Our tennis expert Scott Ferguson casts his eye over Friday's US Open tennis contests, with a treble tipped in the women's draw.
Maria Sakkari v Ash Barty
This pair know each other very well, on and off the court, and last did battle just a fortnight ago in Cincinnati. The Australian prevailed after a slow start on that occasion, proving to be far more steady under pressure than her rival, who too often hits out harder when the match is going against her. That was Ash Barty's second win over Maria Sakkari this year, with the slate standing at 3-1 overall.
Both players struggled to finish off their R2 opponents, especially Barty who converted just four of 18 break points. That's not a great ratio but the key there is generating the opportunities in the first place. Sakkari on the other hand won less than a third of points on her second serve - that's asking for trouble against the world number two.
Johanna Konta v Shuai Zhang
Although she has reached the fourth round here on two occasions, this is Johanna Konta's weakest tournament of the four majors, a stat she'll no doubt be keen to change.
The British no.1 had an easy time in R2 against Margarita Gasparyan, dominating from the baseline and capitalising on the Russian's poor movement. Next up she faces a familiar rival against whom she holds a 4-1 record, although the most recent of those clashes was almost three years ago.
Shuai Zhang has progressed to the third round playing solid, reliable tennis, letting her opponents crumble under pressure. In round two, she kept the ball in play and watched Ekaterina Alexandrova make a ridiculous 68 unforced errors. She won't get that luxury against Konta who makes a habit of crushing Zhang's second serve.
Fiona Ferro v Qiang Wang
Frenchwoman Fiona Ferro survived a breakfest against compatriot Kristina Mladenovic in R2, featuring a mindboggling 21 breaks of serve in 32 games. Combine that with considerably more errors than winners, and you have a player who can count herself lucky to be in the third round. She has won more matches this week than in all her previous major singles draws (seven events).
At the other end we have Qiang Wang who reached the semis last week in the Bronx Open, losing in the deciding tiebreak, and has continued the form, beating Caroline Dolehide and Alison Van Uytvanck in the opening rounds here. Amongst her victims last week was today's opponent, taking their career h2h to 3-1 in favour of Wang. In three meetings on hardcourt, Ferro is yet to claim a set, with all of their meetings taking place in the last 12 months, so the formline is fresh.
Best bet: Barty/Konta/Q.Wang all to win at 7/5
Alex De Minaur v Kei Nishikori
Two baseliners with excellent court coverage take the court in my men's highlight of round three. 20yo Australian Alex De Minaur has won two hardcourt titles in 2019, most recently the Atlanta Open, and hasn't had to panic so far, comfortably accounting for Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Christian Garin in his opening rounds. With controlled aggression, he relies on being the steadier player, wearing his opponent down, making them chase every ball before forcing the error. Against Kei Nishikori he faces a better version of himself, but a player he can test to the limit.
Nishikori has a great record in New York but regularly makes life difficult for himself requiring four or five sets to dispatch opponents. So far he has had a big class gap over his rivals but De Minaur is likely be another of those players who turn the match into a stamina test in which Nishikori thrives.
There's a chance of an upset here but I'm more interested in the length of this match. It's likely to be a long one, and as such, over 38.5 games appeals.
Best bet: Over 38.5 games at 4/5
Scott Ferguson's pre-tournament outright tips:
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