Day 5 at the ATP event in Santiago will see all four quarterfinals being played, with the eight players still in the competition having legitimate hopes of taking home the trophy on Sunday. Cristian Garin continued his bad streak with another loss on Wednesday, but Alejandro Tabilo is still around to carry the home hopes here.
ATP Santiago Quarterfinal Predictions
Sebastian Baez vs Thiago Monteiro
Head-to-head: Baez 2-1 Monteiro
Baez’s sole win in this matchup happened ten days ago in Rio, where he came back to win after losing the first set 6-1. Baez is still clearly the better player at the moment and he’s been constantly improving so he has to start this match as a slight favorite. Monteiro is a very solid customer, but he tends to hit his ceiling at this stage of tournaments due to his relative lack of weapons.
Predictions: Baez in 2
Pedro Martinez vs Yannick Hanfmann
Head-to-head: Hanfmann 1-0 Martinez
This is expected to be an extremely tight match. Hanfmann has a bigger game, while Martinez is more solid and consistent but their overall level is about the same, and it’ll come down to who’s more inspired on the day. Martinez has looked in better form so far this week and that might just be enough to give him the edge.
Prediction: Martinez in 3
Alejandro Tabilo vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Tabilo has been on fire during this South American clay swing. He came really close to the title in Cordoba and will be giving it another serious go this week. Kecmanovic might be the higher ranked player here, but clay isn’t really his surface and Tabilo starts as a slight favorite here.
Prediction: Tabilo in 2
Facundo Bagnis vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Head-to-head: Ramos 4-0 Bagnis
Their most recent meeting came in the semifinals of Cordoba, with Ramos beating Bagnis en route to winning the title. That was actually the closest match they’ve ever played though and the only time Bagnis won a set. Ramos will be feeling very confident at the moment and he has a very clear edge in this match, so he’s expected to progress and keep fighting for a second title in this South American clay swing.
Prediction: Ramos-Vinolas in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
