TENNIS.com Saturday picks:

Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3] v. David Ferrer (ESP)[15]Arthur Ashe Stadium – 12:00 pm

In post-match terms, Djokovic has already given himself an impossible act to follow. On the court, however, he still has room to improve. He has played more passively than expected in most of his contests so far, and solid foes like Radek Stepanek and Juan Monaco have taken advantage. He admits he felt the pressure of coming into a Grand Slam as one on the favorites. “I had ups and downs during all the tournament,” he said. “Everybody’s predicting that I’m going to be in the semifinals or whatever... it was a lot of pressure. So I had to deal with it, and that caused a little bit negative thoughts.”

He’ll have to be in a positive frame of mind in this match, because Ferrer, by contrast, has been playing more aggressively than expected. After his big win over Rafael Nadal, Ferrer’s post-match meal consisted of a Big Mac. That’s only because of how late the match ended, but still – it takes a confident athlete to down fast food during the biggest tournament of his life. That means in addition to his excellent retrieving, he’s also finding ways to end points on his own terms. What’s more, Roger Federer picked Ferrer’s return as the best in the game. Ferrer, of course, said the world No. 1 was just being modest.
 
It all suggests that Djokovic will face a tough test, but if the Serbian serves well and is willing to go for his shots, he should be able to maneuver the ball past Ferrer and come through. Djokovic has always been very mentally tough when a match reaches its critical stages, and that's why he's the one nudging towards Federer and Nadal's perch at the top of the men's game.

Prediction: Djokovic

Roger Federer (SUI)[1] v. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)[4]Arthur Ashe Stadium – 3:00 pm

The overarching stat in this matchup is 0-9 – Davydenko’s record against Federer. It’ll be tough to reverse that during this stage of a Grand Slam, and Davydenko seems to know it. But despite their head-to-head, it’s not like he hasn’t challenged Federer in the past. Their last meeting, in the French Open semifinals, saw Federer come through in three very tough sets, and Davydenko also troubled him when they met in the Australian Open semifinals a couple of years ago.

The Russian hasn’t had a very successful summer, which he’s attributed to a “stress factory” (stress fracture) in his foot. The real stress factory, however, has been the gambling controversy that has dogged him through the summer – at the beginning of this tournament, he admitted it had been mentally fatiguing. Yet he seems to have found release here, turning in solid performances and becoming the only player to reach the semifinals without dropping a set.

So he won’t be easy to put away, but to win the match he’ll need significant help from Federer. The world No. 1 has given no sign that he’ll provide it. He dropped one set to an inspired Feliciano Lopez in the fourth round, but then lifted his level again to best Andy Roddick in straight sets in their quarterfinal match.

Prediction: Federer

Justine Henin (BEL)[1] v. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[4]Arthur Ashe Stadium – 7:00 pm

Another lopsided head to head here – 14-2 for Henin – but Kuznetsova at least has the comfort of knowing she took their last encounter. That was in the final of Berlin on clay, though Henin was below her best after having some bad luck with rain delays there and in Warsaw.

Kuznetsova didn’t show any sign of nerves when she played her first Grand Slam final here in 2004, but this time she admitted to being nervous in her semifinal against Anna Chakvetadze because she was the favorite. In that case, there should be few butterflies during the final – she’ll be a definite underdog.

“Doesn’t depend on me whether I win or lose,” said Kuznetsova of the final, and she’s  probably right.

Henin produced two strong performances to defeat Serena and Venus Williams back-to-back in her last two matches. Anything close to that should get the job done against Kuznetsova, who looked far from convincing against Chakvetadze. The big challenge for Henin will be bouncing for the final just a day after an emotional win over Venus. Henin said her recent breathing troubles have worsened during the last few days, and she tends to toss and turn the night before a big match anyway. Since suffering from an energy-sapping virus a few years ago, she has limited her play to short periods at a time and sometimes faded towards the latter stages of a tournament.

Still, there’s a lot of motivation to come up strong. A win would make Henin the first player to win a Grand Slam defeating both Williamses on the way, and give her seven Grand Slam titles to Venus’ six. Serena’s tally of eight would also be within touching distance.

Prediction: Henin