US Open quarters: Williams sisters face off once again
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As the US Open Men and Women’s singles draws reach the latter stages, Coral preview the four quarter-final encounters on Tuesday, with the Williams sisters’ clash being the highlight.
Serena Williams v Venus Williams
After seeing off two Americans already this tournament, Serena (1/8 odds-on favourite) now faces a third straight compatriot and this time her older sister and fellow former Flushing Meadows champion Venus (5/1).
The duo duel for the second Grand Slam in succession, after the former ran out a 6-4 6-3 winner in the fourth round on her way to capturing her 21st major competition crown.
Both sisters have looked in great form so, far, with Serena knocking out Madison Keys with ease and Venus overcoming Swiss sensation in straight sets too in round three. This could go down to the wire, but back calendar Grand Slam-chasing Serena at 3/1 to win 2-1 this time around.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga v Marin Cilic
In this tasty duel in the Men’s section, defending champion Cilic (11/8) goes up against exciting Frenchman Tsonga (4/7), who is hoping to break a run of three losses against the Croat.
Cilic won those all in straight sets, and is a tempting 11/2 to do so again, but it could be a closer closer encounter this time with Tsonga looking in fine fettle following injury earlier in the season. A 3-2 victory for the title holder, also at 11/2, looks a decent bet to take.
Novak Djokovic v Feliciano Lopez
In contrast, this match could be over very quickly, with world number one Djokovic (1/33 odds-on favourite) boasting a 5-0 career record over the Spanish veteran (12/1), losing just one set along the way (in 2011).
Title favourite Djokovic (8/11) is a more enticing 2/7 to triumph 3-0, and has far better odds of 7/2 to win the opening set 6-3, as he has against Lopez twice before.
Kristina Mladenovic v Roberta Vinci
The other singles quarter-final match of the day sees non-seeds Mladenovic (8/13 favourite for victory) of France take on Italian Vinci (5/4) for a place in the semis against one of the Williams sisters.
The latter has had the easier route to this stage in terms of opposition, and had a walkover to the quarters thanks to Eugenie Bouchard withdrawing from the draw due to concussion. Mladenovic, meanwhile, had to come through Russian seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova (2004 US open champion) and Ekaterina Makarova (semi-finalist here last year), and is 6/4 to win 2-0.
Coral’s betting tip: Djokovic loves faces Lopez, and is a 7/2 chance to win the opening set 6-3
