Auckland QF previews and predictions: Isner vs. Johnson, Sock vs. Chardy

Steve Johnson is standing in former champion John Isner’s way of the Auckland semifinals on Thursday. Another American is also in quarterfinal action, as Jack Sock is going up against Jeremy Chardy.

(7) Steve Johnson vs. (2) John Isner

Isner and Johnson will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they clash in the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 4-2 in favor of Isner, who won four in a row at Johnson’s expense from the fall of 2014 through the summer of 2015. Each of their last two encounters has come in the form of Washington, D.C. thrillers. Isner prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(9) two seasons ago before Johnson exacted revenge with a 7-6(7), 7-6(15) triumph last summer.

Speaking of tiebreakers, Isner–not surprisingly–had to survive one on Wednesday in order to get another shot at Johnson. In his first match of the year, the 6’10” American saved one match point and ended up outlasting Malek Jaziri 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6). Johnson booked his spot in the last eight by taking out Stephane Robert and Yen-Hsun Lu in straight sets. The 33rd-ranked American is coming off a first-round Brisbane loss to eventual champion Grigor Dimitrov, which (barring a withdrawal) ended Johnson’s hopes of being seeded at the Australian Open. Isner’s clutch victory over Jaziri should give him the confidence he needs to scrape through another tough one against Johnson.

Pick: Isner in 3

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Jeremy Chardy vs. (4) Jack Sock

Sock and Chardy will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Thursday. Their only previous meeting came two years ago on the indoor hard courts of Stockholm, where Sock got the job done 7-6(3), 6-3. The 23rd-ranked American already has plenty of matches under his belt in 2016, including a three-setter against compatriot Ryan Harrison on Wednesday night. Sock also played at the Hopman Cup, where he went 3-1 in singles and led the United States to the final.

Chardy kicked off his 2016 campaign in Doha, where he captured the doubles title with fellow Frenchman Fabrice Martin. Singles, though, has been a struggle of late. Chardy, who dropped his Doha opener to Andy Murray, has slumped to No. 71 in the world. He has benefited from an extremely favorable draw in Auckland, where he rolled over wild card and doubles specialist Artem Sitak before getting a walkover past Feliciano Lopez. This is a battle between two huge forehands, but a more in-form Sock boasts a superior all-around game.

Pick: Sock in 3

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