Of all the matches in the quarters, I thought Venus-Ostapenko seemed the most must-watch. Ostapenko has been on quite a roll (obviously), and I figured she could threaten Venus. But during the match, I was struck by just how straightforward and businesslike Venus was. No real displays of emotion, just going about her business and handling Ostapenko without too much trouble.
Later, in thinking about the match, I realized just how ridiculous my initial assessment was. Just exactly how many times has Venus played against Serena, the human manifestation of "hitting the felt off the ball?" Ostapenko hits the ball huge, but she lacks Serena's mental toughness and has a below-average serve. Throw in that we're on Venus's favorite surface, and it seems highly unlikely that Ostapenko would do much to intimidate or threaten Venus.
I know Jo Konta has been on the radar for a couple of years now, but her rise still strikes me as totally meteoric.
Muguruza. Her match against Kerber was the best match she's played since she won the French a year ago. Against Kuznetsova, she looked confident and comfortable. Where the hell has this woman been for the past year, and how did she show up again now?
Rybarikova. I still don't know what to say about her. You obviously don't make the semis by accident, but I was struck more by the tentativeness of Vandeweghe's play in their match than anything that Rybarikova particularly did.