The final eight are set at the ATP Atlanta Open, with five of the quarterfinalists Americans, which will surely thrill the home crowd. Two matches will feature all-American matchups both exciting the crowd and guaranteeing two Americans in the semis. Surprisingly all six seeds who entered the tournament are still alive in the quarters. Alex de Minaur is the favorite non-American and is always entertaining. It should be a great day of tennis in Atlanta and the entire slate of matches is predicted below!
ATP Atlanta Open Quarterfinal Predictions
Ilya Ivashka vs Tommy Paul
Head-to-head: First meeting
The veteran Ivashka has had a fairly quiet year so will hope to make the most of his quarterfinal spot. While he played well to make the surprise appearance at this stage, he was fortunate to not have to face any seeds after top seed Nick Kyrgios withdrew from his quarter of the draw. Paul has dominated in Atlanta so far, losing a total of eight games across both of the matches he has played. He had a solid year on hard courts so far, making at least the third round in his last four events on the surface, including Indian Wells and Miami. Paul also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and will be looking to build on his success. Ivashka has not made it easy in Atlanta so far, dropping a set and playing a close third set in both of his matches. Paul looks much sharper so far and he is certainly the better player overall. Paul has more tools, power, and the edge on fitness and will win fairly easily.
Prediction: Paul in 2
Alex de Minaur vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: 1-1
De Minaur is looking to build on an excellent grass season, though it started off poorly with a first round loss to Mannarino in S-Hertogenbosch. Mannarino’s grass season went in the opposite direction as de Minaur, starting strong then struggling the rest of the way. Mannarino has been terrible on clay so he will be glad to be on hard, but it is a surface where de Minaur excels as well. Mannarino had to qualify but reached this round as a Lucky Loser, partially due to a fortunate draw. De Minaur will be a challenging matchup, primarily for his elite fitness on an Atlanta afternoon. Mannarino also does not have a ton of tools and forces opponents into mistakes with a solid, consistent game without anything flashy. De Minaur’s speed and power will hit through Mannarino and force him to bring the fight back. The Frenchman will not have the tools to compete with de Minaur, and the Australian will hit through him and take the match.
Prediction: de Minaur in 2
Brandon Nakashima vs Frances Tiafoe
Head-to-head: 4-0 Tiafoe
Tiafoe has owned their past meetings with the sweep of their four previous matchups, which were all on hard courts. Nakashima is hoping to change that with his momentum coming off a strong grass season where he made the fourth round of Wimbledon. He began the season poorly, so he will have to make adjustments to succeed while back on hard courts. Tiafoe is a good hard court player and his powerful game and huge shots work well on the surface. Nakashima is a fighter and will have plenty of chances to force Tiafoe into mistakes and win key points to have a chance at pulling off the upset. Tiafoe clearly matches up well with Nakashima and two of his wins came earlier this year. Tiafoe will continue to use that edge and hit through Nakashima, who showed some vulnerability in his first match here in Atlanta. The two young Americans will entertain fans with a battle but ultimately Tiafoe will do more to hold the upper hand over Nakashima.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 3
Jenson Brooksby vs John Isner
Head-to-head: First meeting
Isner has been hard to pick against as the six-time Atlanta winner and the top seed here after Nick Kyrgios withdrew. However, he struggled against wild card Ben Shelton and barely won by coming through in two tiebreaks. He did not secure a break all match and seemed to be struggling physically. Brooksby is a nightmare matchup for that with his style of play. Brooksby has also shown that he is a real danger on hard courts. He will be able to hold serve against Isner but his powerful return can trouble even the serve of Isner. His physical play and level of fitness will help extend points, wear Isner out, and force him into errors. Brooksby will take advantage of Isner’s struggles and be able to secure a couple of big breaks which will be all he needs to pull of the upset and take the match.
Prediction: Brooksby in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
