Tennis in Tokyo has been moving along with some upsets and quick matches. The women are set to begin their quarterfinals tonight, meanwhile, the men are just beginning the third round. Catch up with all the action and what to expect right here.
Women’s Singles
Quarterfinal Matchup #1: Pavlyuchenkova vs Bencic
The first quarterfinal match of the night will be between Pavlyuchenkova and Bencic. Pavlyuchenkova has only dropped seven (!) games in total through the first three rounds of the Olympics, meaning that she hasn’t spent as much time on the court and is more rested than some of the other players. She has been having an impressive year, reaching her first Grand Slam Final at Roland-Garros. She is sure to be in top shape against her opponent Belinda Bencic, who has been on a better streak as of recently. With an impressive win over French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, Bencic can prove herself against Pavlyuchenkova. Both will try to dictate the pace of the game, and it will be interesting to see who advances.
Quarterfinal Matchup #2: Giorgi vs Svitolina
There is potential for an upset here. The Italian player is not an unfamiliar name, but she’s pulled off some impressive wins so far, the most recent one being against Karolina Pliskova in the third round. She faces another top player in Svitolina, who’s had a bit of a tougher draw, winning almost all of her matches in three sets. If Giorgi can maintain her focus and keep unforced errors against Svitolina as low as possible, anything can happen.
Quarterfinal Matchup #3: Rybakina vs Muguruza
Rybakina is a name that has been shooting up the standings in the past year. She’s made several finals and has good experience against the top players on the WTA tour. This is going to come in handy against an experienced player like Garbine Muguruza, who has been looking like her former self this year. Muguruza is playing tennis at a really high and efficient level. She’ll be a tough player to beat, and she will definitely come out blazing to dictate the pace. If Muguruza starts hitting tough shots with accuracy, we can expect her to advance quickly.
Quarterfinal Matchup #4: Badosa vs Vondrousova
In two surprising matches, both Badosa and Vondrousova upset some top WTA players. Badosa was able to upset Iga Swiatek in two sets while Vondrousova also defeated Naomi Osaka in straight sets. In a battle of the upsets, we’ll see which player can outsmart the other, as well as how much fatigue will settle in and play a factor.
Men’s Singles
I thought I’d have a little bit of fun with this one and give you some predictions. These are either going to be spot on or age horribly. It will give you a reason to make fun of me on Twitter (or tell me that I was right- @crinamm).
Third round matchups:
Fognini/Medvedev
Prediction: Medvedev in straight sets
Djokovic/Davidovich
Prediction: Djokovic in straight sets
Ivashka/Nishikori
Prediction: Nishikori in three sets
Zverev/Basilashvili
Prediction: Zverev in three sets
Carreno Busta/Koepfer
Prediction: Koepfer in three sets (spicy!)
Humbert/Tsistipas
Prediction: Tsistipas in straight sets
Schwartzman/Khachanov
Prediction: Schwartzman in three sets
Chardy/Broady
Prediction: Chardy in three sets
We are getting closer to the finish line and have some stacked matchups. You can continue to follow these Tennis in Tokyo recaps on our Tik Tok page (unbenchedsports) for some quick recaps on both the women and the men’s side!
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