Sam Querrey and Kevin Anderson have each made the quarterfinals of Grand Slams in the past. However, when they did so, they then drew very difficult opponents. But at the 2017 US Open, the situation is different heading into their quarterfinal match. The two players appear to be in a coin toss to make the semifinals of the final major of 2017 as they prepare to go head to head on Tuesday. The match represents a career opportunity that neither can afford to pass up on.
Querrey turns 30 years old in October while Anderson turned 31 earlier this year.
They have both been blocked from big matches at numerous points in their careers by their generation's top players. Now they have a match deep in a Grand Slam and there isn't a name like Djokovic, Federer, Wawrinka, Nadal, Murray, Cilic, or del Potro beside their own. That could create some unique pressure, because each player has to be thinking that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to maybe even make the US Open final.
Anderson vs. Querrey preview
The two players have met one another quite a lot in the past. That's not too surprising, given that they are both similarly aged. In fourteen head-to-head matches, it's the American-player Querrey that has the slight edge on results. He is 8-6 against Anderson, which includes a five-set victory from the fourth round of Wimbledon earlier this summer.
Anderson answered that result in Canada, with the South African defeating Querrey comprehensively 6-4, 6-1 last month. Anderson has generally gotten the best of Querrey in recent hard-court matches. Disregarding results prior to 2014, Anderson is 3-1 on the cement against the American. Those matches include a victory in Miami, where Querrey would have been playing in front of a partisan American crowd.
Querrey to win if the match is long?
If there is a fatigue factor in the upcoming match then the edge will belong to Querrey. That's not so much due to age, as there isn't much of a difference between the two players. However Querrey has been more efficient in advancing at the US Open. Neither player has dropped many sets, but Querrey shouldn't be bothered at all after taking a walk in the park against Mischa Zverev in the fourth round, winning 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in barely longer than 75 minutes.
Anderson faced a four setter in the last round and the 6'8" player might face fatigue issues in the quarters as a result. If the match goes too long, then Querrey is the one who stands the better chance of advancing.
These two players will be last up on the evening session for Tuesday in Arthur Ashe Stadium, a match that will follow the Venus Williams/Petra Kvitova quarterfinal. The winner is into the semifinals and will have a winnable match against either Pablo Carreno Busta or Diego Schwartzman.
