A new US Open women’s champion is set to be crowned at Flushing Meadows this year and the first semi-final should be a cracker between two of this season’s form players.
It is a repeat of last month’s Cincinnati final in which home favourite Coco Gauff defeated Karolina Muchova 6-3 6-4 to claim her third title of the year, following earlier triumphs in Washington and Auckland.
The Czech talent will be after revenge and she will be even more determined to succeed after losing out to Iga Swiatek in the final of the French Open in June.
After a lean spell with injuries, Muchova has been reinvigorated this season and has risen to a career-high ranking of ten.
Gauff, still only 19 years of age, is world number six and is bidding to make her second Grand Slam final, having been beaten by Swiatek in the Paris final in 2022.
US Open Tips – Thursday 7 September
Coco Gauff to win 2-1 @ 11/4
Gauff and Muchova both served up devastating quarter-final victories and, with confidence high in both camps, that should ensure a semi-final epic.
Superstar teen Gauff took only 69 minutes to blitz past Swiatek’s fourth-round conqueror Jelena Ostapenko, while Muchova made light work of Sorana Cirstea, winning 6-0 6-3.
That may mean both players are relatively fresh for this last-four duel and, while Gauff may have the edge with home advantage, Muchova should keep things closer than she managed in Cincinnati.
Gauff is on a remarkable run of form, having lost only one of her last 17 matches and these quick, humid conditions evidently suit her well.
But Gauff’s routine 6-0 6-2 win over Ostapenko may have had a lot to do with the quick turnaround of the Latvian and the American’s earlier matches may be a better form guide.
The home hope had required three sets to overcome three of her earlier four victims, being forced to dig deep against Caroline Wozniacki, Elise Mertens and Laura Siegemind.
So Muchova, who has dropped only one set on her way to the final four in New York, can make Gauff pull out all of the stops for a three-set victory.
Over 9.5 games in opening set @ EVS
The crowd in New York appear livelier than any of the other three Grand Slam competitions and home advantage ought to be a beneficial factor for Gauff.
However, Muchova is so solid in every department and has had such a strong campaign, that it won’t be easy to shrug her off.
Given what is at stake, backing the opening set to feature at least ten games makes plenty of appeal.
Breaks are easier to come by in the women’s game, but these two are both strong on their own serve, so there should be plenty of holds during the early exchanges.
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