Kei Nishikori and Alexandr Dolgopolov will be facing each other for the second time in less than a month when they meet again on Friday in Barcelona. Philipp Kohlschreiber and Andrey Kuznetsov are also in quarterfinal action.
(11) Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. (2) Kei Nishikori
Nishikori and Dolgopolov will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the semifinals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Friday. The head-to-head series is being positively dominated by Nishikori, who is 4-0 lifetime against Dolgopolov and 8-0 in total sets. All four of their previous encounters have come on hard courts, with Nishikori most recently getting the job done 6-2, 6-2 last month at the Miami Open.
Looking strictly at Nishikori’s resume, there is no reason to think Dolgopolov will be able to turn the tide. The world No. 6 is the two-time defending champion in Barcelona and so far this week he has rolled over Thiemo De Bakker and Jeremy Chardy in straight sets. Dolgopolov punched his ticket to the last eight by defeating Evgeny Donskoy in three sets and qualifier Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5 on Thursday. The 11th-seeded Ukrainian is a solid 12-6 for the season, but is he playing well enough to upset someone who has been his nemesis? That does not appear to be the case.
Pick: Nishikori in 2
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(16) Andrey Kuznetsov vs. (10) Philipp Kohlschreiber
Stat of the day: Kohlschreiber and Kuznetsov will be going head-to-head for the third time on Friday and it will be their third meeting in Barcelona. That’s right; both of their previous showdowns have come at this event. Kohlschreiber prevailed 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) in 2013 and again in the second round last season via a 7-6(1), 6-3 decision.
They are in the quarterfinals this time around and thus continues a strong 2016 campaign for both men. Kohlschreiber is 14-7 for the year following wins this week over Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez. Kuznetsov boasts a 15-7 record and he has already won multiple matches at an impressive six tournaments. The Russian is up to No. 47 in the world, 20 spots behind Kohlschreiber. This is likely to be a high-quality contest, but the German should once again have the edge.
Pick: Kohlschreiber in 3
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who ya got?
Nishi in 2 sets over Dolgo.
Kohls over Kuznetsov in 3 sets.