Who do you think will surprise us this tournament?
No surprises with the WTA. The draw so heavily favors Iga I would not be surprised if she sweeps the whole thing. Maybe Badosa, Gauff, or Serena will give her some trouble. After all, as I like to say, the first set's on Serena. Iga's main competition seems largely crowded on the bottom half, so whoever makes it out of that will likely be worn down a fair bit in the final. While I would love for a number of players to prove me wrong, a Swiatek upset would be the main surprise.
As for the ATP, while Djokovic and to an extent Nadal are the ones to beat, it seems more of an open field. Djokovic does not have it easy and will likely play Alcaraz in the QF. Ruud's quarter is the zone of opportunity what with Hurkacz, PCB, and Dimitrov out of the running. Cam Norrie in particular looks like he could hit his stride and make a deep run. I could also see Tiafoe coming out ahead, but the quarter seems just loose enough that a number of players could gain momentum.
With Berrettini out, I am favoring Schwartzman for Tsitsipas' quarter. After upsets for FAA and Evans in Nadal's quarter, it would be a pretty big shock for Cressy to break out ahead of his fellow Americans. It remains to be seen whether he can hold his nerve against the likes of Nadal or a Grand Slam QF, but he has some good momentum.
I should add as a side note that Murray looks to be in good form, and I am glad Djokovic and Nadal are on opposing halves, even though I think there is room for other players to make it to the final. All my personal take. Feel free to disagree!
Surprised Raducanu went out again so early. Really concerned with how her year has been.
Is Tsitsipas dead after he lost in that final against Djokovic? Too much pressure.
Part of the problem is a large number of players, Tsitsipas included, are waiting for Djokovic and Nadal to leave them some breathing space. His match with Kyrgios was a mess in many ways. Tsitsipas really let Kyrgios get into his head and fell apart emotionally, with some bad choices like those two hits into the crowd. That said, his five-set stamina has really improved over the past few years.
Well, with so many upsets and now the quarters behind us, perhaps we can list some of the big shocks so far:
1) Iga's third-round loss: end of her winning streak
2) Nadal's withdrawal and Kyrgios' walkover into the final
3) Collapse of Ruud's quarter and Norrie in the semifinals
4) Jule Niemeier's first quarterfinal at a major: Her first time qualifying for a major was the French Open this year, with Wimbledon as her first main draw debut!
5) British upsets: Of the three British players ranked in the top 100, Raducanu and Murray lost in the opening rounds.
To be fair, both Kyrgios and Tsitsipas claimed high ground and tried to discredit the other to the chair in highly vocal episodes. The difference is Kyrgios played better that day. Afterwards he was fairly reserved playing Nakashima.
Would be happy with Kyrgios, but would rather Djokovic win. And Jabeur!