The ATP Adelaide International 2 looks wide open as we head into the final stages. The quarterfinal lineup has only two seeded players in it and they are on opposite sides of the draw as well so there will be a lot of players fancying their chances of an ATP title this weekend. Who will take the next step into the semifinals?
ATP Adelaide 2 Quarterfinal Predictions
Thiago Monteiro vs Corentin Moutet
H2H: Moutet 1-0 Monteiro
Moutet produced an excellent performance against Fucsovics and I expect his good form to continue here. Monteiro was slightly lucky to be on the receiving end of a Monfils retirement but he was well in the game against the Frenchman so he will be ready for the battle. Moutet won in straight sets in their previous meeting, and that was on Monteiro’s home “turf” of South American clay so that makes it all the more impressive. I like Moutet’s chances of repeating the trick here as he has the recent form to back that up.
Prediction: Moutet in 2
Aleksander Vukic vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
H2H: First meeting
An all-Aussie encounter means that the host venue will have an Australian in the semifinal here. Kokkinakis must be the favorite here; a maximum length match in the last round (39 games) would usually be a problem but against Isner there were very few taxing rallies so Kokkinakis should still have enough in the tank. Regardless, for a player of his talent he has very few titles so he should be hungry to seize the opportunity here. Vukic came through a test against another big server in Steve Johnson so will be attuned to this style of game but Kokkinakis is more dynamic in the rally so I expect that difference to produce a different outcome here.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 3
Karen Khachanov vs Arthur Rinderknech
H2H: First meeting
I successfully predicted two or three tiebreaks in the Kokkinakis vs Isner match yesterday and it wouldn’t surprise me if this match featured at least one. Both men have similar games with hold rates in the high 80% region but it is the Russian who has the better break statistics on hard court. All things being equal I would expect Khachanov to win more points overall and earn more break points, if he is able to take two or three that should be enough for the victory here.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Tommy Paul vs Marin Cilic
H2H: First meeting
This is by far the match of the quarterfinals in my opinion. Both men are in very good form and there is little to choose between them in the numbers as well. It is actually Paul who has the better combined hold/break ratio on hard court in the last twelve months, which is a slight surprise but shows how consistent he has been for a while now. Cilic won their previous meeting in October by a single break in each set so I would still have him as the favorite here but there is little to choose between them and it is not a confident selection.
Prediction: Cilic in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
