Tennis: The quarter-finals, at the Paris Masters, revealed and analyzed.
The first quarter is Rafael Nadal’s to loose
Rafael Nadal’s knee is still suspect, and Sam Querrey will need to take out Pablo Carreno Busta to reach the quarters. Neither Querrey nor Busta have created waves with their tennis lately. Querrey has won four, and Busta five of last ten on hard courts. Sam hasn’t been playing that well, and if Nadal’s knee is healthy, then he should be able to beat Sam Querrey.
Outcome: Rafael Nadal over Sam Querrey in three sets.
Grigor Dimitrov should emerge from the second quarter
This a tough quarter for both Del Potro and Dimitrov.
Juan Martin Del Potro will need to score a win over Sascha Zverev in the pre-quarters, and Grigor must address the talented Richard Gasquet and then the serve bot John Isner, to get a glimpse of the quarterfinals.
Del Potro leads Alexander Zverev 1-0, and that win came in a close three-set match, at the Shanghai Masters this year. Since then, Juan Martin has gone on to win at Stockholm, and reach the finals at Basel. Del Potro is in great form, but he has played an awful lot of tennis in the last 30 days. Will he be fresh enough to beat Zverev again?
Sascha Zverev’s performance has been about average lately, and he has dropped four of his last ten hard court matches. Based on the form, Juan Martin Del Potro would get a slight advantage if they were to meet here, at the Paris Masters.
Grigor Dimitrov has won both his matches quite convincingly against Gasquet this year and should get past Richard again. However, his possible pre-quarters, against John Isner, could be a close one. The head-to-head between Isner and Dimitrov is 1-1, and the recent match between them was won by Grigor Dimitrov, in two closely contested tie-breaks. If John Isner serves as well as he can, then Dimitrov may find himself at the receiving end of that match.
Grigor Dimitrov and Juan Martin Del Potro have met twice in the last 30 days and split those meeting between them. Dimitrov beat Del Potro in Beijing, and Del Potro exacted his revenge in Stockholm.
Del Potro has played an awful lot of tennis lately and may slip just that little bit to allow Dimitrov the win here.
Outcome: Grigor Dimitrov over Juan Martin Del Potro in three sets.
The third quarter should belong to Marin Cilic
Although Joe Wilfried Tsonga leads David Goffin 4-2, he will still have his work cut out against Goffin in the pre-quarters. Both, David Goffin and J W Tsonga, have been on fire lately with David winning two tournaments and Tsonga winning one and making finals in another. This match could go either way, but Goffin is a little steadier of the two and Tsonga a little worn out to play his brand of tennis at the very highest level.
Maric Cilic, on the other hand, will have to address the Borna Coric and then Bautista Agut threat. Cilic should be able to get past both if he continues to play at his recent levels. David Goffin leads Marin Cilic, 4-2, however, the last two have been won by Cilic.
Outcome: Marin Cilic over David Goffin in three sets.
We like Lucas Pouille’s chances in the fourth quarter
A tough choice between Kevin Anderson and Dominic Thiem, and Jack Sock and Lucas Pouille in the pre-quarters. Thiem has not won a match against Anderson in six attempts. However, their last meeting has been a closely contested three-setter.
Lucas Pouille won in Vienna last week and is, therefore, in better form than Jack Sock. Jack has lost 7 of last 10 matches on hard courts.
Lucas Pouille leads Thiem 2-0 and is also in better form than Dominic. Lucas should come through against Sock and then beat Thiem in the quarters.
Outcome: Lucas Pouille over Dominic Thiem in three sets.
All four QF predictions went significantly wrong. In 1st qtr, Sam Querry lost. In 2nd qtr, Isner came up who was not even considered for a QF showdown. In 3rd qtr, Goffin came up and in 4th qtr, Jack Sock came up who was again not even considered for a QF berth and ended up as a Paris Masters winner.