U.S. Open QF previews and predictions: Querrey vs. Anderson, Carreno Busta vs. Schwartzman

And then there were four; four players vying for one Grand Slam final spot in one of the most up-for-grabs halves of a draw in recent history. It is coming down to Sam Querrey, Kevin Anderson, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Diego Schwartzman.

(17) Sam Querrey vs. (28) Kevin Anderson

Querrey and Anderson will be squaring off in the second week of a second consecutive major when they meet again in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Tuesday. Two of the game’s taller players and bigger servers just faced each other in the Wimbledon fourth round, with Querrey prevailing 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-7(11), 6-3 on his way to the semifinals. They also collided a few weeks later on the hard courts of Montreal, where Anderson cruised 6-4, 6-1.

Of course, the 6’8” South African will have to do more than pick up a win in round three of Masters 1000 event in order to fully avenge a five-set loss at a Grand Slam. Anderson gave himself another shot at Querrey by coasting through a section of the draw that opened up nicely when Borna Coric stunned No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev last Wednesday. In addition to beating Coric, Anderson has also advanced with victories over J.C. Aragone, Ernests Gulbis, and Paolo Lorenzi while dropping only one set to Lorenzi in the process. Querrey is back in business at another major following defeats of Gilles Simon, Dudi Sela, Radu Albot, and Mischa Zverev. The world No. 21, who lost one set to Albot, has been positively on fire at times–to the extent that he has orchestrated the two fastest beatdowns of this U.S. Open (beat Sela in 1:21 and beat Zverev in 1:16). Anderson, though, is much different beast than Sela and a hobbled Zverev. The 28th seed had not been broken a single time in New York until being victimized twice by Lorenzi–even though the Italian had only two break points. Anderson, a recent runner-up in Washington, D.C. and quarterfinalist in Montreal, looks poised for his first slam quarterfinal.

Pick: Anderson in 5

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(12) Pablo Carreno Busta vs. (29) Diego Schwartzman

Shockingly, Carreno Busta and Schwartzman will be going head-to-head for the very first time in their careers on Tuesday. And what a time for it. This marks Schwartzman’s first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance and Carreno Busta’s second–his second in a row, in fact. Carreno Busta’s first one did not end well, as he retired at the French Open due to an abdominal injury against fellow Spaniard and eventual champion Rafael Nadal. Now it is Carreno Busta who may be the one benefiting from a hobbled opponent, as Schwartzman struggled with an apparent groin injury during his fourth-round victory over Lucas Pouille on Sunday.

When healthy, though, Schwartzman has been outstanding this season. The 5’7” Argentine owns almost half of his career ATP-level match wins in 2017 (28 of 59) and he recently advanced to the Montreal quarters. He is through to the same stage of the U.S. Open thanks to defeats of Carlos Berlocq, Janko Tipsarevic, Marin Cilic, and Pouille. Carreno Busta did not drop a single set in victories over Evan King, Cameron Norrie, Nicolas Mahut, and Denis Shapovalov on his way to the last eight. Combine the world No. 19’s form with Schwartzman’s possible injury and this will likely be the end of the road for the field’s smallest player.

Pick: Carreno Busta in 3

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