Novak Djokovic will continue his bid for the Beijing title as he goes up against Sam Querrey during Friday’s quarterfinals. A big-hitting affair is also on the docket as Tomas Berdych and John Isner are set to do battle.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Sam Querrey
Djokovic and Querrey will be facing each other for the eighth time in their careers and for the third time this season when they clash in the quarterfinals of the China Open on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 6-1 in Djokovic’s favor following a pair of victories in 2013; 6-0, 7-6(6) in the Indian Wells fourth round and 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-0 during a Davis Cup rubber in the United States.
The top-ranked Serb booked his spot in the Beijing last eight with defeats of Lukas Rosol (6-0, 6-3) and Fernando Verdasco (7-5, 2-6, 6-2). He is 54-9 for the season and coming off a pair of Davis Cup singles wins against Canada–which were preceded by a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open. Querrey has advanced impressively by taking out both Mikhail Youzhny and Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets. This has come mostly out of nowhere from the 30th-ranked American, who is a modest 27-20 for his 2013 campaign. Querrey can make this competitive if he serves at a high percentage, but Djokovic will likely treat the Verdasco match as a wake-up call.
Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing more than 8 games
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(8) John Isner vs. (4) Tomas Berdych
Isner and Berdych will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers on Friday. The head-to-head series is tied up at two wins apiece, but Isner has won both of their previous hard-court encounters. He prevailed 6-3, 6-7(10), 6-2 at the 2009 Washington, D.C. event and 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(9) in a thrilling title match at the 2012 Winston-Salem Open. Berdych’s two victories came on clay in 2010–one in a third-set tiebreaker.
Their paths to the last eight in Beijing could not have been more different. Isner scraped past wild card Di Wu 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 and qualifier Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4. The 6’10” American is now 36-20 for the season, mainly thanks to another awesome summer on American hard courts. Berdych rolled over Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-1 then got a walkover from Nikolay Davydenko. The sixth-ranked Czech is 48-18 for the year and he is coming off a runner-up performance in Bangkok. Isner may serve his way to a set, but he has not been at his best this week and he rarely is away from the United States.
Pick: Berdych in 3
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