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Watch US Open 2009 Day 9 Live September 8 Match! The 2009 US Open will be held from Monday, August 31 through Sunday, September 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY.
2- ANDY MURRAY VS. 16-MARIN CILIC
Murray showed last year in knocking out Rafa Nadal and reaching the final that he is here to stay, and this year, he's attempting to show that he's matured enough to win his first major.
His on-court intelligence cannot be underestimated, nor can his ability to read his foe's tendencies and make mid-match adjustments. Plus, his return of serve is already legendary. Just ask the big-serving Taylor Dent, who was passed dozens of times and made to hit impossibly low volleys in his rapid loss to the Scot on Sunday night.
Murray and the tall and powerful Cilic have met three times, with the world No. 2 taking all those contests, including a straight-sets win at 2009 Roland Garros. Cilic has done a good job gutting out wins here and can rip the ball off both wings. He moves well for a guy who is 6-foot-6 and, if he stays patient, can hurt Murray. But the Croat will likely be too pumped up and get confused trying to figure out what Murray's game plan is. Cilic will take a set, but Murray will get through in four.
3- RAFAEL NADAL VS. 13- GAEL MONFILS
This could be an extremely dicey match for Nadal, who is contending with a sore abdominal muscle and, as a result, had trouble firing effective serves in his win over Nicolas Almagro. What that means is that Nadal will be struggling with the injury the rest of the tournament, which doesn't take him out of title contention but does mean that his road to his first US Open crown will be painful.
The enthusiastic Frenchman Monfils loves playing in New York because he's a high-energy player who has a love of the big stage. He's underachieved a bit, consistently riddled with small injuries and playing too defensively against the elite players. He's an incredible athlete with a huge first serve, gigantic forehand and amazing retrieving ability, but he can grow erratic and not recover.
Rafa has beaten Monfils four out of five times, but the Frenchman did grab an upset over the Spaniard earlier this year in Doha. He's nowhere near as mentally tough as the six-time Grand Slam champ is, but he has the ability to make Nadal play a lot of long, grinding points, and if he can be convinced to take big cuts at mid-court balls, he's capable of pulling an upset. But with a day off and with plenty of motivation, I'm sensing that Nadal will show up extremely focused and take it to Monfils from the first ball. Fans will get to revel in what should be a very entertaining and hard-fought four-set victory for the Spaniard.
OTHER MEN'S MATCHES TO WATCH
I picked against Fernando Gonzalez in his tussle against Tomas Berdych and was dead wrong, as the Chilean served with authority, nailed his huge forehand and kept steady from the backhand side in a straight-sets win. But I just can't see him passing the on-rushing Jo-Wilifried Tsonga again and again over five sets, even though the Frenchman does suffer mental lapses. I like Tsonga in five in what should be a tremendous contest.
Juan Martin del Potro ran into the back wall in his last match and slightly hurt his elbow, but he bore up fine in the last set and has way too much firepower for Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Spaniard will stretch him out and make him earn the victory, but the tall and threatening Argentine will take this match in four sets and get ready to rumble against Andy Murray.
2-SERENA WILLIAMS VS. 10- FLAVIA PENNETTA
This is not nearly a short pit stop on the road to Williams' fourth US Open title but a bumpy section of the freeway where she's likely going to have to play well to win. The Italian veteran Pennetta is a gutsy, capable player who has improved her offense a ton, moves the ball around adeptly and has numerous options in her game. She stood very tall in fighting off six match points against Vera Zvonareva in the previous round, ripping winners to the corners while her foe pushed the ball.
With that said, Serena is a substantial favorite in this match, as she's been here before and succeeded time and time again. She has a much better serve, a little more weight on her groundstrokes and a more ambitious return. The match is on her racket, and if she plays close to her top level, she'll take this contest quickly because I get the sense that Pennetta is wearing down. The two have played once in Miami, and Flavia extended Williams to three sets, but the Italian will only play Serena tough for a set and then will go away. Serena will win in two sets and await a much-anticipated clash with Kim Clijsters.
18-NA LI VS. KIM CLIJSTERS
While some downplayed Clijsters' chances to make a major move on tour when she returned in August, I always felt that the super jock would play herself back into contention quickly, mostly because she's always been a tremendous athlete who was never out of shape and had a fairly air-tight game off the ground. The Belgian and sometimes New Jersey resident hasn't been perfect, but she's been very good, showing tremendous confidence off the ground, serving with authority to spots and attacking short balls. In short, she's been an A-minus version of the Clijsters who won the 2005 US Open and is improving with every match. She's smarter now, and although she occasionally displays a little rust, her brain is making up for it.
Li is steady, strong and can be murder off the ground and has yet to drop a set in the tournament. A few years back, I thought she'd make a stronger push into the top 10, but she's consistently been battling injuries and has been inconsistent. On a great day, she could pull off an upset, but she's going to have to keep the ball very deep, attack Clijsters' forehand before the Belgian can get into rhythm and make sure not to play too defensively. This will be no cakewalk for Kimmy, but she'll get through in straight sets and be ready to rumble against Serena.
Watch US Open 2009 Day 9 Live
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