pula is not a factor and I just remember saying that like yeah but what if she does extremely well and I don't think anyone of like during the you know warm-ups and like I don't think anyone of us expected how well she would actually do which is pretty much be the best player in their alongside sub also by the way everyone's talking about like playing the Olympic like she also played the Olympics you know and like I know she lost like in the you know round of 16 maybe in doubles and didn't go that far in singles either she lost to Selina I think in her second match but still like you know she played she was there for quite a while and she still comes back and wakes you know wins torando gets to the final of ciny gets to the quarters here without dropping a set like yeah pretty two of the three medalists on the women's side are still in the tournament as well in in the form of ego and Shang uh so I I think that that the playing the Olympics is a small factor but uh the level that Novak has played all year for example on the men's side and the level that Carlos brought to the court the other day as well as the level of bage those factors were at least as important if not more important than just playing the Olympics for me yeah but I mean that's kind of like ignoring the cause and effect uh you know relationship um yeah yeah but back to to to Ego and Jessica I just one word of caution on the on the Jessica thing her run to the final in Canada pretty good you know I think she did drop a set to the final before she then wins the final I thought the level against Anisa mova was good but wasn't Sensational and then she comes up against an absolute aass player in the form of arena savalen in the final in Cincinnati and she gets beaten Fair comfortably um got beaten even more comfortably by the toughest of anybody in the she also was going for backto back titles right I mean in 2023 it didn't go go well for her at all right she won Canada and then lost early in sinc I don't remember to whom even but yeah I think it was against Travis Sun really yeah no was it I I think it might have been really lost to trisan at 2023 CC and we were still thinking of her as one of the main US Open contenders and that's kind of what I was going for earlier as well I'm off there she beat Travis in three really tight like she almost lost Travis Sun so who was it was not convincing um it was against bushkova bushkova okay okay but still like not you know it was like 6460 against bushkova yeah like she she actually did so much better in following up her Canada results and I understand the a class player argument but like shant was dominated even more by saba and kaso she also beat mova early in that tournament and that she was down a set in that match and tight second set as well so yeah at that point was definitely more surviving than than anything else yeah I'm not as big on pula's chances as maybe you both are I upset I think eager wins this in straights and yeah that's that's how I see I think the the night Factor if it is a night match I think the the slower Court conditions at least um will favor her we remember one of pula's three wins at least coming in Sydney super quick I think the roof may have been closed there in in Sydney for that that match uh I think the quarterfinal factor I don't think it's as big of Factor as some may make out with both her and of course Andre rublev it's more often than not the quality of the opponent they they come up against with the odd exception in pula's case for example the The Wimbledon quarterfinal against perhaps Von duser um but again this is the quality the opponent and we are now talking about the elite the two favorites for this tournament obviously savalen on the other side of the draw and egole on this side I think it's going to be difficult I I predicted a p Aon savena final and there's nothing I've seen in the last 10 days that's led me to change my mind and that includes you know the form of p as well one is not like the other um I mean saena is a bit I think well I mean obviously she can just have a horrible match somewhere where shant probably won't really like her floor is much higher but I don't know I think Sab has still has a better chance to make the finals and that's also because of the opponents that shant will face Pula mova mova someone who can like take a lot of arguments from her she's gonna be Maya she's gonna Bea yeah I think she's gonna be her as well like based on is in the semis and B is in the semis and sabalenka is in the semis shant is tentatively in the semis yeah yes so Bosa NADA yeah I'm not so sure that BOS yeah I'm not so sure either um I just had to quickly have a quick look yeah so I just had her in my semis so I'm like you know yeah I also did two pre at least this has to go in right like lka didn't Osaka didn't this has to go also thinking of the match that Navaro played after she beat Koko at Wimbledon which was just I mean she got destroyed by Pini absolutely horrible in that wion quarter final yeah so she did not do herself Justice with that performance now yeah yeah I would go Sant uh mova sabalenka and you know what I think I might go Nar but it is 5050 that one that's the hardest One For Me Goo for the n match I okay I went Osaka at the beginning of the tournament to make the semis which kind of looked a bit funny at the time but also maybe doesn't I know it's on a different it's not she wins against mova she makes the semis I think yeah yeah that defeat well I thought it might I I hoped it might as well for for Naomi's sake as well as as well as mukas but when she puts the drrive volley at the end of the match make semis though she beats not necessarily but I mean I mean I think she beatm I think so yeah I mean mova just basically took over everything I imagined for Naomi in this event maybe I was stupid to kind of ignore mova see that not much was really like suggesting that she would play like this even though she has you know all the talent all that repertoire but um yeah I mean mova just literally took over for Osaka I think in how I imagined that quarter going by the way we we talked about easy runs potentially for Jack Draper of course to the quarterfinals maybe Beyond but B Do's run not bad right not quite handpicked but I mean Russa was really tough in the third as well and Thompson has been playing good all summer she got to the quarters of Toronto and she's been you know but I mean we kind of knew that already right that badosa was not gonna have a tough run like uh aara would aarka really beat her or like have a chance at beating her in the fourth round I don't think so would have been tougher than against Yan Wong kova it depends I mean van is a big fan so probably he thought that kova no I didn't I didn't actually I had her losing uh I had her losing to I had her getting to Bosa and then losing I think yeah I think I did too but I felt very confident in paa being the better player there so uh I don't know I think we kind of knew that she was probably going to have a pretty easy run but then again I mean townand and also rousa was like straight up out talting her in that match so um I don't know I mean rousa looked like a I don't want to give you the number but like yeah she she looked insane a real turnaround for um for BSA in the last few weeks right compared to where we were before that yeah yeah she keeps saying that as well right about the since Rome since Rome she's been a different player to me I would say yeah it was Rome a year before where her back sort of first flared up actually and it was also three four five months so not a long time ago when which she was sort of saying things like this is an injury I'm just going to have to manage for the rest of my career it was like oh wow are we looking at she's still like kind of there's some days that she she was saying in DC there's some days where I wake up and it's like it's not in good shape and she she's surprised with it right that that right now she's able to play at this level but well she is and and yeah as as as I think we've said many times basically since maybe around even like March last year or something like that anytime we get her fit enough to play she's been yeah top 10ish or something like that and that's where the ELO rankings put as well and I don't think it's wrong at all yeah I think yeah if she wins she'll be like 11th in the race which is like yeah that feels right okay if she beats um Navaro she's already top 20 in the rankings and she was like 100 before the Australian Open so okay and naada we are giving her I mean I'm giving her a very good chance uh why don't you think naada can win this particular encounter van no I I I I definitely give her a chance it's like it's a pretty close match I I just I'm picking Bosa based on just more confidence recent form I think Navaro like she's looked good so far but like you know I think bosa's ceiling is higher and if she hits that ceiling I think I think she'll she can outplay Noir um fair enough can kinen Jang provide a different result to Australia um Damian against Sanka my expectations aren't super high I mean we've seen in both the US Open last year and Australia how that matchup looks on quicker courts I don't really know what kin can do about it obviously she's playing with a lot of confidence right now I just don't know if that confidence really counts for much if um ad basically yeah just hitting a big deep heavy ball of both wings and not allowing kinen to play a her game like I think Ken needs some degree of space at least to to play her best tennis and of course she can get that on Clay of course she can get that in like slower on slower hardcourts but yeah I my expectations aren't super high I hope to be wrong I hope it's a cracker because well this literally is two of the best players of the season but yeah I don't know and that's an interesting question as well from SW who do you think will qualify for the wte finals just kind of popped up the list and like if rakina doesn't play for example then I think the top eight is like pretty clear unless we have badosa or mova winning this slam um so like yeah Shon sa of course are already in Pini will obviously make it I think gof will obviously make it Pula looks like she's obviously going to make it and after that right now we have Navaro Collins and Jen and yeah if if no one wins like an WTA th000 out of nowhere or this slam out of nowhere then that's probably going to be the list pretty much and like actually kova is going to be in no matter what because she won wion that's not a that's not a thing on the WTA not yet no no I thought they changed it this year that they have changed it but is it this year or next year they're changing it for oh they changed it no I think they changed it they they changed it so it's basically you're going to have to look at the top seven now oh and I think may see a fall from Collins now I I I in terms of you know what tournaments she plays she might dep what she plays yeah that's kind of the the most interesting important thing here yeah yeah so then it's sort of Nado versus Jen really for of course they're both in quarterfinal action so I do think it's still pretty like there's some players yeah that's true they change they changed it already Okay yeah like 11 through 16 range like aeno to Schneider that have outside chance maybe to win I they have to win a thousand like that's kind of the only way you can do it still left a play so there is yeah 500s I mean Caro Garcia in 2017 wins both vuhan and Beijing right and kind of makes the WTA finals through the back door like that's that's possible that's that's something that someone like kinaya could do for example maybe maybe not don't yeah I don't see osten or kazak keison Keys [Music] um no where is she like 20 right now okay yeah so she's around yeah yeah yeah so I I I failed to realize that they changed that rule so I guess kova should like this unless there's a slam champion this time like for example let's imagine that Beatrice Hadad Maya wins the slam and then she's uh not going to make it into the top eight and then and then it gets maybe she takes kova spot yeah we would have to see but yeah I guess kova indeed has a pretty good situation um so that takes out a spot from somebody and it could be very well could be Collins um it's pretty wild that kinvan is not like secured but I mean yeah other than the Australian Open final and the Olympics the season amazing for it right yeah and no points for the Olympics obviously yeah yeah and xia also highlighting quite a lot of 500s because um yeah I agree that sinka is a big favorite against Jung but I will say that Jung has been doing something a little bit better this tournament which she's like going back on the return like giving herself a bit more time and seem to work sometimes against when beckage was serving really big yesterday I know saena is just a different level of power off both wings than than veic heav as well heavier like it's going to be hard to combat but you know I'd like to see some progress like she won five games of the US Open and five games of the Australian Open you know maybe there'll be tighter sets this time like maybe you know I'm hoping to see a little more progression let's say yeah that's competitive match that's very plausible that is very very plausible so our four semi-finalist well mine will be sponch mova I think we're agreeing on three of the four righton M savena right yeah I think I'll go Nevada against Bosa um not with any great confidence but I'll going n against BSA just to be different and you can both have Bosa I as I said I cannot be objective on this one not that I'm even like a huge P Doan or anything but I kind of got into this run based on that semifinal Peak from before the event and now I'm just like you know I I literally cannot right now like think objectively about this if that wasaka there also OFA against I also pre- tournament had Bosa so I don't feel like changing that right now I don't think I've seen enough to yeah go the other way I'm not actually I'm not actually judging this analytically or objectively I'm just kind of like B alsoa let's go it would be the same if leka played jovic in the court Le yeah goodness yeah um I'm just remember who I had in my semis I'm going to find it very quickly now because got down when I saw that he went five with Mitchell Krueger I was like oh this is not to happen for him right but he he then won a couple of matches didn't he I think he went out third or fourth round didn't he he lost R but that's the match that we both had in beating R we did our prev third third round and he got out played like completely but at least he wasn't like in the second round against Mitch it wasn't like that sort of low energy and then kind of just yeah completely random performance 11 games in a row lost and stuff so my oh I forgot that I had Emma Nado in my semifinals okay okay I mean that makes sense because like well most of us were picking go to lose early so it had to be either badosa or Navaro Sam right I would imagine I had her beating G Naro in my in my bracket yeah I didn't even have go getting to Naro I had her I had s Lina beating her and Selina played a very bad third set otherwise you know I don't even think that was a bad pick did she show that by the way Remember studart by the for example that was a good match between badosa and sabka of course it ends in a retirement but I have six of the really close that's true I just had Kalen Sky against Osaka rather than had admire against mova but I had might the quarters did anybody have had Maya going this far of course not I mean that's also the section that riino was in so there was you know had that Maya had like a tough opponent in the first or second round right aanan first round and she I think I picked aanan to win I don't know if I'm thinking of aanan when I'm thinking you might not but I know I know kir had aanan in her semis oh yeah yeah I remember that yeah um yeah I guess Karen ska was the opponent I had kind of Maya losing to Simply in the FD round yeah yeah yeah that sounds right but because I've got to go for naalo even more I've got n so I had naalo beating badosa I have sabalenka beating Jen uh both in my braet and I will also stick with that and I also had eager beating Jessica boua okay well um we'll soon find out over the next 24 hours or so um and uh you can all join the comment section in about a week from now you'll get clever after the Tom clever after the event will be writing something about um whatever we're saying it'll probably be a a quarterfinal lineup of Pula uh including Pula Jang and um and may had me yeah had lifting the title someone very clever from now will be W yeah I told you had M I was going to win the uh US Open and uh yeah well that will be it anyway uh big thanks for joining us today uh like subscribe and all that other Jazz do make sure you give these guys a follow of course on the social medias primarily uh Twitter and of course check out the tennis one app as well which is where uh you'll find vanch and check out deep as dark as Poland where you'll find Damian if you enjoyed this video make sure you hit that like button don't forget to subscribe and click that notification Bell so you don't miss out on all things tennis