ESNY

After the stunning upset of Serena Williams in the semifinals, the U.S. Open is now forging onto the finals in both the Men’s and Women’s.

U.S. Open Women’s Final

#26 Flavia Pennetta (Italy) vs Roberta Vinci (Italy)

I wonder how many predicted this all-Italian matchup in the finals. This is why we love sports – the unpredictable occurring.

Such was the case yesterday when we saw one of the greatest tennis upsets ever. No. 1 ranked Serena Williams went down in the semifinals, denied a chance at history in winning all four Grand Slams in one year, when she got upset by unranked Roberta Vinci in a match where every tennis fan will remember.

Also early on, Flavia Pennetta had no trouble all day in upsetting #2 seed Simona Halep, bringing both of these unlikely players in the finals. Both of them are in due to playing a great ground game in moving all around the court, returning well and hitting winners after winners.

That was definitely the key for Vinci in her epic win over Serena as the former doubles champion really made Serena uncomfortable around the baseline and making her hit unforced errors. Same thing happened for Pennetta too in her win over Halep as Halep never got in a comfort zone all match.

Neither of them have big serves so the ground game will be the key and it should be a fun match even though neither of them are huge household names. It will be a tight contest that could go to three sets. I will give the slight edge to Pennetta.

Vinci might be a little drained out after her hard fought win over Serena and who knows how much she has left, having to come out the next day. Pennetta did not have any difficulties vs Halep and she also upset former Wimbeldon winner Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals so her run was just as impressive.

Pennetta in 3 sets

U.S. Open Men’s Final

#1 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) vs #2 Roger Federer (Switzerland)

Unlike the women’s final, this is the matchup where most predicted and one where probably everyone wanted. And here it is as both of them breezed through the semifinals in three sets.

Federer holds a slight 21-20 edge in head to head vs Novak. Djokovic beat Federer in the Wimbeldon final this year and the year before and Federer beat Djokovic in Cincinnati right before the U.S. Open. Beating Djokovic in a Grand Slam will be much tougher as Federer saw in the the last two Wimbeldon.

If there’s one time where Federer can finally beat his nemesis, it’s now. Federer has been playing one of his best tennis in this U.S. Open, reminding everyone of his dominant self back in 2004-2007. He hasn’t lost a set yet, his serve has been on, and he’s moving as well as he has 10 years ago.

In what was expected to be a hard fought match against his fellow country man Wawrinka, Feder had no such problems, outlasting Stan in straight sets. Djokovic looked even more impressive against the defending U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, although Novak mentioned that Cilic was playing through an ankle injury, which might’ve been a big factor in Cilic never really into the match from the start.

Anyways, this should be another classic tight duel between the two proven champions. Djokovic may be younger and has won more recently but I am going to sort of go out on a limb here and go with Federer. The last time I saw Federer this dominant, was in those 2004-2007 years when he was virtually unbeatable. Federer may be 34 but he is playing like a 24 year old and every part of his game is still intact. Federer’s serve will be the key as Djokovic has one of the best return games if not the best.

That’s why Roger should not engage in those long rallies vs the Serbian as Novak is younger is quicker now. But Federer is smart and also added a new repertoire to his game in returning serves as he goes closer to the baseline when a opponent serves, creating some confusion for the opponent.

Last but not least, Federer is more determined than ever, knowing he won’t have many chances for this at his age and with his easy run so far, he should also be fresh to go and provide at least one more last moment in Flushing.

Federer in 5 sets

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Other than God, sports are my biggest love. My teams are the Mets, Knicks, NY Giants, NY Rangers and St Johns basketball (St. John's alumni). I especially love the Mets like crazy, more than any other team and seeing them win the World Series would be a dream come true and definitely the best sports moment. The Knicks are a close second. I also like to write, so combine that with my passion for sports equals a perfect scenario, I would love to do sports writing long term. If not that, then probably sports broadcasting, cause I love to talk sports as well. In addition to writing for ESNY, I'm also currently writing for Metsmerizedonline.