Damien Kayat previews Karolina Muchova vs Sorana Cirstea and Marketa Vondrousova vs Madison Keys in selected quarterfinal matches of the US Open Women’s Championships on the 6th of September 2023.
2023 WTA Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
US Open Women’s Championships
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, New York, USA (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Quarterfinals – 6th September
Karolina Muchova 12/25 | Sorana Cirstea 8/5
10th seed Karolina Muchova is having the season of her dreams. The Czech is finally starting to realize her massive potential after an injury-ravaged 2022 campaign saw her drop outside the top 100.
Her hard-fought victory over Wang took her season win-loss record to a formidable 37-12. She hit 32 winners and committed 37 unforced errors in a real seesaw battle with the metronomic Chinese player. She reached her maiden Grand Slam final in Paris and is fresh off a run to the Cincinnati Open final.
She is a versatile player who is able to switch gears during a match. She can counterpunch effectively (look at what she did to Sabalenka in Paris). But she also has the tools at her disposal to take the initiative. She has served brilliantly in the tournament and it appears as if every part of her game is in perfect working order.
With Simona Halep currently serving a ban, it has been left to Sorana Cirstea to carry all of Romania’s tennis ambition. And the journeywoman has actually stepped up the plate remarkably well this season.
At 33 years of age, Cirstea has become the oldest first-time quarterfinalist in the history of Flushing Meadows. It is her second Grand Slam quarterfinal and it comes 53 majors after she contested her first. Cirstea has really found her groove on North American hardcourts this season.
She reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells prior to an excellent semi-final run in Miami. She did some giant-killing by taking out Elena Rybakina in the 3rd round. And she is fresh off a frankly dismissive showing against the more fancied Belinda Bencic, breaking the Swiss six times in a lobsided 4th round tie. Cirstea is playing with real vigour and excellent control.
Verdict: Muchova to win in three
Muchova leads the head-to-head 3-1, beating the Romanian 2-1 in matches played this year. Muchova will look to play the aggressive role while Cirstea hustles and counterpunches.
I think that dynamic will make this a much tighter match than is expected. Cirstea is playing like she is possessed and I expect her to run herself into the ground.
Marketa Vondrousova 21/20 | Madison Keys 3/4
I have been pleasantly surprised by the progress of Marketa Vondrousova in this year’s tournament. Recent first-time Grand Slam winners have often struggled to replicate success in successive Slams.
But the reigning Wimbledon champ is now on a 11-game Grand Slam winning-streak. She won her first three matches in straight-sets, using her extremely versatile game to maximum impact. She is truly like a chameleon with the way she adjusts her game to the given conditions.
But she was forced to come back from a set down against American sensation Peyton Stearns. And I think she will have benefitted from going all the way against Stearns. She withstood the fearsomely partisan American crowd and is starting to look like a real threat to win this title.
I love it when a plan comes together. Madison Keys never came into this tournament with much current form (though she did win a title in Eastbourne earlier this year).
But I just knew that the American would come to the party in New York. The hard-hitting Keys has a remarkable Grand Slam pedigree (this will be her 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal). She has now made back-to-back Grand Slam quarterfinals after a run to the final eight at Wimbledon.
The 2017 US Open losing finalist has just been exceptional in Ney York, using that huge serve and dominant forehand to overwhelm opponents. And that’s exactly what happened in her upset win against recent hardcourt darling Jessica Pegula.
She dropped just four games in a straight-sets demolition of the in-form Pegula, hitting an impressive 21 winners to just 19 unforced errors. She will be looking to reach her 3rd US Open semi-final with victory here.
Verdict: Keys to win in three sets
I was surprised to learn that this will be their first clash. Vondrousova will cause Keys some discomfort with that awkward lefty serve. Keys employs a flatter hitting style while Vondrousova employs plenty of topspin on that forehand wing.
I imagine that Vondrousova is going to bring that trusty drop-shot out to test Keys’ movement. But I have a feeling that the American is going to prevail. She played brilliantly against Pegula, hitting some outstanding winners in a performance of wonderfully controlled aggression
