We’re through to the quarterfinal round of the 2021 ATP Qatar Open in Doha. Roger Federer came back with a bang, while top-seeded Dominic Thiem scored a hard-fought win over Aslan Karatsev. Can they go a step further in Doha?
ATP Doha Quarterfinal Predictions
Andrey Rublev vs Lloyd Harris
Head-to-head: 2-2
A rematch for last week’s Rotterdam final. Andrey Rublev made it to the quarterfinals without even stepping out on the court. Increased rest time isn’t always a great thing but it will certainly help the Russian to recover from a title-winning run. Rublev has been extremely dominant in smaller tournaments in the past year or so. He also seems to really enjoy the conditions in Doha, having finished runner-up here in 2018 and being the defending champion. It will be a much shorter turnaround for Marton Fucsovics, who had to defeat Lloyd Harris and Dusan Lajovic to set up another meeting with Rublev. Their Rotterdam final was tight, albeit finished in straight sets. With pretty much no rest for Fucsovics, this one might be more straightforward.
Prediction: Rublev in 2
Taylor Fritz vs Denis Shapovalov
Head-to-head: Shapovalov 3-0
The two produced one of the most interesting matches of the 2020 US Open with Denis Shapovalov ultimately running away with it in the fifth set. Taylor Fritz had to work really hard to advance here, spending over 4.5 hours on the court already. Against David Goffin, the American was at the brink of defeat but somehow pulled through, having saved three matchpoints. Shapovalov had a much easier path, defeating Vasek Pospisil in what was a really solid performance. Along with the head-to-head lead, it all points to the Canadian having a small edge again.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 3
Dominic Thiem vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Head-to-head: Bautista Agut 3-2
The head-to-head seems quite alarming but it’s actually only this bad for Dominic Thiem at first glance. Roberto Bautista Agut took three victories over the Austrian in 2015, but their latest meetings (2018 and 2020) went in Thiem’s favor. Nevertheless, this doesn’t have to be easy for the top seed at all. He was quite sharp though in his dismissal of Aslan Karatsev and raised his level when needed. He’ll need that skill here again as Bautista Agut is a very feisty competitor.
Prediction: Thiem in 3
Roger Federer vs Nikoloz Basilashvili
Head-to-head: Federer 1-0
This will be a much less enjoyable matchup for Roger Federer compared to Dan Evans. At his best, Nikoloz Basilashvili overpowers his opponents and takes time away extremely well. But the past twelve months or so have been absolutely dreadful for the Georgian, up to the point where him reaching a quarterfinal comes as a huge surprise. Most of the time the errors outweigh the winner and forced mistakes by far and while Federer’s defensive skills will probably turn out quite rusty, he should be able to force out enough of them to win.
Prediction: Federer in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
