It is amazing how quickly things can change in tennis.  Not all that long ago, Victoria Azarenka was at the top of the game, and Angelique Kerber was well within the top 10.  Any match between these two at a major would have come well into the second week.  But injuries took their toll on Azarenka, while generally poor results saw Kerber's ranking take a dip.  And while both have done admirable jobs of rebounding from their respective setbacks, they have still been left with the unenviable task of facing each other early with a spot in the second week of the US Open at stake.

It truly is a shame that these two have to meet in the third round.  Given their track records at the US Open, both likely would have made the second week had the draw been kinder in where it placed them, and each is certainly worthy of a berth in the latter rounds.  After spending the bulk of 2014 relegated to the sidelines with injuries, Azarenka has made steady work of clawing her way back into the Top 20 and continues to inch towards her top form.  Kerber has likewise enjoyed a resurgence.  She has earned some impressive victories while bagging four titles this season.  Both women will be keen to build on their momentum by continuing their run in New York.

Obviously, to some degree the victor is going to be determined by which woman executes her game best.  This becomes even trickier in this match, however, since they both share similar strengths.  Azarenka and Kerber are perfectly at home on a hard court, and the backhand is their stronger wing.  Azarenka tends to be more aggressive and generally has more sting on her shots, but Kerber covers the court better, particularly in light of Azarenka still battling a leg injury.  Controlled aggression coupled with consistency will be key, and provided Kerber avoids the trap of becoming too passive, she is arguably the player in the more favorable position to get the win.

The issue for Kerber is that the ability to execute a game plan, especially when the chips are down, stems from having belief.  It remains to be seen if she will have that belief when she walks on the court on Saturday.  Although they should be two evenly-matched players, Kerber has lost all four of her prior matches against the Belarusian.  In fact, with the exception of their duel at the 2012 WTA Championships, Azarenka has cruised past Kerber  She dropped only three games to the German when they met earlier this year in Doha.  Add that dominance over the 11th seed to her fighting tenacity and record here in New York, and there is no question that Azarenka is going to feel confident about advancing, no matter what happens over the course of this match.  The onus will be on Kerber to stay with Azarenka, refuse to allow herself to wallow in pity if things are not going right, and show the former No. 1 that she is ready to dig her heels in and battle to grab the victory.

If Kerber comes prepared to fight to the bitter end, a victory is well within her grasp.  It is naturally hard to pick against Azarenka, who has won a couple of majors, been ranked higher, and has never lost to Kerber.  But Kerber has had a great season already and accumulated some noteworthy wins in the process, so she is by no means a bad bet either.  Suffice it to say, this is a match worthy of the second week, and if it lives up to that billing, fans are in for a real treat.

Commentators often talk about “statement” matches.  They send a message to the rest of the field that the the victor is the man to beat.  Roger Federer has hinted at sending such messages with the way he has waltzed through his first couple of rounds.  On Saturday, however, he will collide with his first seeded player, Philipp Kohlschreiber.  With a number of the other top seeds having already been tested, Federer will be looking to make quick work of the German and establish himself as the man who looks most poised to take the title.

Whether he breezes past Kohlschreiber or is made to work for it, there are few who would best against Federer losing this match.  While Kohlschreiber has put together a respectable career, he is nowhere near as decorated as the Swiss.  Federer has also shown he has the goods to win in New York, having won the title here on five different occasions, whereas the farthest the German has gone at Flushing Meadows is the round of 16.  Federer has also had the overall more successful 2015 campaign, and after winning the title in Cincinnati – defeating Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to do so – he may presently be the most confident player in the draw.

If his recent form were not enough to have him feeling optimistic about his odds of advancing, his record against Kohlschreiber would.  The pair have met nine times in the past, and Federer has won all nine times.  Furthermore, the vast majority of his wins came in straight sets.  His dismal showings against Federer do not make it easy for Kohlschreiber to find belief that he can somehow turn the tables on the second seed.  He might perhaps find some consolation in the fact that one of the matches in which he took a set off Federer came when they met in a major at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, or that he nearly got the better of the current No. 2 this past summer in Halle.  He has played a number of tight sets with the Swiss as well, so maybe if he were somehow able to come out on top in a tiebreak, he might plant some seeds of doubt in the back of Federer's mind.  

Planting doubts in Federer's mind will not be easy, however, since Kohlschreiber is mostly at the mercy of Federer's level of play.  Like Federer, the German has a one-handed backhand that he can hit over or slice, but it is not as versatile as the second seed's.  Kohlschreiber is not quite as comfortable in the forecourt either, and his serve is not as effective.  In addition to that, Federer is able to change the direction of the ball with greater consistency, and every facet of his game is simply bigger and more penetrating than Kohlschreiber's.  In short, unless Federer has a bad day at the office or Kohlschrieber is able to effectively play out of his comfort zone, it is going to be a long night for the 29th seed.

Out of respect for Kohlschreiber, his chances for a stunning upset on Saturday should not be dismissed entirely.  He competes well, he has a nice all-around game, and he did very nearly get the better of the Swiss once already this year.  But there is no denying that Federer is a heavy favorite to advance in this contest with most not pondering if he will win, but rather how emphatic his victory will be.  Based on what we have seen thus far, expect one-way traffic, and if that does come to fruition, the rest of the field had better raise its game in a hurry.