Five things to watch on Sunday at the U.S. Open: Keys-Wozniacki, Djokovic at night
NEW YORK – Players will be fighting for a spot in the quarterfinals on Sunday at the U.S. Open, as tropical storm Hermine heads towards New York. Here are the matches and storylines you’ll want to keep an eye on, whether you're watching on TV or roaming around the grounds in Flushing Meadows. Play begins at 11 a.m. ET and coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. The full television and broadcast schedule can be found here. Full order of play for Friday can be found here.
The health of Kyle Edmund
Playing Novak Djokovic has been bad news for opponents of late; The World No. 1 advanced in the second via a walkover after Jiri Vesley withdrew from the tournament due to injury, and advanced in the third after Mikhail Youzhny retired six games into the match.
The match between Djokovic and Kyle Edmund should be a good one (second night session match, Arthur Ashe), should the Brit avoid becoming the Serb’s third straight opponent to go down with an injury. Edmund upset No. 20-seed John Isner in four sets on Friday, bringing his sets total up to 10 so far at the U.S. Open, compared to only four for Djokovic. The Serb will certainly have the fresher legs heading into Sunday’s match.
Another thing: Djokovic was dealing with a shoulder issue in the first round, and seeing as he hasn’t played much tennis since then, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on whether or not the light schedule has helped it heal.
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The Jack Sock storm
Sock is playing some great tennis right now, and draws an exciting matchup with ninth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The two have somewhat similar styles of play, leaning on the forehand and the service, though the Frenchman’s got a leg up in those departments. With a win, Sock can advance to the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career, and has been drawing great crowds wherever he plays. And if he wins, Sock said he’ll once again break out his Olympic-inspired fencing celebration, an ode to friend Miles Chamley-Watson.
“If [Chamley-Watson] is in the box on the next one and I'm able to win, you might see a cleaned up technique and better version of it,” Sock said of his dueling dance move.
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Must-see match of the day
Playing in their first career meeting, No. 8-seed Madison Keys vs. Caroline Wozniacki should be the best match-up of the day on Sunday (second match, Arthur Ashe). Keys pulled off a dramatic comeback from 1-5 down in the third set on Friday to advance past the formidable Naomi Osaka, while Wozniacki continued to revive a dismal year with a convincing straight-sets victory over Monica Niculescu. The crowd should be fairly divided, too, between the American Keys and Wozniacki, who came into the tournament unseeded and ranked No. 74 after a season riddled with injuries and subpar results.
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The Frenchmen
France has a shot to advance two men to the quarterfinals. In addition to the Tsonga-Sock fourth round match-up, No. 10-seed Gael Monfils will face Marcos Baghdatis. With so many great stories out there, Monfils has quietly flown under the radar. (If you consider this, or this flying under the radar.) He’s always exciting to watch on the court and hasn’t dropped a set yet through three rounds. I’m willing to bet this is a fun match.
Another Frenchman in action on Sunday is No. 24-seed Lucas Pouille, who will face No. 4-seed Rafael Nadal (third day match, Arthur Ashe). Nadal is into the fourth round at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2013 and for the seventh time in his career, while it will be Pouille’s first fourth round U.S. Open match.
Weather watch
With tropical storm Hermine heading up the coast, we could see some rain at the grounds on Monday, but more importantly, some wind. Play could be affected by the gusts and may be pushed into the night due to precipitation. Fingers crossed for clear skies.
More matches to watch: No. 2-seed Angelique Kerber and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will kick off the night session on Arthur Ashe.
