Mccartney Kessler vs Ekaterina Alexandrova Prediction U.S. Open - New York · Aug 30, 2026

Analysis

Alexandrova arrives in New York off a three-set loss to Clara Tauson on 27 August, a result that says more about the level of the opposition than any dip in her own game — she took a set and pushed a heavy hitter the distance. That flat, first-strike style translates well to a hard court under the lights at Flushing Meadows, where her serve and early ball-striking off both wings shorten rallies before her opponent can settle. Kessler's game is built the other way round: clean, compact, low-error tennis that thrives when she can hold court position and make the rally one shot longer than her opponent wants. On home soil, in front of a crowd that will back her, she has a genuine route into the match if Alexandrova's first-serve percentage dips and the baseline exchanges extend. But the Russian holds the bigger weapons and the greater tolerance for best-of-three pressure, which is why the lean is to her — without ruling out a set for the American. No recent form data was available for Kessler and the pair have no head-to-head record supplied, so this read is style- and surface-based rather than numbers-based.