The first three days at the 2024 US Open have seen some high-octane tennis matches featuring the top players in the world in both the men’s and women’s divisions. The competition has been fierce as 10 of the 32 seeds in men’s singles have already bowed out, with 8 of the women’s seeds losing out.
On the men’s side, the Ugo Humbert (14th seed), Sebastian Baez (21st seed), and Francisco Cerundolo were the three sees, who lost their matches on Day 3. The biggest upset came in the women’s singles, as the eighth seed and the reigning Wimbledon champion
Barbora Krejcikova lost her second-round match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Daria Kasatkina (12th seed), was the other women’s seed who lost on Day 3.
Day 4 will see a continuation of the high-quality tennis between the top players, as both the top seeds Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner will resume their campaigns. Let’s look at some of the headline-grabbing match-ups from day 4-
#3. Sofia Kenin vs Jessica Pegula
One of the second-round matches on day 4 will feature sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula and former Grand Slam Champion Sofia Kenin in an All-American matchup. The match is the last one of the morning session at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Pegula has been in sensational form in the lead-up to the US Open. The World No,6 defended her Canadian Open title, beating Amanda Anisimiova in the final, and reached the final of the Cincinnati Open, losing to Aryna Sabalenka. The sixth seed looked in fine form as she defeated compatriot Shelby Rogers in the first round, in the latter’s last Grand Slam match.
Kenin has not been in great form in 2024. The former World No.4 won only 8 matches before the US Open, and hardly won any matches on hard courts. However, in a marquee match-up, she defeated another former Grand Slam champion Emma Raducanu in the first round of the US Open.
The head-to-head between Pegula and Kenin is currently tied at 2-2, with all the matches going three sets. Therefore, even though Pegula is the On-paper favorite, this match has the prospect of being a tight three-setter.
#2. Karolina Pliskova vs Jasmine Paolini
In another great matchup on day 4 at the US Open, fifth-seeded Jasmine Paolini will play former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova. The match is slated in the morning session at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Paolini has been in terrific form in 2024. The diminutive Italian reached consecutive Major finals at the French Open, and Wimbledon and also won the Dubai Tennis Championships on the hard courts earlier this year. She came back from being a set down against former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the opening round.
On the other Pliskova is past her prime, but is still having a good season in 2024. The former World No.,1 reached two finals this season, winning the Transylvania Open, and defeating Ana Bogdan in the final. She played a thrilling three-setter to overcome Mayar Sheriff in the first round of the New York Major.
Pliskova won the only match she played against Paolini back in 2021 at the Australian Open. The upcoming match also promises to be an exciting contest, as Paolini is one of the in-form players of the season, and Pliskova is a former finalist at Flushing Meadows, having reached the final in 2016.
#1 Naomi Osaka vs Karolina Muchova
One of the blockbuster clashes on day 4 will see former World No. 1 and two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka take on last year’s semi-finalist Karolina Muchova. The match will take place in the evening session at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After skipping the entire season in 2023, Naomi Osaka returned to the Tour in 2024. Although the Japanese is yet to win a title this season, she has played some good matches, including her dominant win over 10th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko in the opening round of the US Open.
Muchova has only played 10 matches in 2024, after making a recovery from injury after last year’s US Open. The Czech player already reached a final this season, at the Palermo Ladies Open. She started this year’s New York Major with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Katie Volynets opening round
Given the kind of tennis both players have produced before and are still capable of, we could have an exciting encounter on our hands.
