*By Kavitha Shastry* We're down to the final matches of this year's U.S. Open, with the four women still in the running for the ladies' singles title facing off in the semifinals Thursday night. And for Todd Martin, a finalist in New York in 1999 and currently the president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, it's basically a story of Serena Williams...and everybody else. "I wouldn't go so far as to say it's Serena's tournament to win or lose, but she has gotten to that stage in the tournament where she's the only one who's ever won a Major before, and she's playing really well," Martin said in an interview on Cheddar Thursday. "She's reasserted herself as, really, the best player in the game." Williams, who's going for her seventh U.S. Open title, came into this year's event as the 17th seed but was considered by many to be a favorite to win. So far she's defeated her sister Venus, herself a two-time champion, and eighth seed Karolina Pliskova, the runner-up in 2016. Williams kicks off Thursday's singles action against Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova, who's playing in her first ever Grand Slam semi. The 19th seed may be the heavy underdog, but she's had a good run in New York, dismissing defending champion Sloane Stephens in straight sets in their quarterfinal. In the second match-up of the night, 14th-seeded American Madison Keys, who lost to Stephens in last year's final, faces rising star Naomi Osaka of Japan. Keys has won all three of the pair's previous meetings, but Osaka, with her first career title at a tournament in Indian Wells, Calif., earlier this year and a win over Serena in Miami, cannot be counted out. As for the men, who contest their semifinal matches on Friday, there's a little more star power in the mix. Three-time champion Rafael Nadal, winner in 2017, is coming off a marathon quarterfinal against Austria's Dominic Thiem and will face Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro, who earned his first and so far only Major title in New York in 2009. Martin said this match will be one to watch. "On paper, you would say Nadal has the edge. He's won so many Majors, he's in good form right now, and he's really and truly the best fighter in our sport," Martin said. "However, match-up-wise, Del Potro is 6'6", he's playing at a high level. Nadal's lefty game matching up with Del Potro's height, it's neutralized a little bit...I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there was a minor upset with Del Potro winning that match." The second men's semi though may be less of a challenge. Former world #1 Novak Djokovic, coming off a title at Wimbledon this year, will take on Japan's Kei Nishikori, a finalist in 2014. Martin said the favorite is clear. "Djokovic, when he's right in the head and in the body, he's the best player in the world, and I think he's in a pretty good place right now. I expect him to win the tournament, but there's a few more matches left to be played." For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/tennis-legend-todd-martin-previews-us-open-semi-finals).

Share:
More In Sports
With Super Bowl Over, What's New for Draftkings in 2022?
Coming off of the latest NFL season, Draftkings has plans for growth and new bettors to join its platform following what it saw as a record year of state legalization of sports betting and Super Bowl action. CEO Jason Robins joined Cheddar News to talk about what in store for the company in 2022, including labor issues leading to the postponement of the MLB's spring training games and the NCAA's March Madness. "There's a lot of really exciting stuff that happens in the first couple of rounds all the way through to the championship game. So typically we've seen incredible activity during March Madness on the betting side," Robins said.
PlayersTV CEO on New Athletes On Demand Sports Subscription Platform
PlayersTV is bringing sports viewers Athletes On Demand, a subscription platform to provide fans with thousands of hours of sports content from their favorite athletes. CEO Angela Bundrant joined Cheddar News to discuss the new rollout. "People can expect to receive content or buy into content on demand that comes from their favorite athletes," said Bundrant, listing star partners like the Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul and New Orleans Pelicans' C.J. McCollum.
Former Olympic Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton on Russian Figure Skater Doping Scandal
The 15-year-old Russian Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva found herself at the center of a scandal after a positive test for a banned substance became public. Valieva fell out of gold contention in the women's free skate after falling, avoiding a potentially embarrassing situation, where a medal ceremony would have been nixed had she won. Scott Hamilton, the retired American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist in the 1984 Games, joined Cheddar to break down the scandal. “It’s a team competition and every member of the team participated in that score and hers should be disallowed”.
Last-Minute Winning Bets for the NBA Tonight
Alex Monaco, host of the “The Bettor Half Hour” on MSG Networks and the “Sports Gambling with Moneyline Monaco” podcast, joins Cheddar Bets to give his last-minute tips before tonight's slate of games starts. Sponsored by BetMGM
Richard Jefferson Previews All-Star Weekend
Richard Jefferson, host of the Road Trippin' podcast, NBA Today analyst, and NBA Champion, joins Cheddar Bets to break down All-Star Weekend festivities and to give his "Pick 6" for tonight. Sponsored by BetMGM
Load More