The ATP Queen’s Club quarterfinal matchess have arrived, and we’ve some tantalizing clashes in store. Matteo Berrettini continues his exceptional return from injury, and Ryan Peniston has once again shown the home crowd what he’s made of. We will be offering up our predictions on the day’s action – so who makes the semifinals?
ATP Queen’s Club Quarterfinal Predictions
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Botic van de Zandschulp
Head-to-head: Davidovich Fokina 1 – 0
This should be a lot of fun. Davidovich Fokina continues to be a joy to watch, with his Bjorn Borg-esque dives and explosive shot-making. He’s often pigeonholed as a clay courter, but many forget he won the Junior Wimbledon Championship back in 2017. He knows his way around a grass court, and this was on full display in his excellent win over Alex De Minaur.
Van de Zandschulp is taking to these courts really well. After a fairly uncomfortable first round, he came back from a break down in the first set to take down the dangerous Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. The Dutchman has risen to the high end of the men’s game brilliantly since the US Open, and he’s a handful to play against.
I’m leaning towards Davidovich Fokina here. Van de Zandschulp is very solid and hits strong groundstrokes, but the Spaniard has more variety in his game and his flexibility (often results in multiple falls in a match) may be crucial. He’s the more explosive of the two and moves better, which should give him the edge in this match. It will undoubtedly be a close one.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 3
Emil Ruusuvuori vs Marin Cilic
Head-to-head: First meeting
I was pretty astonished with Ruusuvuori’s level against Jack Draper in the second round. He’s been a promising prospect for a while, but there’s been a clear step up in quality recently. His ball striking and timing is exceptional, and he could well be a underdog at this tournament if he keeps his level up. That said, he’s got a mighty tough opponent next up.
Cilic hasn’t had it particularly easy this week. He completely collapsed against Liam Broady and had to come through two tight sets against Alexander Bublik. He’s still playing some excellent tennis, though. Cilic has a new lease of life on the ATP Tour, and that doesn’t bode well for anyone he faces – especially on grass. This match will be really interesting – both of them playing at their best will serve a real treat to anyone watching, and it’s tough to call.
It’s tough not to back Cilic given his recent form and immense success and experience on the grass. Ruusuvuori is comfortably good enough to challenge him if he plays well, but I’ll give the edge to Cilic. It could go either way, though.
Prediction: Cilic in 3
Filip Krajinović vs Ryan Peniston
Head-to-head: First meeting
Ryan Peniston has been brilliant this week. His straight sets win over top seed Casper Ruud was his first ever ATP match, and he backed this up by beating Fancisco Cerundolo, where he came back from a break down in the final set. The British crowd are loving Peniston, and will be with him all the way here. His tennis has been great, and he may fancy his chances once again here.
Krajinovic had never won an ATP match until this week, and he did an incredible job of taking down Sam Querrey. We all know by now that he’s a brilliant player when he’s on form, but he lacks the consistency to bring it week in week out. This week, he’s definitely bringing it. This match is really difficult to call, and I’d expect it to be another tight affair.
Peniston is riding high on the momentum of this week, and he can clearly sustain his level as we saw on Thursday. Krajinovic is the more experienced player, but Peniston clearly has the tennis to mix it with the best. I smell an upset here – Peniston has the crowd fully behind him and his confidence will be through the roof after his great wins so far.
Prediction: Peniston in 3
Matteo Berrettini vs Tommy Paul
Head-to-head: Paul 1 – 0
Berrettini’s remarkable form after injury is highly admirable. He’s spent months off the tour recovering from hand surgery, and missed the entire clay season. He’s come back and won Stuttgart, and is also in the quarterfinals here. It was very tough on Thursday against Denis Kudla, and his mental fortitude in the clutch moments was what kept him in the tournament. Though he’s not at his best, he’s surely still the favourite for the title.
Standing in his way is Tommy Paul, who is playing wonderfully right now. He took down Denis Shapovalov before dispatching Stan Wawrinka, and every week he looks more and more impressive. His serving has gone up several notches, hitting his spots at immense speeds. It’s going to be really tough for both players here, and if they serve well throughout the match we should see at least one tiebreak.
Berrettini has the better serve of the two, but Paul has the better return and he can pressure the second serve by stepping in, much like he did in his victory over Alexander Zverev this year. I’m expecting this one to go the distance and either player can take it, but I’ll go with Berrettini due to his mental strength and ability to find the right tennis at the right time.
Prediction: Berrettini in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
