2021 US Open: Semi-finals: Preview & Predictions

We are at the business end of the 2021 US Open as we have two mouth-watering semi-final clashes in men's singles to look forward to.

I predicted victory of Medvedev in 4 sets and it happened. Similarly for Alcaraz , I had written that he was too tired after playing two five setters and he retired. 

Zverev won in straight sets and he is playing wonderful tennis . Lloyd Harris impressed one and all . We are sure to hear a lot of him in the upcoming future.

Berrettini , I had written that he was not playing as well and after 1st set he faded to lose in four sets to Djokovic.

Now it is semifinals time. It has been proved time and time again that the semi-finals are more competitive than finals and US open is offering a good bouquet of matches.

1st Semifinal

Daniil Medvedev (2) vs F. Auger-Aliassime (12)

Medvedev was a finalist here in 2019, where he lost to Rafael Nadal, in 2020 he lost in the semifinals to Dominic Thiem, the eventual winner.

Is this his year to win now? This year Medvedev's record is tremendous with 45 wins and only 10 losses. He has added power to his shots and has decimated his opponents in US open 21 with ease.

On the other hand Felix Auger-Aliassime is a consistent player and his record has been 33-18 in 2021. Hard court is also not his favourite surface. Felix lacks clear winners, his serve is an asset but his ground strokes need more penetration to surmount top players.

So Medvedev is clear favourite to sail to his 2nd US open finals.

Head to Head 

Medvedev has won the only encounter they have played.

Verdict

Medvedev to win in 4 sets.

2nd Semifinal

Novak Djokovic (1) vs Alexander Zverev (6)

Djokovic has won this year's Australian open, French open and Wimbledon. He is now tied at 20 Grand Slam with Rafel Nadal and Roger Federer.

So if he manages to win the US open, he will clinch the coveted Calendar Grand Slam, a rarest of rare feat, not achieved in men's tennis since 1969, when Rod Laver did it. Furthermore, he will edge past Nadal and Federer and earn the title of the GOAT.

However in US open , Djokovic has puffed his way to the semis as has spent 13 hours -52 mins on court. His winners do not come in early sets and only when the opponent gets tired he is finding his winners.

On the other hand Zverev has added topspin to his arsenal in a more effective manner so his unforced errors have gone down. In 2021 he has won 43 matches and has lost 11.

He crushed and demolished Djokovic in the semifinals of Tokyo Olympics and eventually won the Gold medal for his country. The German has continued his form, winning Cincinnati Masters in a dominating fashion.

In the US open too, he is playing flawless tennis and he has only spent 9 hours and 23 minutes on the court.

This is one match that I would love to watch so as to witness some epic ground stroke slugs. The power serves of Zverev and unparalleled returns of Djokovic.

Zverev has very strong backhand so cage play of Djokovic will not be effective. Djokovic has relied on unforced errors of Zverev to lead career head-to-head with 6 wins and 3 losses.

Verdict

Sorry to disappoint Djokovic fans, which includes me, I visualize Zverev winning the semis breaking Djokovic's Calendar Grand Slam ambitions.

However if Djokovic could sustain the onslaught and take the match to the 5th set, I see some light at the end of the tunnel.

Happy viewing!