Top seed Matteo Berrettini will take on Britain’s own Dan Evans for a spot in the Queen’s Club semifinals on Friday. Meanwhile, American Frances Tiafoe battles second-seeded Denis Shapovalov of Canada.
(1) Matteo Berrettini vs. (6) Dan Evans
Italian Matteo Berrettini has looked sharp all week. The world No. 9 is always a threat on grass, but he has played monster tennis all season long–including a quarterfinal result at the French Open last week. He dispatched countryman Stefano Travaglia and Andy Murray to earn his quarterfinal berth at Queen’s Club.
Dan Evans will be playing in front of the home crowd, and while he hasn’t attained the popularity of Andy Murray the fans will almost certainly be vocal in support of their countryman on Friday. Like Berrettini, Evans had a pair of straight-set wins to make the quarters–over Alexei Popyrin and Adrian Mannarino. He has played well, but Berrettini represents a huge leap in current form and ability.
Cheryl pick: Berrettini in 3
Ricky pick: Evans in 3
Frances Tiafoe vs. (2) Denis Shapovalov
No. 2 seed Denis Shapovalov put in a good performance to take out perennial Queen’s Club favorite Feliciano Lopez in the second round. The Canadian, who has historically struggled on grass, put in a solid performance to dispatch the veteran Spaniard. The world No. 14 has had a mixed bag of results in 2021. He made the final in Geneva, where he lost to Casper Ruud, but he promptly had to withdraw from the French Open with a shoulder injury.
Frances Tiafoe is an unimpressive 10-10 on the season. The American struggled mightily to right the ship after an excellent 2018 campaign, which saw him to a career high of 29th in the world in early February. He is currently ranked 65th. Tiafoe won the title at the Nottingham Challenger last week and has continued his good grass-court play at Queen’s Club, so a competitive contest could be in the cards.
Cheryl pick: Shapovalov in 3
Ricky pick: Shapovalov in 2
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