John Isner will contest the quarterfinal nightcap in Delray Beach on Friday against fellow big man Kevin Anderson. Tommy Haas and Ernests Gulbis are also in action.
(1) John Isner vs. (6) Kevin Anderson
Isner and Anderson will be colliding for the eighth time in their careers at the professional level when the former college rivals do battle in the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Friday night. The head-to-head series stands at 4-3 in Isner’s favor after the 6’9” American survived 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 7-6(7) last fall at the Shanghai Masters in a match that featured zero service breaks. Anderson, however, scored a 7-5, 7-6(4) victory in the semis of this same event last season on his way to the title.
Although Isner is the favorite according to ranking and seed, Anderson has a huge edge in current form. The 6’8” South African had minor elbow surgery after the Australian Open, but he is a stellar 9-2 for the season following wins this week over Tim Smyczek and Yen-Hsun Lu. Isner, who has been dealing with a knee injury, may be getting on track having taken out Jesse Levine and Go Soeda. The world No. 15 desperately needs a big win to truly end his slump, and–based on how he played against Soeda–this could be it. If Isner wins the serve-percentage battle and the ace-count duel, he will have a good chance of advancing.
Pick: Isner in 3
Ivan Dodig vs. (2) Tommy Haas
Just as the elbow issue does not appear to be slowing down Anderson, a recent virus seems to be thing of the past for Haas. It did force the 34-year-old German out of Memphis following a first-round win, but he has gotten past Igor Sijsling and Denis Istomin in Delray Beach. Haas, who registers at No. 19 in the world mostly thanks to a brilliant first half of 2012, is a respectable 7-3 for the season.
Up next for the No. 2 seed is a first-ever encounter with Dodig. The 62nd-ranked Croat is in the midst of a decent 2013 campaign that includes a third-round finish at the Australian Open, a quarterfinal showing in Zagreb, and now another quarterfinal–at least–in Delray Beach. Dodig opened with a 6-3, 6-3 upset of Alexandr Dolgopolov before defeating Evgeny Donskoy 6-3, 7-5. Haas really picked up the pace in a 6-4, 6-1 rout of Istomin on Thursday, so that bodes well for his chances against another solid but unspectacular opponent.
Pick: Haas in 2
(Q) Daniel Munoz-De La Nava vs. (Q) Ernests Gulbis
It will be an all-qualifier showdown when Munoz-De La Nava and Gulbis kick off the quarterfinal proceedings on Friday afternoon. Gulbis appears to have a new lease on life, both in 2013 and in Delray Beach. The 109th-ranked Latvian is talking a big game and starting to back it up. He qualified for Rotterdam and advanced a round, destroyed Jarkko Nieminen in Marseille before nearly upsetting Tomas Berdych, and he qualified in Delray Beach. So far in the main draw, Gulbis has taken out Americans James Blake and Sam Querrey (the latter in a third-set tiebeaker).
Munoz-De La Nava is playing some of the best tennis of his career at 31 years old. The Spaniard registers 30 spots off his career-high ranking of No. 124 in the world and he will be approaching that mark even if he loses this one. Munoz-De La Nava qualified for the main draw this week then dismissed both Ryan Harrison and Xavier Malisse in three sets. Gulbis is a streaky player, and given that he is on a relative hot streak and playing with confidence, he should take care of business…. But don’t be surprised if a few mental lapses (like those that were on display against Querrey) result in the loss of a set.
Pick: Gulbis in 3
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