US Open QF Previews: Federer, Nadal could finally meet in Flushing

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

Karolina Pliskova [1] vs. Coco Vandeweghe [20]

“I would not really put me and her together, like not even personally,” Pliskova said of her American opponent on Monday. “Even if she just miss like five meters out, she doesn’t care, so it’s different. It’s not my game style.” Does this qualify as bulletin-board material? Vandeweghe, who has never been known to shrink from a fight, might see Pliskova’s words that way. Even without the extra motivation, Coco has always felt like she matches up well against the world No. 1, and their head to head is knotted at 2-2. Which Pliskova will we see on Wednesday: the woman who saved a match point to scrape past Shuai Zhang in the third round, or the woman who blitzed Jennifer Brady in 46 minutes in the fourth round? And which Vandeweghe will we see: the woman who bageled Garbiñe Muguruza in the Australian Open quarterfinals this year, or the woman who struggled to keep the ball in, or even near, the court in her quarterfinal loss to Magdalena Rybarikova at Wimbledon? As you can see, this one could go in many different directions before it’s over.

Winner: Pliskova

Rafael Nadal [1] vs. Andrey Rublev

The 19-year-old Rublev has spent his teens idolizing Nadal and buying all of his Nike outfits—“I was trying to copy,” he said last week. On Monday he called Rafa the “real champion,” and said he would just try to enjoy his time on the court with him. These are not, at first glance, the words of a player who stands much of a chance of winning. But before we pat Rublev on the back for making the first of what should be many Slam quarterfinal runs, it’s worth noting that he also said he would just try to enjoy his fourth-round match with David Goffin. He won that in straight sets.

Winner: Nadal

Madison Keys [15] vs. Kaia Kanepi [Q]

Can Keys win a match before midnight? Her last two ended in the wee hours on Ashe, but this one will start at 7:00 P.M.; so unless this is the best-of-three epic to end all best-of-three epics, she won’t have to go that late against Kanepi. And maybe that’s a good thing. Keys says she has fed off the crowd here this year, and playing earlier means there should be more people in the seats. The only problem is that the player across the net has survived without much help from the fans in New York. She already came back from 2-4 in the third to spoil Naomi Osaka’s party two rounds ago on Court 5. Can she do the same against Keys in Ashe? It will be a tougher ask.

Winner: Keys

Roger Federer [3] vs. Juan Martin del Potro [24]

“Is Federer out for revenge?” one headline read on Tuesday. Revenge for the defeat he suffered at the hands of Del Potro in the 2009 US Open final? Federer has beaten Delpo—who also happens to be represented by his agency—10 times in the eight years since that match. Still, it is true that this is their first meeting at Flushing Meadows since, which I guess is close enough to make this qualify as a rematch. Federer may not be motivated by vengeance, but he probably won’t need to be. He has won his last three meetings with Delpo—all on hard courts—he has improved with each match at the Open and he should be a lot fresher than the flu-ridden Argentine will be after his epic five-set comeback on Monday.

Winner: Federer