NEW YORK, NY, USA - It's been called the most open of US Opens. Even so, the form guide has held up magnificently in the bottom half of the draw, with all four players seeded to reach the quarterfinals doing so - three of them without conceding a set. The same three are Grand Slam champions, two of them former world No.1s to boot. As for the fourth player in the mix? She seems ready to seize her destiny.
Arthur Ashe
[3] Venus Williams (USA #4) vs. [6] Francesca Schiavone (ITA #7)
H2H: Williams leads 7-0
The Italians have long called her La Lionessa, mostly for her Fed Cup heroics, and after a subdued summer the French Open champion is roaring again. Exhibit A: the outrageous between-the-legs shot she pulled out of the bag against Alona Bondarenko in the third round. Exhibit B: her defeat of in-form teen Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, not so much for the end result, but the fact she won the second set to love (indeed, she has conceded just 13 games thus far in the tournament, the fewest of the four quarterfinalists in this half). As for Venus? Well, yet again she's showcased that unique Williams talent to front up short of matches and deliver the goods - helped, it has to be said, by a somewhat soft draw leading to a strong defeat of Shahar Peer. Although Schiavone has never beaten her American contemporary, their last two matches, both this year, have gone to three sets. With luck they'll deliver a contest worthy of any coliseum, the winner becoming the first 30-year-old to reach the semis here since Mary Pierce in 2005.
[2] Kim Clijsters (BEL #3) vs. [5] Samantha Stosur (AUS #6)
H2H: Clijsters leads 3-0
Just as well Stosur is supremely fit; if any player can back up from an early-morning finish, the 26-year-old Australian can. More intriguing will be her mental state after that stunning fourth round defeat of Elena Dementieva, which was one of the best matches of the year and very possibly a critical marker in her own career. While Stosur saved four match points to survive, Clijsters breezed past Ana Ivanovic earlier in the day, and in fact has spent nearly three hours less on court across the first four rounds. Will that be an issue if things get tight? Certainly Clijsters is capable of the occasional lacklustre performance, it's just that she doesn't tend to do it at Flushing Meadows, entering this match with a 24-1 record here in her last four visits. Stosur has a narrow edge on serve and forehand, Clijsters in movement and on the backhand, as well as experience of the occasion - this is her 18th Grand Slam quarterfinal, to three for Stosur. But if it's on tap, Stosur's newfound belief could make the difference.
More to watch…
The doubles competition has also arrived at the quarterfinal stage, with top seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta shaping up against Wimbledon champs Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, who are seeded sixth, on Louis Armstrong. No.9 seeds Cara Black and Anastasia Rodionova play Russian No.14 seeds Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva on Court 11. The mixed doubles event is even further advanced, with both semifinals on Tuesday's schedule. Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan, the No.1 seeds, face fourth-seeded Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Daniel Nestor, while in an all-unseeded affair, Kveta Peschke and Aisam-Ul-Haq Kureshi take on Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Mark Knowles.
