The 56-man draw at the Western & Southern Open has dwindled to eight as this Masters event prepares for quarterfinal Friday. The fans in Cincinnati have been treated to terrific tennis all week, and that should not change as we enter its final weekend. All four quarterfinal matches are set to take place on Friday, including No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic taking on No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz. We at LWOT have the preview and prediction for that match and all other happenings around the grounds of Cincinnati. But who will advance?
ATP Cincinnati Quarterfinal Predictions
Alexander Zverev vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-Head: Zverev 7-0 Mannarino
Alexander Zverev is into his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal of the year after picking up an impressive three-set victory over Daniil Medvedev. The German is starting to come into his own after spending the 2023 season looking to regain form after a nasty ankle injury at the 2022 French Open. He takes on a familiar foe in Adrian Mannarino in the ATP Cincinnati quarterfinals. Zverev has won all seven encounters against the Frenchman, including four straight-set victories. Mannarino has a 7-2 record since Wimbledon and is playing confidently. However, Zverev has refound his consistency from the baseline and will not give the Frenchman any easy points.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-Head: Hurkacz 2-0 Popyrin
Hubert Hurkacz cruised into the final eight in Cincinnati with a 6-3 6-4 victory over No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Hurkacz is 5-1 during the North American Masters swing, thanks in large part to one of the best serves on tour. He has pounded 34 aces in three matches this week. Hurkacz squares off against Lucky Loser Alexei Popyrin in the quarters. The Pole has two straight-set victories over the Aussie, including a 6-3 6-3 beatdown at Indian Wells earlier this year. Popyrin has been confidently striking the ball this week, but I do not think he has enough weapons to counteract the Hurkacz serve.
Prediction: Hurakcz in 2
Carlos Alcaraz vs Max Purcell
Head-to-Head: first meeting
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is into his 11th quarterfinal of the season after two hard-fought three-set victories over Jordan Thompson and Tommy Paul. The 20-year-old is motivated and hungry to add another trophy to his collection before he heads to Flushing to defend his US Open title. First, Alcaraz must get past qualifier Max Purcell. The 25-year-old Aussie is into the quarters in his second career Masters main draw appearance. Purcell has struck the ball well from the baseline and has the variety and netplay to keep his opponents off-balance. Purcell is up to a career-high ranking of No. 47, but his career-best week will end here.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 2
Novak Djokovic vs Taylor Fritz
Head-to-Head: Djokovic 6-0 Fritz
Novak Djokovic picked up a 19th victory over Gael Monfils on Thursday to make his 12th quarterfinal appearance at the Western & Southern Open. He is 17-1 on hardcourts this season and is looking to get some valuable match tuneups before the US Open. Djokovic squares off against Taylor Fritz in the quarters, a player he holds a 6-0 head-to-head advantage against. Fritz has played some tremendous tennis during the North American hardcourt swing. He holds an 11-2 record and is peaking at the perfect time ahead of the last Slam of the season. If Fritz wants to hang in this one, his first-serve and ace percentage have to be very high. Unfortunately for him, he is taking on arguably the best returner of serve in tennis history.
Prediction: Djokovic in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
