A couple of all-seeded contests will be on the quarterfinal schedule in Atlanta on Friday. John Isner is going up against recent nemesis Mischa Zverev, while Hyeon Chung continues his campaign against Ryan Harrison.
(1) John Isner vs. (7) Mischa Zverev
Isner and Zverev will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the BB&T Atlanta Open on Friday. Zverev is leading the head-to-head series 3-2 after sweeping all three of their encounters last season. The German saved two match points en route to a 6-7(4), 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(7), 9-7 triumph at the Australian Open, scored a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 victory on the red clay of Geneva, and cruised 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(5) at the U.S. Open. Isner had previously prevailed at the 2009 Bangkok event and at the 2016 Paris Masters (both on indoor hard courts).
This setting may help Isner turn the tide back in his favor. The ninth-ranked American is 28-4 lifetime in Atlanta with four titles, three runner-up performances, and zero losses prior to the semifinals in eight appearances. Isner maintained his fine form following a semifinal run at Wimbledon by beating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. Zverev punched his ticket to the quarters thanks to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of the soon-to-be-retired Mikhail Youzhny. The world No. 45 is still just 16-20 in 2018 and had been 0-2 since capturing a grass-court title in Eastbourne. Current form and home-court advantage side with Isner, who should also be encouraged by the fact that he is 5-2 in seven career tiebreakers against Zverev.
Pick: Isner in 2
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(8) Ryan Harrison vs. (3) Hyeon Chung
Playing his first match in more than two months after missing the end of the clay-court swing and all of the grass season due to an ankle injury, Chung beat Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6(5) during second-round action on Wednesday. Thus the 23rd-ranked South Korean has now reached at least the quarterfinals in eight out of 10 tournaments in 2018; that includes a semifinal run at the Australian Open plus back-to-back quarterfinal appearances in Indian Wells and Miami.
Next up for Chung on Friday is a second career meeting with Harrison, who got the job done 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 at the 2015 Happy Valley Challenger. The 53rd-ranked American is obviously facing a much different opponent now, but he will be happy to play this one in Atlanta–where he is 11-6 lifetime with a runner-up finish last summer and two other semifinal showings. Harrison has advanced so far this week by recovering from set deficits against James Duckworth and Lukas Lacko. A steep step up and competition may result in the end of the line for the No. 8 seed, as Chung showed almost no signs of rust against Fritz in his opener.
Pick: Chung in 2
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Isner in two Harrison in three
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The Big dawg in 2; Chung in 2.