Acapulco QF previews and predictions: Thiem vs. Del Potro, Zverev vs. Harrison

Based on what is left of the Acapulco draw, Dominic Thiem vs. Juan Martin Del Potro arguably should be the final. Instead, they will square off in the quarterfinals on Thursday. No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev is also on the schedule, set to face Ryan Harrison.

(6) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. (3) Dominic Thiem

It will be a rematch of perhaps the most shocking result in 2017 when Thiem and Del Potro meet again in the quarterfinals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel on Thursday night. In the fourth round of last summer’s U.S. Open, an ill Del Potro was close to retirement after dropping the first two sets 6-1, 6-2, but he ended up staging a comeback for the ages while saving two match points en route to a 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-4 victory. The head-to-head series now stands at a perfect 2-0 in favor of the ninth-ranked Argentine, who also prevailed at the 2016 U.S. Open (via retirement) and a few months earlier with a 7-6(5), 6-3 win on the clay courts of Madrid.

Del Potro appears to be in fine form again for the first time since Auckland, where he finished runner-up to Roberto Bautista Agut. The 29-year-old suffered early losses to Tomas Berdych at the Australian Open and to eventual champion Frances Tiafoe in Delray Beach, but he has advanced in Acapulco by defeating Mischa Zverev and David Ferrer. Although Thiem is making a dubious transition from clay to hard courts, he has scraped past Cameron Norrie and Denis Shapovalov–the latter in the form of an emphatic 6-2, 6-3 beatdown. This is a tough one to call, but Del Potro probably has a better chance of bouncing back from his tough three-setter against Ferrer than the sixth-ranked Austrian does of turning in two straight impressive performances on this surface.

Pick: Del Potro in 3

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Ryan Harrison vs. (2) Alexander Zverev

Zverev and Harrison will be will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Thursday. The German’s recent Davis Cup exploits were outstanding (wins over Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios to lead his country past Australia and into the quarterfinals), but his 2018 campaign has otherwise been a disappointing. Zverev lost to Hyeon Chung in the Australian Open third round before getting upset by Andreas Seppi in the Rotterdam second round. So far Acapulco has been just what the doctor ordered for the world No. 5, who booked his spot in the last eight with straight-set defeats of Mackenzie McDonald and Peter Gojowyczk.

Harrison has advanced after battling both ends of the height spectrum; he beat 6’10” American John Isner 6-3, 7-6(5) on Monday before getting the best of 5’7” Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 5-7, 6-5 on Wednesday. It has been a stellar season for the world No. 60, who reached the Brisbane final (lost to Kyrgios) and the third round of the Australian Open (lost to eventual runner-up Marin Cilic). Zverev is not at his first-half-of-2017 best, but his game should work well in the Acapulco conditions and Harrison may be fatigued in both the mental and physical departments following a long month of February.

Pick: Zverev in 3

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