2013 U.S. Open Preview: Day 11
Day 11 of the 2013 U.S. Open will be played Thursday, as the last two men’s quarterfinals will be played as world number one and 2011 U.S. Open winner Novak Djokovic faces the number 21 seed, Russian Mikhail Youzhny. Defending champion Andy Murray will bring an 8-5 head-to-head record against the ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland. Partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the upper 60s to mid-70s are on tap for the day, with a 10 percent chance of rain.
Djokovic will play under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and has a 5-3 career record against Youzhny, who is trying to reach his third U.S. Open semi-final. The 26-year-old Serbian is the only player remaining yet to drop a set (12-0) and he’s only been broken three times. Djokovic is appearing in his 18th straight Grand Slam quarterfinal and he’s bidding to advance to his seventh straight U.S. Open semifinal and 14th consecutive Grand Slam semi overall. The last time Djokovic failed to reach the semis at a major was at the 2010 French Open when he lost to Jurgen Melzer in the quarters. The last time Djokovic fell prior to the semis at the U.S. Open was in 2006.
Youzhny is making his sixth career Grand Slam quarterfinals appearance and has a 2-3 record with his best results being semifinal appearances at the Open in 2006 and 2010. He is the first Russian to reach the quarters at the U.S. Open three times. Youzhny is 0-10 lifetime in attempts to beat a world number one-ranked player.
On Thursday afternoon at Ashe, defending U.S. Open champ Murray brings an 8-5 head-to-head record against the ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka, who is attempting to reach his first career Grand Slam semifinal. Wawrinka is 0-3 lifetime in Grand Slam quarterfinal matches. Murray has an 11-match U.S. Open winning streak and is looking to reach the semis for the third consecutive year.
The celebrities take the courts under the lights at 7:00 p.m. at Ashe on Thursday evening as actors Jason Biggs of “American Pie” fame & Rainn Wilson of NBC’s “The Office” face the women’s team of Chris Evert & Monica Seles in a “Battle of the Sexes” Pro-Celebrity Doubles Match.
The men’s doubles draw will narrow even further as the top seeded Bob & Mike Bryan of the United States face the number four seeded duo of Leander Paes of India & Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. The Bryans are trying to become the first doubles team since Australians Ken McGregor & Frank Sedgman in 1951 to win all four major championships in the same year.
At Louis Armstrong Stadium Thursday afternoon, the top-seeded women’s team of Italy’s Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci take on the unseeded American duo of Venus & Serena Williams in women’s doubles quarterfinals action. Also at Armstrong Stadium, it will be the 10th-seeded team of Ivan Dodig from Croatia & Marcelo Melo from Brazil facing the number two-seeded Alexander Peya of Austria & Bruno Soares of Brazil for a spot in the men’s doubles finals.
On Court 6 in girl’s junior action, it will be New Yorker Louisa Chirico, the number 10 seed, taking on fellow American, Michaela Gordon of Los Altos Hills, Calif.
Click here to view the full Day 11 Schedule of Play at the 2013 U.S. Open.
