The quarterfinal action at the ATP event in Pune will feature quite possibly one of the weakest eight-man lineups of its kind. Ricardas Berankis, the World No.73, is the highest seed left in the draw.
Who will earn their berths in the semifinals?
ATP Pune Quarterfinals Predictions
Jiri Vesely vs Ilya Ivashka
Head-to-head: Vesely 1-0 Ivashka
Neither Jiri Vesely nor Ilya Ivashka would have contemplated reaching the semifinal of a tour-level event at the start of the year. But as things stand, that spot is up for grabs when these two players meet in an ATP event for the first time–a further indication of the weak field in Pune this week.
Vesely was once voted as the ATP Star of Tomorrow shortly before he burst onto the scene in Auckland in 2015, where he went on to take his maiden ATP title as a qualifier. But those days seem like a distant memory. The Czech has featured predominantly on the Challenger Tour during the last few years. He caught the inconsistency bug and failed to make any imprints on the main tour. Injuries have also hindered his progress. However, Vesely has not been shy of the occasional upset. He stunned Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo in 2016 and last year at Wimbledon, he beat Alexander Zverev in four sets en route to the third round.
So far this week the Czech left-hander has produced clinical straight-sets wins over Arjun Kadhe and Salvature Caruso, slamming down a total of 27 aces. Ilvya Ivashka is a perennial danger on these courts , but having lost to Vesely just a few months ago at the Eckental Challenger, it does not bode well for the Belorussian.
Prediction: Vesely in 3
Ricardas Berankis vs Yuichi Sugita
Head-to-head: First meeting
After Benoit Paire’s shock defeat to Roberto Marcora, Ricardas Berankis is now the highest seed left in the draw. Despite being Lithuanian’s best player ever, Berankis has never won an ATP title, losing in his only appearance in the final at the Kremlin Cup in 2017. Yuichi Sugita is brimming with confidence after making two finals in his last two Challenger events he played in, and recently won a main draw match at the Australian Open for the first time. Berankis might be the higher ranked player in this one, but expect the Japanese’s recent form to tilt this match in his favor.
Prediction: Sugita in 3
Roberto Marcora vs James Duckworth
Head-to-head: First meeting
It is hard to fathom how 30-year-old Roberto Marcora has only ever made one Tour-level main draw appearance before this week, especially after dispatching the top seed Benoit Paire with embarrassing ease. Marcora may not be as ingenious as his countryman Fabio Fognini nor as dynamic as Matteo Berretini, but he does possess heavy groundstrokes and he can hit a flat ball off either wing. The Italian is on a sizzling run of form including the qualifiers, but so is James Duckworth.
The Australian won the Challenger title in this city at the end of last year, and dug out an impressive comeback win over Taro Daniel on Thursday. But Duckworth cannot afford to give Marcora any glimmer of hope in this one. If he does, the qualifier will really start to believe in his ability to pull off another major win.
Prediction: Marcora in 3
Kwon Soon-woo vs Egor Gerasimov
Head-to-head: First meeting
Kwon Soon-woo took advantage of his slick movement to defeat India’s No.1 Prajnesh Gunneswaran in straightsets. The South Korean displayed much attacking verve and constantly took up aggressive court positions, hitting 22 winners in total. That is something the 22-year-old would need to replicate against the eighth seed Egor Gerasimov. However, the man from Minsk represents a sigfinicant step up in quality.
Prediction: Gerasimov in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
