The quarterfinal round is upon us at the ATP Geneva Open, and four exciting matches are scheduled. On one side are the top four seeds, who have nicely come into rhythm, while on the other side of the net, four players will try to pull off upsets. The four semifinal spots are up for grabs for anyone who shows enough fight.
ATP Geneva Quarterfinal Preditions
Ilya Ivashka vs Taylor Fritz
Head-to-head: first meeting
Other than the first round debacle at the Rome Masters, Taylor Fritz has put up consistent performances at every tournament he has played. Earlier this year, Fritz reached a career high rank of #5. Fritz has struggled to get going right from the start of the match, which often puts him in difficult positions right up. Fritz will face problems with this issue in the next rounds, but Ivashka isn’t exactly a big threat for Fritz on clay.
Illya Ivashka stitched together two wins after a five match losing streak, and will be hoping for more. Ivashka on clay is at a very different level than Ivashka on hard, and obviously lower. He hasn’t been able to fully transition the attacking game to this surface, where he makes a tad bit more errors. The key for him will be to keep the errors in control. The pair haven’t met before, and Fritz will most probably take the lead first.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Christopher O’Connell vs Grigor Dimitrov
Head-to-head: O’Connel 0-1 Dimitrov
When one takes a cursory look at Grigor Dimitrov’s recent performances, the defeats alone aren’t enough to decide his form. Dimitrov has played impressive clay court tennis in his last few tournaments, but has been unlucky to run into the top seeds in early rounds. Dimitrov was clinical in his match against Roberto Carballes Baena, taking just an hour to finish off the encounter in straight sets. It is no secret that Dimitrov at his best is too hot to handle for many out there.
Christopher O’Connell finds himself in the quarterfinal after his second round opponent Bernabe Zapata Miralles was forced to retire. The match was totally one-sided while it lasted, with O’Connell winning nine games and his opponent zero. O’connell has proved to be a tough guy against big players, and will make Dimitrov sweat for the win. Should Dimitrov hold his composure though–which is the main question–he will advance to the semifinal.
The two players met six years ago at the Australian Open, when Dimitrov didn’t face much difficulty in beating the up-and-coming Aussie. Fast forward to right now, the Aussie is a much better player, but perhaps not enough to overcome Dimitrov.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Alexander Zverev vs Yibing Wu
Head-to-head: first meeting.
Rising star Wu Yibing managed to grab eyeballs in his first round match against Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first round at the ATP Geneva Open, saving match points with his fiery brand of tennis. The Chinese youngster is not afraid to blast balls to any corner of the court, which makes his game really pleasing to the eye. In his second round match, Wu defeated Marco Cecchinato in straight sets to book a place in the quarterfinal.
Alexander Zverev made short work of Christopher Eubanks in his first match at the ATP Geneva Open, taking just over an hour to finish it off. Zverev’s superior physique gives him the advantage of exceptional court coverage, which was the highlight of this win. Zverev stuck to the basics against Eubanks, he was extremely efficient on the serve, and held the rally when the opponent pushed him. This Quarterfinal promises to be a notably entertaining match-up, in which Zverev’s coverage will be put up against Wu’s attack. The seasoned German should be able to come through in the end.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Casper Ruud vs Nicolas Jarry
Head-to-head: Ruud 1-0 Jarry
The #1 seed at the ATP Geneva Open is up and running. Casper Ruud made short work of the in-form J.J. Wolf in straight sets to book a quarterfinal spot. Ruud comes into the match on the back of a semifinal run at the Rome Masters. He certainly could have done better there, if not for a mess-up in the second set. The last year’s French Open finalist is at the very top when we talk about Clay courters. He will be hoping to get a title in his bag before the big show.
Nicolas Jarry rode on a fiery serve and strong baseline game to defeat Dusan Lajovic in straight sets, blasting a total of ten aces in the match. One thing to be noted in his game though, is his over reliance on the opponents faults at crunch points. There were some situations in the match where Jarry came through due to an error from Lajovic. He wouldn’t have this cushion in the quarterfinal match against a player of the calibre of Ruud. That is what might hurt him the most.
The pair have met once last year on hard, where Ruud was triumphant in three sets. On this surface, Ruud is a lot better. We might see a straight set win for Ruud.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
