Each day during the U.S. Open, Richard Pagliaro will preview three must-see matches—and offer his predictions.
Arthur Ashe Stadium: Kim Clijsters (23) vs. **Laura Robson
<em>Head-to-head: First meeting</em>**
The euphoria of her Olympic mixed-doubles medal run with Andy Murray may have subsided, but Robson still has the tools to pose problems. The left-hander has a strong serve, can hit penetrating groundstrokes, and showed a willingness to close at net at the London Games.
Robson has talent, but Clijsters has an abundance of major experience. The four-time Grand Slam champion has won more U.S. Open titles (three) than Robson has won matches in New York (two).
Ultimately, tennis is a game of legs, and Clijsters’ movement is a significant advantage in this match: She should win the majority of the running rallies. Unless Clijsters is tight or erratic, Robson will likely have to play near-precision tennis for a full match to snap the Belgian’s 22-match U.S. Open winning streak.
The Pick: Clijsters in two sets.
**Court 13: Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Zheng Jie (28)
<em>Head-to-head: Rybarikova leads 2-0</em>**
The tall, athletic Slovak has been able to work the width of the court, exploiting the 5’4” Zheng’s limited reach in sweeping all four sets they’ve played previously. Rybarikova snapped her streak of nine straight first-round losses in majors with a three-set win over Su-Wei Hsieh, and should be sharp after winning three matches in qualifying to reach the main draw.
Zheng has contested major semifinals at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, but the U.S. Open has been her least successful major: She’s never gone past the third round in seven trips to New York.
Sometimes, the head-to-head accurately measures one player’s comfort level over an opponent. Indeed, Rybarikova should feel comfortable against an opponent who has yet to take a set from her. However, Zheng is a hard, flat hitter who can take the offensive if she’s landing her serve, which can be her vulnerability. Favoring Rybarikova based on past performance is understandable, but Zheng is the pick.
The Pick: Zheng in three sets.
**Court 4: Lucie Safarova (15) vs. Aleksandra Wozniak
<em>Head-to-head: Safarova leads 2-1</em>**
Both women are power-based baseliners who play like to play deep, aggressive drives. Shaking off the emotional hangover of blowing a 5-1 third-set lead to Li Na in the Montreal semifinals, Safarorva crushed former quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin in the opening round.
The 48th-ranked Wozniak has won six of her last eight matches, reaching successive quarterfinals in Montreal and Dallas. The left-handed Safarova has the game to crack the Top 15; the question is: Does she have the self belief? It sometimes seems Safarova doesn’t play with complete conviction, as if she underestimates her own skills.
Because both women can crack the ball, this match should offer hard-hitting rallies, which will help Safarova to keep things simple, not over-think the points, and let her cross-court forehand fly to Wozniak’s backhand. Wozniak can be dangerous, even though she's lost in the first round in four of her five prior Flushing Meadows appearances, but this match should be in Safarova’s hands if she stays calm.
The Pick: Safarova in three sets.