There’ll be no Roger Federer versus Dennis Shapovalov match in Basel this year. The talented Canadian, went down 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 to Adrian Mannarino and cheated the fans of a mouth-watering quarterfinal between two spectacular single-handed backhands.
Roger Federer took care of yet another opponent at his hometown tournament in Basel. Benoit Paire was never in contention during the match and Federer finished the job in less than an hour to win 6-1, 6-3. It was Federer’s third match in a row where he did not face a breakpoint. Paire made too many errors, and Roger was not at his sharpest either, but Roger managed to seal the deal without putting himself in harm’s way at all. Benoit Paire is a talented bloke but has never been able to get a set off Federer in five attempts. The fact that Federer has his number showed throughout the match.
Roger moves onto the quarterfinals where he’ll face another Frenchman, Adrian Mannarino. Roger Federer leads Mannarino 4-0 in their head-to-head. The last time they met was here in Basel, in 2013, and Adrian lost that encounter in straight sets to Roger and looking at Roger’s current form it’d be safe to bet on a similar outcome again.
Outcome: Roger Federer over Adrian Mannarino in straight sets.
The other quarterfinal in this half of the draw features Jack Sock and David Goffin. This match should be highly competitive considering the last time they played on clay in Rome it went 6-4,6-4. Their only other meeting was in 2013 in which Jack Sock retired in the third set. Both have been playing well lately, however, Jack Sock might be a little fresher between the two because David Goffin has had a busy and highly successful Asian season this year. This match is a tough one to call, but I am tempted to go with the upset here.
Outcome: Jack Sock over David Goffin in three sets.
In the lower half, Juan Martin Del Potro has reared his very focused and likable head again, and he should get much confidence from his 2012, and 2013 win over Federer here. Juan Martin, after his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Julian Benneteau yesterday, is still in the race to qualify for the year-end championship in London.
Del Potro will play Roberto Bautista-Agut in the quarterfinals next. These two have always had closely contested matches, and Roberto has a reasonable shot at taking out Juan Martin. Juan Martin could also be a little tired after his win in Stockholm last week.
Outcome: Roberto Bautista-Agut over Juan Martin Del Potro in three closely contested sets.
The lower half of the draw also saw Marin Cilic get the better of his compatriot Borna Coric 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. This win improves Cilic’s head-to-head record, against Coric, to 5-0. Cilic will face the Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics in the quarterfinal.
Outcome: Marin Cilic over Marton Fucsovics in straight sets.
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No way Delpo loses this one. He will also probably win against Cilic in the semis. I put the odds of Fed-Delpo final at 70%. And if Fed plays at least 85% of his best he will win the title, otherwise if he plays like he did against Paire he will lose it.