Day 4 in Houston saw top seed and back-to-back defending champion Steve Johnson upset by Galan. There is only one seed remaining in a very open quarterfinal. #8 seed Sam Querrey is the only former finalist remaining in the field.
ATP Houston Quarterfinal Predictions
Henri Laaksonen vs Christian Garin
- Head to Head: First Meeting
Another matchup between two players without big name recognition. Laaksonen rolled through qualifying and has looked strong. Garin defeated #2 seed Jeremy Chardy in a marathon match and looks increasingly comfortable on clay. Garin is young and talented and will win a close one. Laaksonen doesn’t go down without a fight so he will be sure to make it interesting.
Prediction: Garin in 2
Casper Ruud vs Marcel Granollers
Head to Head: First meeting
One of the two surprise quarterfinals in Houston. Ruud is the more talented of the two players, and that has been on display this week. Granollers has been incredibly impressive, knocking off Taylor Fritz then crushing Bernard Tomic. This will be an intriguing matchup but Granollers has looked better and his experience will win out.
Prediction: Granollers in 3
Daniel Elahi Galan vs Jordan Thompson
Head to Head: First Meeting
After qualifying to get in to the main draw, Galan pulled the upset of the week over Steve Johnson and truly looked like the better player in the match. Thompson played an intensely competitive match, coming up victorious over Santiago Giraldo. His legs will be pretty tired after the grueling three-setter but will have just enough. Galan is coming off a career win which is always tough to follow up.
Prediction: Thompson in 2
Sam Querrey vs Janko Tipsarevic
Head to Head: 4-3 Tipsarevic
Probably the two biggest names remaining in the tournament square off. Tipsarevic leads the head to head but they have only played one time since 2013. Tipsarevic has looked strong in his first two matches, while Querrey has also played very well. This match could go either way but Querrey’s serve will be overpowering and he will pull it out.
Prediction: Querrey in 2
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