Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will contest in separate quarterfinal matches on Wednesday from Flushing Meadows. Federer will face Juan Martin del Potro while Nadal will face Andrey Rublev. There is certainly some potential for a "Fedal" semifinal in New York and that would guarantee that Federer or Nadal would be in the US Open final this season. Given what's left on the opposite side of the draw it's looking probable now that either Federer or Nadal will win the championship at Flushing Meadows. When it comes to the year-end No. 1 ranking there is a lot to play for between the two tennis superstars.
However, other contenders are basically out of the picture now to finish the season in the top spot.
Many tournaments remain after New York
Heading into the 2017 Us Open, Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov, and Dominic Thiem had potential to get to the No. 1 ranking. If one of those players had won the title then that would have placed him within striking distance of both Nadal and Federer. Sometimes it feels like the US Open ends the season, but there are numerous events played in the late months, including Masters Series events, 500-series events, and the ATP World Tour Finals. Those tournaments could have brought Zverev, Dimitrov, or Thiem into the picture, but they really needed strong results in order for their year-end No.
1 candidacy to be taken seriously.
Pablo Carreno-Busta, who is now in the semifinals, and Sam Querrey remain the top-two players not named Federer or Nadal remaining alive in the final Grand Slam tournament of the season. However, even if one of them wins the Flushing Meadows title that player will have a large gap to make up to get to the very top.
It would likely require running the tables in the big tournaments to be played after the US Open. Carreno-Busta and Querrey are capable of winning any event on tour at this point in their careers. However, neither really seems to be capable of maintaining such a high level of play that he could win tournament after tournament in succession.
Zverev and Dimitrov disappointing
Zverev and Dimitrov have to be considered major disappointments at Flushing Meadows. The former won both Washington and Montreal while the latter won Cincinnati. However, neither was able to stay at such a high level of play in the bigger Grand Slam. As they went, so went the two players that had the best chance of challenging Federer and Nadal. The only way that a player not named Federer or Nadal finishes the year at No. 1 is if both suffer injuries that end their seasons. For their next matches, Nadal will conclude the afternoon session in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday, while Federer will conclude the evening session.
