US Open

Three to See, US Open Day 8: Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Leylah Fernandez headline Sunday

Tiafoe will look to build upon his big upset of Andrey Rublev against the incredibly talented Auger-Aliassime.

Published Sep 05, 2021

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Angelique Kerber vs. Leylah Fernandez

We’ve talked a lot about generational clashes on the men’s side in recent years. Here we have one on the women’s. Kerber is 33 and edging closer to the end of her career. Fernandez is 18, and she just announced her presence to the world with her shocker of a win over Naomi Osaka on Friday night. It’s never easy following up a match like that, but Fernandez, who is as intense and relentless as they come, doesn’t seem like a player prone to mental letdowns. In fact, this has the makings of a lengthy and fierce fight. Despite their age differences, the German and the Canadian have a lot in common as players. They’re lefties, they win by moving their opponents around rather than hitting through them, and they like to scrap. It could take a while.

Winner: Kerber

Could this finally be Tiafoe's major breakthrough?

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Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Frances Tiafoe

The first meeting between the 21-year-old Canadian and 23-year-old American will come in a fitting setting: the night session in Ashe. With their speed and shot-making skills, they should make for an entertaining, arena-rattling duo. They should also make for an interesting contrast in personalities: Where FAA is serious and contained, Foe is…not as contained. FAA is the higher-ranked player, and the better one on most nights. And he came up clutch in the fifth set of his third-round match against Roberto Bautista Agut. But Tiafoe will be in his element in Ashe at night, and if he can use the crowd and the atmosphere to beat Andrey Rublev, as he did on Friday, he can probably do it to Auger Aliassime, too. This one is the early match, at 7:00, and I’d guess that FAA will jump out to an early lead as the fans settle in, and Tiafoe does, too. He won’t want to let him get too far ahead.

Winner: Tiafoe

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Peter Gojowczyk

Talk about difficult follow-ups: What does Alcaraz do for an encore after his match-of-the-year win over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday? First, hopefully, he recovers from what was likely the longest and most intense tennis experience of his life. Then he’ll have to get his bearings for an early-evening match in the Grandstand, where he’ll need to generate more of his own energy than he did in Ashe against Tsitsipas. Finally, he’ll have to figure out a 32-year-old veteran he has never faced. Judging by how he handled his last match, Alcaraz should be able to handle all of those challenges as well.

Winner: Alcaraz

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