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The dream matchup that was brewing didn’t quite happen, but Stan Wawrinka will still have a battle on his hands against the dynamic world No.63 Illya Marchenko. Join The Roar for live score from 2:30am (AEST).
After a second round exit at Wimbledon, not participating in the Olympics and some dodgy warm up form, there were plenty of questions over Wawrinka but he has been strong so far in New York.
He started the final grand slam of the year with a pair of straight-set victories, but just struggled to get the job done during his third round match against Daniel Evans.
The fact he dropped the first set, and then was pushed to a tiebreaker in the fourth is concerning, but in the same breath the way he dominated the fifth set 6-2 was impressive.
Marchenko of course took on Nick Kyrgios in the third round of the Open, and while Kyrgios vs Wawrinka was being billed as a massive matchup, it wasn’t to be with Kyrgios retiring during the third set.
Marchenko had only lost a set before the Kyrgios match cruising through against Ivan Dodig and Damir Dzumhur and after some shaky warmup form, it was impressive to see him playing so well.
The pair have only faced off on one previous occasion, which came earlier in the year at Indian Wells as Wawrinka took that match in a very comfortable straight sets 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Marchenko will need to hang in there and wait for any lapses in concentration from the world No.3. Every point he can win will be crucial, and he will need to fight hard against the booming backhand of Wawrinka.
Marchenko also must have his served locked and loaded to try and pick up a few free points here and there. He knows Wawrinka will do exactly that, and on the back of a five-set match will be trying to make the points shorter.
If the Ukranian can extend the points, run Wawrinka around the court and keep it away from his backhand then he will be more than a fighting chance.
The winner of this match will advance to the quarter-finals and take on either Dominic Thiem or Juan Martin Del Potro.
Prediction
Wawrinka will be strong enough to get the job done, but whether he can put in a consistent and concentrated showing to hold Marchenko down and wipe him off the court is another question. Marchenko has the game to challenge, and could take this all the way.
Wawrinka in four sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of this fourth round match at the US Open from around 2:30am (AEST) or following the completion of Carla Suarez Navarro and Simona Halep and don’t forget to add a comment below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde