While colleague Nick Nemeroff previews key men’s matches in a companion article, this edition of US Open Fast Forward focuses on women’s third-round matches to watch.  For a longer look at Christina McHale ahead of her match with Ana Ivanovic, check out the article by Victoria Chiesa on this site.

Maria Kirilenko vs. Simona Halep:  The flavor of the summer on the women’s side, Halep increased her career title count from zero to four in a rush.  She is the only player to win a title on all three surfaces this year, although all of them came at relatively minor tournaments.  Difficult draws at the last two majors hindered Halep, but she has landed in the softest quarter of the US Open draw and has taken advantage so far.  So has Kirilenko, who rebounded from a tepid summer to serve three breadsticks in her first two matches here.  They never have met before, and it will be intriguing to see which woman can better seize the moment in the long rallies that should unfold.

Alize Cornet vs. Victoria Azarenka:  When they met at Roland Garros this spring, an abysmal match unfolded in which Cornet won the first set before crumbling in the next two.  That encounter unfolded on the Frenchwoman’s best surface and Azarenka’s worst, so the world No. 2 should be even more heavily favored on hard courts.  She has dropped just four games in four sets here, three of them on her serve.  That shot has wavered throughout the summer, but Azarenka has not let it unglue the rest of her game.  Her resilience and ability to compensate for weaknesses and setbacks separates her from Cornet, once considered a future star before injuries and a loss of confidence derailed her in 2009. 

Karin Knapp vs. Roberta Vinci:  When the year began, few would have expected either of these Italian women to reach the second week at both Wimbledon and the US Open.  But that is what the winner of this match will accomplish, overcoming her nation’s preference for slow courts at the two majors with fastest surfaces.  Outside the top 100 at Wimbledon, Knapp will crack the top 50 shortly.  She has won two of her three meetings with the 13th-ranked Vinci and dominated Elena Vesnina in the second round.  Vinci recorded a surprise quarterfinal at the US Open last year, so she holds the experience edge.

Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Flavia Pennetta:  These veterans first met at this tournament a decade ago, or just a year before Kuznetsova won the title in New York.  Her rout of Pennetta in that match has set the tone for the rest of their rivalry, during which the Russian has lost just one set in five matches while serving five bagels and breadsticks.  Both loyal members of their nation’s Fed Cup teams, they might prefer clay and slower courts but can adapt to all surfaces.  Kuznetsova’s resurgence this year has lifted her into the top 30 after two major quarterfinals, while Pennetta has enjoyed a more minor revival by reaching the second week of Wimbledon.  She upset Sara Errani in the previous round, although that result was more about Errani’s competitive fatigue than Pennetta’s brilliance.

Petra Kvitova vs. Alison Riske:  A former Wimbledon champion looks to salvage a disappointing season at majors.  The modest trio of Laura Robson, Jamie Hampton, and Kirsten Flipkens knocked off Kvitova at the sport’s most prestigious tournaments this year, the first two in the first week.  Riske knows firsthand how vulnerable Kvitova can be when adversity strikes.  She extended the Czech to three tight sets in New Haven last week and might well have pulled off the upset if she had gained more experience.  Still relatively raw, Riske also reached the third round at Wimbledon.  This hard-hitting American plays a similar style of tennis to Kvitova, reliant on first strikes and reluctant to scramble on defense.