A red-hot Alexander Bublik will look to continue his winning streak against Tomas Machac, while hometown favorite Alexander Zverev battles Flavio Cobolli. Spots in the Halle semifinals are at stake on Friday.
Alexander Bublik vs. (7) Tomas Machac
Alexander Bublik is ranked 45th in the world, but he is playing the kind of tennis that makes him one of the most dangerous unseeded players heading into Wimbledon. He came out of nowhere to make the quarterfinals of the French Open–knocking out two top-10 players in the process (Alex de Minaur and Jack Draper). And now he’s in the quarters at the Terra Wortmann Open. Suffice to say that nobody wants to see him in their section of the draw in SW19.
Tomas Machac has had the exact opposite experience. He came into Halle off a miserable first-round loss in Paris. The Czech posted two decent wins to earn his spot in the quarters, but he is facing a player who is quite literally playing the best tennis of his entire career. Machac may be the seeded player, but it would be no upset if Bublik wins.
Cheryl pick: Bublik in 2
Ricky pick: Bublik in 2
(2) Alexander Zverev vs. Flavio Cobolli
Alexander Zverev will be highly motivated this week. He is playing at home and still licking his wounds a bit from his defeat in the Stuttgart final at the hands of Taylor Fritz. The German has also never won a grass-court title, having performed more successfully on clay and hard courts over the course of his career. He defeated Marcos Giron in the first round and just squeaked past Lorenzo Sonego in the second to earn his spot in the Halle quarters.
Italy’s Flavio Cobolli isplaying the best tennis of his life. He sits at a career-high 24th in the world and he comes into Halle after snagging titles in Bucharest and Hamburg and posting a third-round result in Paris. As luck would have it, his French Open vanquisher was none other than Zverev. As clay is by far Cobolli’s best surface, this doesn’t bode well for the underdog’s chances on Friday.
Cheryl pick: Zverev in 2
Ricky pick: Zverev in 2
WWW?
Cobolli a set.
Not much needs said about Bublik-Machac, as long as Bublik doesn’t go walkabout he’ll do it in 2.
Zverev in 3.