Only eight men remain at the ATP Cordoba Open. Could we witness another first-time champion in the first clay-court tournament of 2023? We will find out soon enough. Four matches are on schedule, with the most anticipated match of the day featuring 2021 champion Juan Manuel Cerundolo taking on Bolivian No. 1 Hugo Dellien. Who will reach the semifinals?
ATP Cordoba Quarterfinal Predictions
Joao Sousa vs Albert Ramos Vinolas
Head-to-head: Ramos Vinolas 7-2 Sousa
The heartache of missing out on the Davis Cup Finals has only fuelled Joao Sousa’s motivation to hit new heights this month. Sousa has played clutch tennis all week, fighting back from a losing position in both sets to defeat 2020 champion Cristian Garin 7-5 7-6. As for Ramos Vinolas, it’s been a welcome return to the Golden Swing. He has stopped the rot (winless in 2023) with a massive win over Dusan Lajovic. The Spaniard has always been a consistent performer during this time of the year. Unless Sousa is playing on an adrenaline rush, then Ramos Vinolas’ fresher legs should give him a substantial edge.
Prediction: Ramos Vinolas in 2
Francisco Cerundolo vs Federico Coria
Head-to-head: Coria 5-2 Cerundolo
An inexperienced Argentina team were put to the sword by Finland last weekend. But Francisco Cerundolo momentarily gave them hope with a win in his singles match. And on his first match on clay in a while, the 24-year-old found his groove late on in a dramatic third set against compatriot Federico Delbonis. Having become accustomed to playing fast points on hard courts for many months, Cerundolo had to employ some in-match adjustments and it paid off.
Coria, by contrast, cruised into the last eight after his opponent Marco Cecchinto retired hurt while leading 6-3 3-1. It is Coria’s seventh successive win after hoisting his first title of the season at the Concepion Challenger last month. Cerundolo’s big incentive this week was probably to overtake or at least narrow the gap on Schwartzman in becoming his country’s No. 1. He has succeeded on that front, but I don’t expect him to get any further here against a player who has historically got the better of him in this matchup.
Prediction Coria in 3
Sebastian Baez vs Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera
Head-to-head: Baez 3-0 Barrios Vera
The second half of last season was a painful watch if you were a Baez fan. He was scouring for solutions but they were not forthcoming. He went 1-15 to finish off his campaign and it’s a minor miracle he retained a top-50 year-end ranking. But he enters a very crucial stretch this week with so many points to defend this month. The search for wins appeared to be an unending dark hole, but he got there in the end as he defeated Luciano Darderi in straight sets.
Barrios Vera has enjoyed a fruitful return to the clay since the end of January and is into his first quarterfinal on the ATP Tour. The Chilean loves the grind and he has made huge strides on this surface. But with Baez now clearing the baggage off his back, he might have his swagger back.
Prediction: Baez in 3
Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs Hugo Dellien
Head-to-head: Cerundolo 2-2 Dellien
It’s been quite the turnaround for Dellien in Cordoba. He had lost his opening match in each of his previous four visits. But this year, it feels like he has read the script on how to go the full distance. February is not the kind of month of major historic landmarks on the ATP Tour, but Cordoba has always thrown up plenty of enthralling storylines since its inception in 2019. Could this be Dellien’s moment? He still has to navigate past 2021 champion Juan Manuel Cerundolo who upset top seed, Diego Schwartzman. Last month Dellien defeated the 21-year-old at the Concepion Challenger in straight sets. And the Bolivian has looked so assured on serve this week. This is very open, but I’ll take Dellien.
Prediction: Dellien in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
