Delray Beach QF previews and predictions: Raonic vs. Johnson, Opelka vs. Kwon

Big servers Milos Raonic and Reilly Opelka will face unseeded opponents in the Delray Beach quarterfinals on Friday. Raonic is going up against Steve Johnson, while Opelka runs into an in-form Soonwoo Kwon.

Steve Johnson vs. (2) Milos Raonic

Raonic and Johnson will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers and for a second straight time at the Delray Beach Open when they battle for a semifinal spot on Friday night. Johnson won their previous Delray Beach showdown 6-2, 6-4 in 2018, but he still trails the head-to-head series 3-1 (all on hard courts). Although the 76th-ranked American struggled throughout 2019, he is rounding into form this season with a Challenger title, a second-round appearance in New York, and victories this week over Henri Laaksonen and Jack Sock.

Raonic did not drop a set or even play a tiebreaker en route to the quarterfinals, making routine work of Denis Istomin and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. The 37th-ranked Canadian is actually healthy at the moment, and he recently made a run to the Australian Open quarters–upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas in the process before falling to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Raonic should be able to dictate play in this one to the extent that he can avoid Johnson’s forehand and pick on the backhand side.

Pick: Raonic in 2

[crowdsignal poll=10509078]

Soonwoo Kwon vs. (4) Reilly Opelka

Playing the best tennis of his career, Kwon is up to No. 82 in the world (one spot off his best-ever mark) and will reach a career-high of 76th even if he loses on Friday. The 22-year-old South Korean already owns five ATP-level wins this season following Delray Beach defeats of Adrian Mannarino and Ryan Harrison. Kwon also advanced to the New York quarters, taking out Raonic along the way.

Up next for Kwon is a first-ever meeting with Opelka, who just barely managed to dig his way out of the first round. The 54th-ranked American overcame Ernests Gulbis 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(4) before getting the best of Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-4. Opelka had previously been a disappointing 1-3 in 2020, so it is safe to say he is not in his best form. Beating a similarly big server in Raonic last week was ideal preparation for a confident Kwon, who has a good chance of pulling off another surprise.

Pick: Kwon in 3

[crowdsignal poll=10508760]