TENNIS.com Friday picks:

Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[4] v. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS)[6]Arthur Ashe stadium – 2nd match

So there will be a Russian women’s finalist at the US Open this year, but not the one many people were expecting. But when Maria Sharapova exited in the third round, a darkhorse was guaranteed to get through. As the post-draw refrain went – there were six contenders for the title, and five landed in the top half. With Sharapova the only conventional favorite in the bottom half, her departure opened up the draw for everyone else.

Still, if you had had to pick someone other than Sharapova to come out of this half, it would probably have been one of these two players. Kuznetsova won the event in 2004 and was the second-highest ranked player in the bottom half after Sharapova. The 20-year-old Chakvetadze has raised her results to another level over the past year, winning five tournaments and getting to the second week of every Slam expect Wimbledon. Reaching the semifinals here means her long-standing goal of reaching the Top 5 by the end of this year will now become a reality.

The dream of reaching a Grand Slam final for the first time remains less certain. Much depends on how the younger Russian reacts to being in a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time. If Chakvetadze starts well and uses her variety to prevent Kuznetsova from getting into a rhythm, she could plant early doubts in Kuznetsova’s head and draw a lot of helpful errors. If she gets nervous, Kuznetsova has had much more experience on the big stages and will find it easy to take advantage.

But Chakvetadze is a fighter when it comes to close matches – she’s lost only one three-setter in the last two years! – so as long as she gets into the match, it should be competitive. Unless Chakvetadze has a flawless day, Kuznetsova’s bigger game and greater experience should allow her to pull through. As mentioned earlier, she has plenty of boosters – Roger Federer picked her game out as one he likes on the women’s tour, and Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev has said the only thing preventing her from being No. 1 is herself.

Prediction: Kuznetsova

Justine Henin (BEL)[1] v. Venus Williams (USA)[12]Arthur Ashe stadium – 3:15 pm

Was Henin-Serena the final, we asked before that match? No, it turns out, this is. The winner of this match will be a heavy favorite against either Kuznetsova or Chakvetadze, so both will go out feeling like this will be their biggest hurdle during the tournament.

Before March, Henin hadn’t played either sister for four years. Now she gets them back-to-back. The relative ease with which Henin defeated Serena in the second set of her 7-6, 6-1 win was surprise, and represented a mental victory for Henin as much as it did a shot-making one. The mental side will be important against Venus as well, given that Henin is 1-7 against her.

But a lot has happened in the four years since they last faced each other. Both have won six Grand Slams, but all of Henin's and just two Venus' have come since their last meeting at Melbourne in 2003. More significantly, Henin now has a much bigger forehand. That will change the way points in this match play out.

Venus' forehand too has looked good during her last couple of matches – which must be encouraging given that it’s her weaker wing. The serve, another big weapon, has wobbled now and again but has been solid for the most part. Against Jelena Jankovic in the previous round, she finished points at net more than 50 times – another unusual and impressive sign. If she keeps up all those things, she’ll be tough for even the determined Henin to beat.

But it is, nevertheless, an if – is Venus still capable of keeping up a high level for seven straight matches? At Wimbledon, she struggled mightily in her first three matches before turning it on for her last four. Here, she’s begun in fine form and kept it up for five matches. Another two in the same fashion, and such questions would be firmed dismissed.

As for Henin, she must have a good day on serve, hit consistently deep, throw in plenty of spin and look to come into net herself to take opportunities away from Venus. In that case, she won’t lose unless Venus plays her very best. Henin can usually be counted on to deliver a strong performance, but she did have a letdown at Wimbledon after beating Serena – she’ll want to guard against that this time, particularly since she’ll be facing a Big Sis who’s out for revenge.

Prediction: Venus