It is quarterfinal day at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam, and there are many exciting matches on display. Stefanos Tsitsipas continues his quest for a first ATP 500 Title. The Greek faces a tough opponent in Alex De Minaur. Elsewhere, there is a battle of the young guns at Jiri Lehecka takes on Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger Aliassime takes on Cameron Norrie. The final quarterfinal is a rematch of last year’s final as Marton Fucsovics takes on the defending champion Andrey Rublev. Here are my predictions for Friday’s Quarterfinals.
ATP Rotterdam Quarterfinal Predictions
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Cameron Norrie
Head to Head: 3-0 Auger Aliassime
Felix Auger-Aliassime has continued his great start to the 2022 season this week in Rotterdam. The Canadian wasn’t at his best in his opening round win over Egor Gerasimov, however the Canadian showed a great temperament on the court and upped his level in the second and third sets. Against Andy Murray in the second round, Auger Aliassime produced a very high level of tennis and was effective in dictating most of the rallies from the back of the court. Auger Aliassime was a finalist in Rotterdam in 2020, and is yet to win an ATP Title. However, it is only a matter of time before the Canadian achieves this goal and he looks like an established member of the top ten.
Cameron Norrie has found his form this week in Rotterdam. The Brit struggled at the start of the season at the ATP Cup and in Australia, however it is clear that a prolonged break has helped rejuvenate Norrie. The Brit had battled from a break down in the second sets of both his matches, and has been able to record two straight sets wins this week. The slow court conditions are helping Norris, giving him more time on the ball to execute his ground-strokes.
Both players are playing well, so I think this will be a tight three set match. However, I think The Canadian has more weapons in his game, and I think he will record a tight three set win.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 3
Alex De Minaur vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Head to head: 6-0 Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas looked back to hear his best level in his second round victory over Ilya Ivashka. The Greek returned particularly well, and backed this up with a solid serving performance. The slower court conditions look to perfectly suit the Greek’s game, giving him more time on his ground-strokes and return of serve. Tsitsipas has never won at ATP 500, but this week presents a perfect opportunity to set this record straight.
Alex De Minaur was involved in a tight battle with Mackenzie McDonald in the second round. The Australian’s exceptional movement was on full display, and despite not possessing major firepower, De Minaur’s exceptional consistency wins him a lot of matches. By reaching the quarterfinals in Rotterdam, De Minaur has successfully backed up a strong start to the season. The Australian reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, where he was defeated by Jannik Sinner.
The match-up is heavily in Tsitsipas’s favor, and the Australian will struggle to trouble the Greek on the slow court surface. I think the Greek will record a straight sets win.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 2
Jiri Lehecka vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head to Head: First Meeting
Lorenzo Musetti recorded his most impressive victory since the clay court season last year, as he defeated Hubert Hurkacz in the second round. Musetti has been struggling for form, but against the Pole, he was the more aggressive of the two players. From the first point of the match, the Italian was on the front foot and he hit his backhand particularly well.
Jiri Lehecka showed great composure in coming back from a set down to defeat Botic Van De Zandschulp. After being comfortably outplayed in the first set, the Czech player found another level, and was the more consistent of the two players for the remainder of the match. Lehecka had not won a match on the main tour before this week, but now he is in the quarterfinals, there is a chance for the Czech to progress even further.
I think this will be a tight match. There is a great opportunity for both players to reach an ATP 500 semifinal, so I think it could get tense in the latter stages. I think Lehecka is the more composed of the two players, and I think he will record a tight three set victory.
Prediction: Lehecka in 3
Marton Fucscovics vs Andrey Rublev
Head to Head: 4-2 Rublev
This is a rematch of last year’s final, where the Russian came out on top. Andrey Rublev has had a relatively routine run to the quarterfinals. The defending champion has defeated Henri Laaksonen and Soonwoo Kwon in straight sets, effectively using his firepower to hit through his opponents. Rublev is one of the hardest strikers of a tennis ball on the tour, however he would benefit from adding some variety to his game. If the Russian was more comfortable at the net, then this would make him a tougher proposition for those ranked above him.
Marton Fucscovics was very impressive in his straight sets win over Tallon Griekspoor. The Hungarian put on a clinical serving display, and backed this up with consistent, deep hitting from the back of the court. Fucscovics can be inconsistent at times, however when he is playing at his best, he is one of the tour’s most underrated players.
I think this will be a close match. Fucscovics has good the game to trouble the Russian; however, Rublev has a positive head to head record against the Hungarian. I think he will get the win in three tight sets.
Prediction: Rublev in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
