Despite a really low main draw cut-off, the quarterfinal spots at the ATP 250 in Antalya remained with the higher-ranked guys. 7 seeds still remain in contention for the title and the last eight phase is where they’re first going to clash. Who do you think will prevail?
ATP Antalya Quarterfinal Predictions
Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Alex de Minaur
Head-to-head: First meeting
Nikoloz Basilashvili finally snapped his losing streak with wins over Altug Celekbilek and Andrea Arnaboldi. Both of these are ranked in the third hundred of the ATP Rankings and neither of these victories was particularly convincing. That can’t be said about Alex de Minaur, who simply steamrolled through Malek Jaziri and Adrian Andreev. Basilashvili’s inconsistency will be a huge factor here as de Minaur is perhaps the fastest player on the circuit. He’ll chase down everything and make the Georgian one shot too many in a huge percent of the rallies.
Prediction: de Minaur in 2
Stefano Travaglia vs David Goffin
Head-to-head: Travaglia 1-0
David Goffin has been a different player since saving six match points in the opening round against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Of the next 23 games played by the Belgian, he won a staggering amount of 21. Stefano Travaglia won their only head-to-head meeting at a Challenger event six years ago, but it’s pretty clear who’s made a lot more progress since that. The Italian played very well in the first two rounds here though and should set the bar reasonably high. Still, if Goffin finally has his confidence back, he should come out victorious most of the time.
Prediction: Goffin in 3
Jeremy Chardy vs Jan-Lennard Struff
Head-to-head: Struff 3-2
Jan-Lennard Struff required just one match to get here as Hugo Grenier had to pull out before their second-round encounter. We’re extremely early in the season though, and Jeremy Chardy playing for almost three hours Sunday shouldn’t be that much of a factor. Most of the matches in the history of their rivalry have been rather tight. After playing only a handful of events last season, Chardy is off to a great start here. More playtime can even help him, especially against an opponent who hasn’t been properly tested yet.
Prediction: Chardy in 3
Matteo Berrettini vs Alexander Bublik
Head-to-head: Berrettini 1-0
Matteo Berrettini hasn’t faced high-quality opposition yet but he once again showcased the devastating power of his serve and forehand in dominant wins over Dimitar Kuzmanov and Ergi Kirkin. We have more of an indication on Alexander Bublik’s form, who had to defeat a top 100 player in Salvatore Caruso. However, Berrettini has left behind him a really good impression. The Italian is also likely to keep a steadier level than Bublik, who often loses motivation or focus mid-match. There’s quite a bit of unpredictability in the Kazakh’s game and perhaps the more down-to-earth Berrettini is likelier to take it.
Prediction: Berrettini in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
