New British No. 1 Jack Draper caused the biggest shock of the tournament by ousting top seed Carlos Alcaraz at this year’s ATP Cinch Championships at the Queen’s Club. The field has been whittled down to just eight men. Who will reach the semifinals at Queen’s Club?
ATP Queen’s Quarterfinal Predictions
Taylor Fritz vs Jordan Thompson
Head-to-head: Fritz 2-0 Thompson
There were question marks about the nature of Fritz’s back injury. He looked in serious pain when he lost at Roland Garros and subsequently withdrew from Stuttgart. But the American has recovered, judging by how he navigated two rounds at Queen’s without dropping a set. Thompson, for his part, is seeking his second Top 20 win of the week. He downed Holger Rune in his first match and then benefitted from Andy Murray’s retirement in the second round. The Australian is such an underrated player on grass. He moves extremely well on this surface and, thanks to his doubles prowess, excels with his quick reflexes at the net. Those attributes could be a handful here, but if Fritz pad ups the ace column, there is little that Thompson can do with his return games.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Sebastian Korda vs Rinky Hijikata
Head-to-head: first meeting
With Carlos Alcaraz out of the picture, Sebastian Korda will be rubbing his hands with glee. He lost to the Spaniard in last year’s semifinal. But the last thing he can afford to do is get ahead of himself. His road to the quarterfinal was probably the most difficult of any player, needing to beat Karen Khachanov and Grigor Dimitrov. He’s done the heavy lifting and should be considered the favorite here.
Prediction: Korda in 2
Lorenzo Musetti vs Billy Harris
Head-to-head: first meeting
Musetti won an absolute humdinger of a match against Nakashima, which went to the wire. Ultimately, the American was overwhelmed by the scoreboard pressure while serving to stay in the match at 4-5 in the third. The Italian will play the surprise package of this year’s tournament in Billy Harris. The British wild card secured back-to-back semifinal finishes at his last two Challenger tournaments. But Harris has stepped up this week, beating clay-court specialist Tomas Martin Etcheverry and then rising French star Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard. He will contest his first ATP quarterfinal. While his potential on grass courts has been notable, I’ll stick my neck out and side with Musetti’s experience.
Prediction: Musetti in 2
Jack Draper vs Tommy Paul
Head-to-head: Draper 3-1 Paul
Only the sky is the ceiling for Jack Draper. Fresh from winning his first ATP title in Stuttgart, the 22-year-old has now notched his career-best win. He upset defending champion Carlos Alcaraz with a performance full of energy and all-out aggression. What’s even more impressive in this seven-match winning streak is Draper’s endurance, something that Wayne Ferreira (a new addition to his coaching team) deserves a lot of credit for. Tommy Paul is no slouch and is a clean hitter. He also arrives here with some momentum, having scored a pair of straight-set wins. But Draper has hit a purple patch of late and is looking irrepressible.
Prediction: Draper in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
