Only two top-10 women remain in the US Open draw. One of them, Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard, faces a challenging lefty in her bid to become the only woman to reach the quarterfinals at every major. At the opposite end of her career, veteran Flavia Pennetta looks to build on her outstanding efforts in North America, where she won Indian Wells this spring and reached the US Open semifinals last year.

Eugenie Bouchard versus Ekaterina Makarova

Ten.  It is the number of ranking spots that separates Eugenie Bouchard, ranked No. 8, from Ekaterina Makarova.  This is not a huge gap by any stretch, and when Makarova takes to the court against Bouchard, the Russian could very well make it feel much smaller.

Bouchard will come into this contest knowing that Makarova is the most dangerous opponent she has yet faced this fortnight.  The Russian has a game that should not only match up well against Bouchard’s game, but could potentially cause her issues.  Makarova does not take the ball as early as the Canadian, but she has the foot speed and consistency to hang with her.  Makarova is also a top-10 doubles player, so if she gets up to the net, she has the skills to rush and extract errors from Bouchard.

Coming into this match, the Russian also arguably has the mental edge despite being the lower-ranked of the pair.  That is not to say that Bouchard will be lacking in confidence though.  On the contrary, Bouchard has done well to fight through some tough three-setters to reach the round of 16.  She will have drawn confidence from that, and in the back of her mind, she knows she can go further thanks to her spectacular play at the majors earlier this season. 

That said, Makarova still has to be feeling happier with her game than the No. 7 seed.  She has had a far better summer than Bouchard, making semifinal runs at the events in both Washington D. C. and Montréal.  In addition to that, she has played the better tennis to get to the fourth round and has yet to drop a set.  Finally, Makarova did win her only encounter against Bouchard in two routine sets last year in Washington D. C.

The intangible in this match is how each woman will manage her nerves.  Bouchard has enjoyed more success on these big stages of late, but it is increasingly evident that she is beginning to feel the pressure.  Trying to take one more step towards reaching a fourth consecutive major semifinal could be overwhelming.  As for Makarova, she has notched wins over the game’s best, including Serena Williams a few years ago at the Australian Open.  She is unlikely to be shaken at the prospect of playing Bouchard.  She has also been as far as the quarterfinals in New York, but she needs to guard against wanting to return to that stage too badly.  She must remember that the expectations are on Bouchard and take advantage of being able to go out and swing freely.

Flavia Pennetta versus Casey Dellacqua

There have been a number of top headlines at this year’s US Open, but one of the hottest has been the near-total destruction of the women’s draw.  One woman’s loss is another one’s gain, however, and both Flavia Pennetta and Casey Dellacqua will look to take full advantage of the situation when they square off against each other.

Which woman is the most apt to grab the opportunity before her is anyone’s guess, for there is little to choose between the two.  At No. 12, Pennetta is ranked 20 spots ahead of her Australian opponent, but after reaching her own career-high ranking of No. 30 a few weeks ago, Dellacqua ought to still be feeling relatively confident.  Both women have also enjoyed plenty of success in doubles.  They are certainly capable of getting the job done from the forecourt equally as well, if not better than what they do from the back.  Even their play coming into this US Open is similar.  The Italian enjoyed slightly more success, but neither produced results that would have predicted they would find themselves at this stage in Flushing Meadows.

Given their similarities, this battle is apt to be all about who handles the moment best.  But here again, no crystal ball in the world can accurately predict how the past will affect their performances now.  Pennetta has more reasons to feel confident about advancing.  She has been making the most of a second chance since returning from right wrist surgery nearly two years ago, and it can be seen in her results.  She reached the quarterfinals earlier this year in Melbourne and picked up her first Premier Mandatory title at Indian Wells in the spring. 

In addition to that, the US Open has historically been Pennetta’s best major.  She has logged multiple quarterfinal finishes in New York and went one better last season.  If all of that were not enough, she was the player who earned the victory in her lone encounter with Dellacqua.

Dellacqua might discard that lone result against the Italian, however.  It came nearly seven years ago and was a tight three-setter.  Furthermore, she is enjoying one of her best seasons in singles, as evidenced by her quarterfinal finish at Indian Wells and semifinal showing in Birmingham.  She also has the luxury of coming into this match knowing all of the pressure is squarely on Pennetta’s shoulders.  It is Pennetta who has the semifinal points to defend, while Dellacqua, who has never been beyond the second round here, is doing well just to have made the second week.  The trick for her will be managing her nerves as she ventures into uncharted territory.