It’s time for the quarterfinals of the 2023 ATP Antwerp European Open. Top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Yannick Hanfmann, while plenty of fans all over the world will be excited to watch the two NextGen Frenchmen still in the field – Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Who do you think will advance to the final four?
ATP Antwerp Quarterfinal Predictions
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Alexander Bublik
Head-to-head: First meeting
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard scored his first ATP Tour win in a wild match against Roberto Carballes Baena and followed it up with a much stronger performance. His backhand wasn’t a liability against David Goffin and his explosive footwork on the inside-out forehand was unreal. The 20-year-old has an absolutely massive serve and it should give him a bit of a chance in any matchup. With Alexander Bublik, this will be a servefest. The Kazakh will target that one-handed backhand return of Mpetshi Perricard though and probably have an edge.
Prediction: Bublik in 3
Maximilian Marterer vs Hugo Gaston
Head-to-head: Marterer 2-0
Maximilian Marterer defeated Hugo Gaston twice in 2020, one of them on indoor hard courts. The German never really recovered from a serious injury a few years back, but he’s always there as a potential contender for a return to the top 100. It seems like now might be the time as his results over the past couple of months have improved a lot. He’s been wonderful at ATP Antwerp with four straight-set wins already. He also demonstrated in the past that Gaston’s unusual style doesn’t get to him too much.
Prediction: Marterer in 2
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Arthur Fils vs Juan Pablo Varillas
Head-to-head: First meeting
Juan Pablo Varillas didn’t have a single top 200 win off-clay before the US Open, but an extended patch of play on hard courts seems to have given him some nice footing on this surface. In Antwerp, he’s already managed to upset Fabian Marozsan and Alexander Shevchenko. Now he’s facing another ATP Tour newcomer of this season in Arthur Fils, but one that’s already way more established and should be able to find the win here even if his A-game isn’t there on the day.
Prediction: Fils in 3
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Yannick Hanfmann
Head-to-head: Hafnmann 2-1
Can Yannick Hanfmann defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas again? He’s already done it this year on the grass in Mallorca and they’re actually yet to play each other on a hard court. Playing Dominic Thiem for almost three hours on Thursday won’t help his chances, but the Greek’s recent form will. The top seed has been in struggle town more or less since the North American hard court season and Hanfmann has the game to target his backhand weaknesses. This should be a close one.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
