Each day during the US Open, we'll preview and predict three—in this case, four—must-see matches.

Pablo Carreño Busta [12] vs. Diego Schwartzman [29]

Schwartzman is looking forward to his first US Open quarterfinal in part because it’s the first chance he’s going to have to play his good friend, Carreño Busta. Somehow, the 26-year-old Spaniard and the 25-year-old Argentine have never faced off. They could get to know each other quite well in Tuesday’s opening singles match. Schwartzman and Carreño Busta are both smooth clay-courters who can obviously play on hard courts, and neither minds tracking down a lot of balls to earn a win.

Winner: Schwartzman

Anastasija Sevastova [16] vs. Sloane Stephens

The Latvian is 27 and the American is 24 but, like Schwartzman and Carreño Busta, they’ve never played. Unlike that match, though, this one will offer a contrast in styles. Stephens likes to hit big and beat her opponents with pace; Sevastova likes to dig in and use her touch and variety. On paper, this match could resemble the three-setter that Coco Vandeweghe and Agnieszka Radwanska played on Saturday. Like that one, the result will depend on the American. Sloane has just been “having fun” this summer, she says, and it’s working. Can she stay that relaxed in Ashe, with a chance at her second Grand Slam semifinal on the line?

Winner: Stephens

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Venus Williams [9] vs. Petra Kvitova [13]

The last time these two played, at Wimbledon in 2014, they produced one of the best matches of that year, and one of the best I’ve ever seen live. It was grass-court tennis at its finest, tight and tense, with both women powering their way to hold after hold for three sets. In the end, only a few shots decided it. Can they put on a similar show on hard courts, and in prime time? I’m not sure if they can match that quality, but this one could be equally competitive. Match in and match out, Venus is as solid as she has ever been at the Slams, while Kvitova played her best tennis of the season in knocking off tournament favorite Garbiñe Muguruza on Saturday night. As for the rest of us, all we have to do is sit back and enjoy the fireworks.

Winner: Kvitova

**

Sam Querrey [17] vs. Kevin Anderson [28]

The tall American and the taller South African know each other well; they’ve played 15 times, with Querrey leading the series 9-6. They’ve already met twice this summer, with Querrey winning at Wimbledon and Anderson paying him back in Montreal. There has always been a sameness to their matches: i.e., two blond giants with two-handed backhands trading aces and forehand bullets for hours on end. But this contest will have an edge that none of the others did. It will be held at night in Ashe, each man is playing perhaps the best tennis of his career at the moment and neither may ever have a chance like this to make a major final again.

Winner: Querrey