Both of the Antwerp quarterfinal matchups are extremely intriguing on paper, and they should also deliver on the court. Diego Schwartzman faces Jenson Brooksby and Jannik Sinner is going up against Lloyd Harris on Saturday.
(Q) Jenson Brooksby vs. (2) Diego Schwartzman
Brooksby officially clinched his spot in the NextGen ATP Finals on Friday. At this rate, perhaps he belongs in the Nitto ATP Finals. Okay, that may be a bit of a stretch; but Brooksby has been in incredible form this season and his breakthrough on tour has continued at the European Open. The 20-year-old American played his way into the main draw through qualifying and has since defeated Reilly Opelka, Botic Van de Zandschulp, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Brooksby baked bagels against both Van de Zandschulp and Davidovich Fokina.
Up next for the world No. 70 is Schwartzman, whom he has never faced. Schwartzman is coming off consecutive quarterfinals in San Diego and Indian Wells and now he finds himself in the Antwerp semis following straight-set victories over Andy Murray and Brandon Nakashima. Unfortunately for the 14th-ranked Argentine, his opponent is even more on fire right now and seemingly the only way to beat Brooksby is by overpowering him and virtually taking the racket out of his hands. That isn’t Schwartzman’s game.
Pick: Brooksby in 3
(1) Jannik Sinner vs. (7) Lloyd Harris
Sinner and Harris will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Saturday. It’s an especially important match for Sinner, who can move back into ninth place in the race to Turin with a title this week (he was passed by Cameron Norrie in Indian Wells). The top-seeded Italian is off to a strong start with straight-set routs of Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Rinderknech.
Although Sinner has produced a better year from start to finish, Harris has been in superior form dating back to the start of the summer. The 32nd-ranked South African reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open and so far in Antwerp he has disposed of Zizou Bergs, Jan-Lennard Struff, and Marton Fucsovics in easy straight sets. Four of the six sets in those contests were no more competitive than 6-3. This should be a good one, but right now it’s tough to bet against Harris.
Pick: Harris in 3
WWW?
Diego in three, Harris in three
Harris in 3. Brooksby in 3
Big Al and me doing a lot of heavy lifting round here…;)
Oops Sinner crushed Harris, don’t think I’ve seen him playing so well before. And Diego dealt with Bond-in-waiting, never underestimate him.