Only eight men remain in contention for the trophy at the inaugural ATP Sardinia Open, where seven of the seeded players have made early exits. As ever, we here at the LWOS tennis department will be offering our predictions for all four quarterfinal clashes. But who will reach the last four?
ATP Sardinia Open Quarterfinal Predictions
Danilo Petrovic vs Federico Delbonis
Head-to-head: first meeting
Lucky loser Danilo Petrovic has certainly made the most of the second chance he received when top seed Fabio Fognini was forced to withdraw after testing positive for coronavirus. The Serbian, who has scant experience at ATP-level, played what was surely one of the best matches of his career to beat world #96 Roberto Carballes Baena, who two years ago won the title in Quito. However, he now faces what looks like a stern test on paper against Federico Delbonis.
The Argentine, who has been ranked as high as 33rd in the world, has impressed so far at the ATP Sardinia Open, beating two experienced and accomplished players in Andreas Seppi and sixth seed Pablo Andujar. His big forehand has been firing and that should allow him to hit through Petrovic. The Serb, who stands 6’8” tall does not lack for power himself, but he is not one of the better movers in the game and, unlike Delbonis, he can struggle for accuracy. Expect Delbonis to advance.
Prediction: Delbonis in 2
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Lorenzo Musetti vs Yannick Hanfmann
Head-to-head: Hanfmann 1-0 Musetti
This match has the potential to be the best of the tournament. Particularly after both men put in such excellent performances in the second round. Lorenzo Musetti, who is riding high after a breakthrough clay-court season, thrashed his countryman Andrea Pellegrino for the loss of only three games to back up his 7-6 7-5 win over the eighth seed Pablo Cuevas. Yannick Hanfmann, meanwhile, was more impressive still, dispatching third seed Casper Ruud 6-2 6-1.
Both men thrive on confidence and can be hard to stop when they find some form, as Musetti demonstrated in Rome and Hanfmann during his run to the final in Kitzbuhel. The German absorbs and redirects pace very effectively, which should serve him well in this match, and has good feel. Musetti does not want for power, but he is most comfortable playing from beyond the baseline, which could left him vulnerable to the German’s variety when the first met in Todi just weeks ago. Expect a similar outcome in Sardinia.
Prediction: Hanfmann in 3
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Laslo Djere vs Jiri Vesely
Head-to-head: Vesely 1-0 Djere
This looks likely to be another close contest. Jiri Vesely continues to struggle to find any consistency, but he has made a strong start to the week. In the round of 16, after splitting the first two sets with Lorenzo Sonego, Vesely stormed through the decider to wrap up a 6-4 3-6 6-1 win. But he may struggle against Laslo Djere, who has been clinical so far at the ATP Sardinia Open. The Serbian proved far too strong for Sumit Nagal in the first round before beating his countryman Dusan Lajovic 6-4 7-5.
He should have plenty of confidence heading into this match as a result, with his counter-punching baseline game looking to be in good working order. That said, although clay is perhaps not Vesely’s best surface, the Czech’s big serve ensures he is always a threat. Indeed, he thrashed Djere in 2015 on this surface, losing only two games. But Djere has improved considerably since and, if he is at his best, he should win enough of the baseline exchanges to book his place in the semifinals.
Prediction: Djere in 3
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Albert Ramos Vinolas vs Marco Cecchinato
Head-to-head: Ramos Vinolas 4-1 Cecchinato
Former-French Open semifinalist Marco Cecchinato played a solid, if unspectacular match to beat the USA’s Tommy Paul in straight sets, but his next opponent, Albert Ramos Vinolas, may well provide the Italian with a tougher test. The Spaniard, one of the most experienced clay-courters in the men’s game, dominated from start to finish against Corentin Moutet in the second round, thrashing the Frenchman 6-0 6-4 to reach his fourth quarterfinal of the season.
And he will surely head into this match with real confidence, having beaten Cecchinato in four of their previous five meetings, including three times on clay and in their only previous meeting at ATP-level. This promises to be a closer contest than that match, which came on the hard courts at the Indian Wells Masters, with Cecchinato having struggled to adapt to the asphalt. But if Ramos Vinolas can maintain the level he has displayed so far in Sardinia, this is a match he should win.
Prediction: Ramos-Vinolas in 3
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