After a thrilling week so far at the Rio Open, featuring marathon matches, stunning upsets and the possible emergence of a new star, just eight men remain in contention for the title. But who will book their place in the semifinals?
Rio Open Quarterfinal Predictions
Federico Coria vs Cristian Garin
Head-to-head: Garin 1-0 Coria
Cristian Garin arrived at the Rio Open in fine form and he has continued to impress this week, although he hasn’t found his progress through the draw entirely straightforward. In the first round, he had to rally from a break down in the third set to beat Slovakia’s Andrej Martin. But he put in an improved showing in the last 16 to dismantle the big-hitting Argentine Federico Delbonis in straight-sets, 6-3 6-4, and reach his second quarterfinal of the season, where he will face Federico Coria.
Coria is enjoying the best week of his career, having come through the qualifying to reach the main draw, where he has picked up creditable wins over Qatar Open runner-up Corentin Moutet and the 16-year-old sensation Carlos Alcaraz Garfia. But although he has played well so far in Rio, Garin marks a real step up in the quality of his opposition. The Chilean spreads the court excellently, particularly off the forehand side, and should have too much power and accuracy for Coria to handle.
Prediction: Garin in 2
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Borna Coric vs Lorenzo Sonego
Head-to-head: first meeting
Borna Coric, seeded fifth at the Rio Open, had made a poor start to the season, winning just one of his matches at the ATP Cup before losing in the first round at the Australian Open and in Buenos Aires. But he has battled through to the quarterfinals in Rio, beating Juan Ignacio Londero, who reached the fourth round at Roland Garros last season, in two close sets in the first round before edging out Thiago Seyboth Wild in a third-set tiebreak. But he will face a tough quarterfinal test in Lorenzo Sonego.
The Italian enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2019, highlighted by his triumph on the grass in Antalya, and he has looked sharp so far this week, beating Leonardo Mayer in the first round before upsetting the second-seeded Dusan Lajovic, 7-6 7-6. This promises to be a close contest, with little between the pair on paper, but Sonego has been playing with that much more conviction so far in Rio and will surely be full of confidence having beaten Lajovic. Expect him to pull off another upset.
Prediction: Sonego in 3
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Dominic Thiem vs Gianluca Mager
Head-to-head: first meeting
Gianluca Mager has been in excellent touch so far at the Rio Open. After storming through the qualifying without dropping a set, the Italian scored an excellent win over Argentina Open champion Casper Ruud in the first round of the main draw and he backed that up by beating fellow qualifier Joao Domingues in straight-sets, 6-3 7-6. However, he will face what looks to be his toughest task of the week so far when he steps on to court to face the top seed Dominic Thiem.
The Austrian, who is playing his first tournament since his runner-up finish at the Australian Open, has not yet been at his very best so far in Rio, but he has shown commendable grit in battling past Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves and Jaume Munar to reach the quarterfinals, having been taken the distance by both. But he will now surely have found his feet on the clay and seems certain to have too much power for the Italian qualifier.
Prediction: Thiem in 2
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Attila Balazs vs Pedro Martinez
Head-to-head: Balazs 1-1 Martinez
After suffering a one-sided loss to Mager in the final round of qualifying, Attila Balazs has taken full advantage of his good fortune as a lucky loser, beating the experienced Pablo Cuevas in straight-sets in the first round before battling past home hope Thiago Monteiro in three sets to reach the quarterfinals. Pedro Martinez, meanwhile, came through the qualifying successfully, before beating Hugo Dellien and his compatriot Pablo Andujar.
This is a great chance for both men to reach the rarefied air of an ATP 500 semifinal, with the considerable prize money and ranking points that come with it. They have split their previous meetings and another close, and possibly nervy, contest looks likely to be in the offing at the Rio Open. But Balazs has been playing with great freedom having been handed a second chance and that should be enough to see him into the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Balazs in 3
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