A very interesting matchup will happen at the US Open when Daria Kasatkina takes on Aryna Sabalenka for the quarter-final.
Sabalenka has a lot of experience at the US Open, making her way to the semi-final and nearly missing out on the final last year. She lost to Iga Swiatek, but that's a matchup she won earlier this year, so there is a chance she could do it again.
To get there, she will need to take on Daria Kasatkina, who is putting together an impressive run herself. Not as impressive as that of Sabalenka, but it's still pretty good. Stylistically, it's an interesting one where either player can win.
Head-to-head:
We saw this matchup a couple of times already on the WTA Tour, and both players earned victories. Sabalenka is the one with more wins as she leads 4-2. The most recent one happened at the Cincinnati Masters last week, and Sabalenka won 6-3 6-3.
On hard courts, it's 2-1, and generally, it comes down to the surface. If they play in conditions that allow Sabalenka to overpower Kasatkina, then she's generally ahead. If they play in somewhat slower conditions where Sabalenka struggles to hit through, then she's in trouble.
Prediction:
In New York, it's the former, as we should see Sabalenka do well here. She's employing her signature aggressive and attacking play, and how Kasatkina handles that will largely depend on the way she chooses to. She could try and be aggressive as well, trying to bait out errors or just play as a wall.
Neither approach is better than the other because in the end, the match is on the racquet of Sabalenka. If she plays her best, she's going to win, and if not, she won't. That's about as simple as you can put it.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in two sets.
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