We are down to eight in South Florida as quarterfinal Friday at the ATP Delray Beach Open is upon us. Three seeded players have reached the quarterfinals, as the eight remaining players have combined for just nine career titles. Five Americans headline those remaining in the draw, including No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz. The top-ranked American takes on Adrian Mannarino to close out play on Friday night, but who will advance?
ATP Delray Beach Quarterfinal Predictions
Tommy Paul vs Radu Albot
Head-to-Head: Paul 2-0 Albot
Tommy Paul is the No. 2 seed in his first ATP event since his run to the Australian Open semifinals. The 25-year-old American picked up a straight-forward victory over Denis Kudla in round two to push his 2023 record to 8-2. Veteran Radu Albot has looked competent in his two wins in Delray beach, but he has not beaten a player ranked inside the top 50 in nearly two years. Paul’s power, consistency, and newfound confidence from the service line should lead him past the Moldavian in straight sets.
Prediction: Paul in 2
Marcos Giron vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head-to-Head: Giron 1-0 Kecmanovic
Marcos Giron and Miomir Kecmanovic square off in a very intriguing quarterfinal matchup in Delray Beach. Giron won their only previous meeting 6-7 7-5 7-6 back in 2019. These two have styles that mirror each other. They are both solid movers who play with consistency from the baseline but always look to pounce on a short/neutral ball. I expect to see a lot of solid cross-court rallies when they meet on Friday. I give the slight edge to the American due to his recent form, which includes a quarterfinal run in Dallas and a win over Ben Shelton.
Prediction: Giron in 3
Michael Mmoh vs Mackenzie McDonald
Head-to-Head: Mmoh 2-1 McDonald
We have an all-American quarterfinal showdown in Delray Beach as Michael Mmoh and Mackenzie McDonald square off for the fourth time. All three of their previous meetings came on the Challenger Tour in 2017. The start of the 2023 season has been fruitful for both players. Mmoh holds a 7-4 record this year with wins over Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov. McDonald is 8-4 in 2023 with wins over Rafael Nadal and Dan Evans. Neither player will lack confidence in this match. I give a slight edge to McDonald. The UCLA alum has more experience and tour-level success. We have seen Mmoh get tight in big moments. That could plague him again as he looks to reach his first ATP semifinal.
Prediction: McDonald in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-Head: Fritz 1-2 Mannarino
No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz takes on veteran Frenchman Adrian Mannarino for a spot in the Delray Beach semifinals. Mannarino has worked hard to win his two matches this week. He came back from a set down to defeat Daniel Altmaier in Round 1 and handled a surging J.J. Wolf in Round 2. The past two weeks have been a solid showing for the Frenchman after an inauspicious start to the season. Despite currently holding a career-high ranking of world No. 7, Frtiz has looked a bit sloppy over the last two weeks and has let some momentary lapses plague him. That said, I believe his power and serving prowess will be too much for Mannarino to deal with.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Main Photo credit: Mike Frey USAToday
