Only eight men remain in contention at the Chile Open. While six seeded players have made it to the quarters, both outsiders still in it on Friday deserve the utmost respect after fine performances so far in Santiago. But who will book their place in Saturday’s semifinals?
Chile Open Quarterfinal Predictions
Cristian Garin vs Thiago Seyboth Wild
Head-to-head: first meeting
In 2013, a 16-year-old Cristian Garin, who won the Roland Garros boys’ singles title later that year, upset Dusan Lajovic to claim his maiden tour-level win in Vina del Mar. Garin, the top seed at the Chile Open, had to wait seven years to celebrate a second victory in front of his fervent Chilean supporters. But despite being hindered by back pain, and quite possibly fatigue, Garin hung tough to beat the Spanish young gun Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2 0-6 7-6.
Davidovich Fokina was hampered by hitting 11 double faults, which ultimately proved to be his undoing. But with Garin clearly far from his best and unlikely to be playing this tournament were it not held in his native Chile, it is hard to see him getting past Thiago Seyboth Wild. The Brazilian showed his quality at the Rio Open, reaching the quarterfinals, and he has looked sharp so far in Santiago, beating the Argentines Facundo Bagnis and Juan Ignacio Londero. With his forehand firing, expect him to claim a bigger scalp still here.
Prediction: Seyboth Wild in 3
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Renzo Olivo vs Hugo Dellien
Head-to-head: Dellien 2-0 Olivo
Having won the Santiago Challenger last March, Hugo Dellien is riding a seven-match winning streak in Santiago. The Bolivian is clearly most at home in the Chilean capital. So far this week, Dellien has passed two different yet difficult tests in Marco Cecchinato and Tomas Barrios Vera, dropping just one set in the process. Renzo Olivo, who qualified into the main draw, had looked to be dead buried trailing by a set and 3-5 to the experienced Pablo Cuevas.
But he rallied superbly to claim a hard-fought 5-7 7-6 7-6 win, saving two match points in the process. That secured him a spot in his first quarterfinal at any level since July. And having won four matches already this week, he will surely have high hopes of going further. But he has lost both of his previous meetings with Dellien and considering how much the Bolivian appears to enjoy playing in Santiago, expect Dellien to make it a hat-trick of wins.
Prediction: Dellien in 3
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Federico Delbonis vs Casper Ruud
Head-to-head: Delbonis 1-1 Ruud
Federico Delbonis navigated a tricky first-round against the big-hitting Martin Klizan, before beating Salvatore Caruso by virtue of playing the bigger points more effectively. Casper Ruud, meanwhile, has got back to winning ways after a disappointing first-round exit at the Rio Open. After a first-round bye, the Norwegian opened his campaign by battling past Alejandro Tabilo. Tabilo started the match excellently, roared on by the home crowd, but Ruud raised his level and the Chilean could not stay with him when it mattered most, falling to a 4-6 5-7 defeat. That is a mark of Ruud’s quality and he should be able to do the same against Delbonis.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
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Thiago Monteiro vs Albert Ramos Vinolas
Head-to-head: Ramos 3-1 Monteiro
Albert Ramos Vinolas, who has reached the final at the Monte Carlo Masters and the last eight at Roland Garros, is no longer the player he once was. But he still possesses the fundamentals of a strong clay-court game and that makes him a tough man to beat. He uses his forehand to excellent effect, opening up the court, and rarely misses from the baseline. As much was on his display in his 7-6 6-2 win over the Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas in his Santiago opener.
Thiago Monteiro, in contrast, is rather more hit-and-miss than the steady Spaniard, but he appears to enjoy the conditions in Santiago with his forehand lethal in the altitude. Notably, whilst Ramos Vinolas has had the better of this rivalry at or near sea-level, winning in Bastad and Genoa, Monteiro has been more competitive at elevated venues, where they have split their two meetings. And with Ramos Vinolas having made a slow start to the season and Monteiro an excellent one, the third seed is surely on upset alert here.
Prediction: Monteiro in 3
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